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If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. We recognize that when we come across catfish on dating apps and when we receive text messages promising a “free iPhone if you click this link in the next 5 minutes!” But apparently, many of us need a reminder to be wary of what we’re buying when we shop online too.

Bored Panda has scoured the internet to find the most hilarious examples of “what I ordered versus what I received.” From outfits that look nothing like the photos featured on the website to products that are much larger or smaller than anticipated, we hope you get a kick out of this list, pandas. Keep reading to also find a conversation with Courtney Carver, creator of Be More With Less, and remember, always read the reviews before making a purchase!

#1 Well This Is Awkward

Image credits: jeremyjudkins_

#2 What I Ordered vs. What I Got

Image credits: rupertgood

#3 It Looked Like What It Was Supposed To Be: A Nicely Made Knit Tee Shirt

Image credits: Jacob_Brogan

Ah, online shopping. It’s extremely convenient when you need something specific in a pinch, and you don’t have time to go searching through ten different shops. But there are certainly risks involved as well. What if your typical size doesn’t actually fit? What if the object arrives broken after a long journey in transit? And what if what you receive looks absolutely nothing like what you saw in the photo?

When it comes to the pros and cons of ordering items online, The Balance says there are many. But let’s start off on a positive note: it’s convenient, there’s a much larger selection than in stores, and it’s easy to access product information. You can online shop at night if you can’t make it to the store before they close, and you can read dozens of reviews to ensure you make an informed purchase.        

#4 My Dad Was Enthralled By The Size Of The Aluminum Foil He Purchased Online

Image credits: by_the_bayou

#5 This Is Exactly Why You Don’t Buy Off Shein

Image credits: __Curtdoggg

#6 Ordered A New Pair Of 8083s That Came In The Wrong Size. Should I Return Them?

Will they stretch over time?

Image credits: Guard__ian

On the flip side, however, there are definitely some aspects of online shopping that aren’t great. First things first, it can be more expensive. You will likely have to pay for shipping, and you might even get hit with an internet sales tax, depending on where you live. 

And as we’ve seen from this list, there’s an increased risk of fraud when buying online. You can’t see exactly what you’re getting until it arrives, and it’s a lot easier for scammers to get your credit card information through a fake website than through a suspicious link in an email. Consumers have to be vigilant when determining whether or not a website is safe.

#7 So I Bought A Ruler Off Of Temu… Cabin Door For Scale

Image credits: Condhor

#8 I Ordered A Pair Of Dc Shoes And They Messed Up Giving Me A 9.5 And A 9 And They Are Both For The Right Foot

Image credits: YourFavouriteRat

#9 Submitted Photo To Get Customized Keychain Of My Cat…

Submitted a photo to get a customized keychain made of my cat. This is what I received from Temu. I don’t know whose pet this is.

Image credits: Ok_Relation_3218

To find out more about the realities of online shopping and whether or not we should be doing it at all, we got in touch with Courtney Carver, creator of Be More With Less and author of Gentle. Courtney was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share her thoughts on shopping online.

“It is a nice convenience and an accessibility factor you may not see shopping otherwise. For some though, it can be a little too convenient,” she noted. “There’s no friction, no pause required before buying something you may not even really want or need.”

“Because online shopping can be so immediate, some people add to cart when they are trying to self-soothe. You might try to shop away pain, like the pain of boredom, frustration or insomnia. Usually, none of these ailments are relieved in the end, and now you own one more thing and may have a little more debt, which leads to more pain.”

#10 Ordered A Beautiful Chrome Doberman Statue, Description Said 3ft Tall

Image credits: SeriesBusiness9098

#11 Always Check The Size Before You Order

We needed a good spoon to stir jam making and I accidentally ordered this spoon that can double as a short sword. lol
Going to give it to a friend that has a giant wok.
Didn’t know where else to post this haha.

Image credits: Gamerdave74

#12 We Ordered My 12 Y/O Daughter A Taylor Swift Flag For Christmas. It Came From Amazon. This Is What She Opened

Image credits: NatiAti513

There are also some risks that come along with shopping online. “Online shopping is pretty reliable, but you may not get the right size or the thing you order may not show up as it appeared online,” Courtney warns. “Often online shopping comes with returns, so you end up spending the time and energy you had planned to save by shopping online in the first place.”

#13 Ordered Radishes For A Dish For Dinner… Supermarket Sent These Instead. Guess I’ll Be Making That Dish In 4-8 Weeks

Image credits: auntietelle

#14 What Is This? A Violin For Ants?

Image credits: redballo0n

#15 Ordered An Apple Watch On Amazon, They Sent Me An Empty Box. Amazon Offered To Overnight A Replacement, And They Sent Another Empty Box. Happy Father’s Day To Me

Image credits: DaveSpacelaser

So if you’re looking to cut down on your online purchases, Courtney recommends a 30-90 day shopping ban. “Make a list of the essentials you’ll need to shop for during that time, and take everything else off the table. Unsubscribe from shopping sites, remove your cards from Amazon and other places that make it way too easy to shop. It gives you a little space to feel your feelings, mind your budget and to prioritize more meaningful self-care,” she explained. “If shopping for clothing and wardrobe-related items is your problem area, try the Project 333 challenge.”

#16 We Ordered An Air Fryer Through Amazon And It Arrived With A Companion. I Don’t Know If It Was Amazon’s Fault Or The Carrier’s… Good Morning!

Image credits: sofiaserrano97

#17 Bought A “Brand New” Jacket Online. Found This Inside The Pocket

Image credits: Nylokken

#18 The “A4 Size Paper” File Cabinet That I Had Ordered From Shein

Image credits: Saruaj_

Despite the fact that over a third of the world’s population shops online, the reality is that we should probably be doing it much, much less. In fact, according to TIME, these “harmless” little orders might be negatively impacting your mental health. Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Stanford Medicine, says that both shopping and spending time on the internet are addictive. So doing both at the same time can be a dangerous combination. 

#19 I Ordered A Sexy Catsuit And Ended Up With A Terrifying Shadow Being

I was feeling a little frisky when I ordered this one piece catsuit. Turns out it was the creepiest looking thing I had ever seen, and there was no way to shrink myself into the dam thing. I kinda want to hang it in someone’s room at night and see what happens. The way the little fingers move is more than I can handle. Feet for size reference.

Image credits: NataliaTemple

#20 Expensive Lesson

Image credits: jakebellavance

#21 My Wife Ordered A Beading Pattern Book, But Instead Of Patterns It Only Contains AI Written Instructions On How To Make Such A Book

Image credits: ShilkaLive

Shopping online can be an easy way to get a dopamine rush immediately, but it can also be overwhelming. You’re presented with endless options, and if you develop an addiction, you might find yourself stressing about your financial situation because of this. 

However, there’s a clever trick that might help: fill your basket with items, but don’t actually order them. Thea Gallagher, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at NYU Langone Health, told TIME that this can still provide shoppers with the rush of dopamine they want without the subsequent guilt from spending money.  

#22 Told The Seller I Was Missing The Ctrl Key And He Sent Me This

Image credits: Iamthehottestman

#23 He’s Going Through Something

I ordered a lemur off Amazon, I got this guy. I'm going to help him through whatever he is going through. I love him anyway.

Image credits: LadyGeneralWeiss

#24 Then They Add A Mouse The Size Of A Advil Like

Image credits: slimbankss

If you’re personally struggling with the urge to shop, shop, shop, TIME has a few tips for cutting back. First, forget the idea that you need to be the best, most perfect version of yourself. You don’t need everything. If you have everything you need, that should be good enough! Then go through and remove your credit card information from your computer and any websites where it’s saved. 

And force yourself to have a waiting period before buying anything online. Give it some time and really consider if you actually need that item. Better yet, assign yourself a no-buy month, like Courtney suggested. This can be like a little detox from shopping, and it will help you realize just how often you have the impulse to buy something new.   

#25 We Ordered A One Time Tablecloth. It Says Bame Day Instead Of Game Day

Image credits: Piruparka

#26 So Actually What You Do Is Buy A Different One

Image credits: h7une

#27 What Is This? A Rice Cooker For Ants?!

Image credits: gnarkellyy

Are these photos making you think twice about your next online purchase, pandas? Keep upvoting the pics that you find particularly hilarious, and let us know in the comments if you’ve ever received an item that was drastically different than what you expected. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda piece featuring products that catfished shoppers, look no further than right here!

#28 I Ordered A Custom Plush From A Store And It Turned Out Like This…

Image credits: 1ithv

#29 What I Ordered vs. What I Got

Sent my friend a positive potato to make her smile since she works so hard. This is what she got…

Image credits: luvisforall

#30 All Of These Post-Its Are Pages Ripped Out Of This Copy Of Dune I Got Off Ebay

I bought this somewhat vintage hardcover off eBay over a year ago, so can't return it, but only bought it to upgrade my paperback copy. I went to read Dune again and realized there were a ton of pages missing. Who does something like this!?

Image credits: Akito_900

#31 Bought This Dress And Finally Received It Three Months Later Just To Be Ripped Off ?

Image credits: ThatOneChickenNoddle

#32 Got A New Bra From Online. When It Arrived This Thing Was Still Attached

Image credits: TOoN_YT

#33 What I Ordered vs. What I Got

Image credits: WantSomeOnika_

#34 The Flowers My Mil Ordered For Me vs. What We Got

Image credits: Snoo_46752

#35 Bought A Ps5 For My Son’s Birthday. Someone At UPS Swapped It Out With A Rock

Image credits: reddit.com

#36 My Friend Bought A Tablet From The (Official) Samsung Store On Amazon And Received This. (Also She Needed It Urgently)

Image credits: Junker_66

#37 Oh.. ?

Image credits: nejiferlu

#38 The Lamp My Friend Ordered vs. What He Received

Naturally I found this hysterical, my friend is very upset about it, but personally I think it was worth it for the laugh!

Image credits: LantokaiSorcerer

#39 Where’s The Grape?

Image credits: ohgracieoguns

#40 Ordered My Daughter A MacBook Air For Christmas And This Is What FedEx Delivered

Image credits: reddit.com

#41 So I Thought I Was Ordering A Dress…

Image credits: SeekTheFinds

#42 My Friend’s Order Got Messed Up

How is something like this even possible? lol

Image credits: Cory_Clownfish

#43 Cute Plant Plush I Ordered For My Nursery And What Was Actually Received

Image credits: Nica-sauce-rex

#44 What I Ordered vs. What I Got

Ordered this mask almost a month ago hoping to get a good deal. Believe people when they say if it’s to good it’s probably not true. Where do I even begin with this monstrosity. The material looks nothing like advertised. It’s not stretchy whatsoever it feels like it came from the dollar store. The hair is very clearly fake there’s stains on the back half of the mask there’s NO mouth hole and it’s three sizes to big for any normal persons head. Not to mention it smells like battery acid. They removed the ability to review the products shortly after people started receiving them for obvious reasons. And I will 1000% be using the 30 day return policy. I just can’t see why anyone would think this looks even remotely similar. Maybe if I was blind and had never seen a human I might fall for this mask but I refuse to let this thing rot in the closet it can go right back where it came from. A month wasted and I still have to ship it back. Safe to say I’ll never be ordering from this group again.

Image credits: Scuddie-

#45 Bought These Online On Sale The Other Day. When They Arrived I Found Out Why The Were On Sale

Image credits: treadfast

#46 I Got This From Temu. Is It Real?

Image credits: zyxwvutsreddit

#47 How Fast Do I Need To Walk?

Image credits: Fortnite_is_terrible

#48 I Was Cracking Up. It’s Hysterica

Image credits: JeannieM28

#49 What I Ordered vs. What I Got, LOL, Lesson Learned!!

Image credits: reddit.com

#50 Bought A New iPhone From Amazon. This Is What I Got

Image credits: Chickeneggsandlegs

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