When traveling, the luggage you have can spell a great time or a tiring time. You don’t want to spend the whole of your vacation lugging around a broken suitcase because the wheels snapped, or it couldn’t handle the weight of all your clothes and things.
Traditionally, shoppers have gone to the mall or department store to buy their luggage, and been able to physically inspect a bag before making a purchase. But with the growing trend of buying online, less and less people are making the physical trip.
It’s certainly a lot easier and more convenient to do your shopping online, however make sure you keep the following points in mind to ensure you get your money’s worth.
5 Tips to Buying Luggage Online
Get Recommendations
Before buying the first luggage you see, you should ask around, and get recommendations from friends and other travelers on which bags they have had success with.
Make sure to ask those who are frequent travelers, as advice doesn’t really count if the person giving it has little travel experience! A good question to ask is if the luggage still looks good as new after years of use.
When asking for recommendations however, make sure you offer context on your travel style, as this will affect the type of luggage someone will recommend you. For instance, luggage recommendations for camping will greatly differ from those suitable for a 5 star hotel.
Decide What Kind of Luggage You Really Need
When you’re choosing a bag to travel with, ask yourself what type of luggage you will be carrying. A bag should protect its contents, so you need to consider what you’ll be packing, and choose a bag accordingly.
For instance, delicate items like wine glasses, or fragile products which break easily might require you to choose bags that have a padded surface on the inside, and a hard shell on the outside for maximum protection.
Knowing how much luggage you plan on carrying is an important thing to consider as well. Bags with a soft exterior increase your capacity to add more stuff since they are able to stretch, where-as hard shell cases mean you can’t stretch your packing capacity.
Make Sure it is Durable
Imagine going on a backpacking trip across Europe and one of your zippers break. Or you’re on your way to the hotel when one of the wheels of your luggage suitcase becomes loose.
Before you buy a new bag, take a look at the reviews given by consumers so that you know that your money will be well spent. Look for keywords like ‘strong’, ‘sturdy’, and ‘build’ to make sure it is durable enough to withstand your trip overseas.
Some websites post their reviews to make it easy for you. But you can also check out other online forums like Reddit to see if there are independent reviews from other travelers who have shared about their experience with the bag you want to buy.
Choose to Buy From a Reputable Site
One of the dangers of buying online is that you’re not always sure if you will get what is advertised on the site. In order to avoid being scammed, only go to reputable websites like The Luggage Source Website, where you will find some of the best brands in the world.
Make Sure it Comes With a Guarantee
Luggage is often an investment, and you make sure that every investment you make is a good one.
If you don’t travel a lot, you’re going to want to buy something that will still be sturdy for many years to come, and if you’re a frequent traveler, you want something that will do well with all the traveling you will do and will not experience wear and tear too quickly.
When buying luggage online, make sure you look for brands which include a guarantee / warranty. There are well-established manufacturers who really stand behind their products and some even offer a lifetime guarantee.
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Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.
Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.
24 Comments
I know most folks buy their stuff on line- but for this- and several other items- I need to touch and feel the items before I plunk down my money.
Fair enough :) I know a lot of people who actually go into the store to check a product out but then order it online if they can find it cheaper – perhaps this could be a happy medium if you found a great deal.
Agree with Roy – I like to touch and feel something before I buy it – especially something like a suitcase which is going to be charged with protecting my belongings.
For sure, its always important to make sure you’re totally happy with it, and you definitely get a better feel for that if you can physically see a product before you buy :) I just mentioned to Roy that perhaps a happy medium could be checking a bag out in store but then buying it online if you can find a cheaper price :)
I do all my shopping online – one thing I would add is to make sure that any site you buy from is https – the “s” is very important when you’re entering credit cards details, because it means that it is secure.
And stick with brand you’re already familiar with – there are so many scam sites out there, and search results can be easily rigged to trick you. But if you already know the brand chances are that the site will be legit. If you’re really worried, go with Amazon – they carry everything under the sun.
Great tips Melissa, thanks for sharing your experience. That’s really fabulous insight.
Personally I would advise against trusting the reviews brands publish on their own websites, and seek out independent reviews. These are good tips though.
Always a good idea to put further research into finding independent reviews. Thanks for the tip – glad you enjoyed the post :)
I shop online all the time – I can’t remember the last time I actually walked into a store.
Kind of getting that way isn’t it!
Good tips here. Definitely important to choose luggage you actually need. My tip would be to check the color when you’re buying online – I’ve messed that up a couple of times. Obviously that’s not something you’re likely to get wrong if you buy it from an actual shop.
A great tip Anita, I can see how that’s something that might slip past your attention when you’re buying online.
Very helpful, thankyou! A refund policy is a must.
You’re welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, always look for luggage with a guarantee / warranty.
The real benefit of buying bags online, and online purchases in general is being able to compare prices quickly and easily – I usually head into stores to “kick the tires” so to speak, and actually examine the bags I’m looking to buy. But then you can usually find up to 60% discounts by shopping online.
Great trip Cary – trying before you buy, but then buying online is a happy balance I think :)
There’s so much value in buying luggage online! It’s always so much cheaper, and I’ll normally run a Google search for brand specific discount codes – sometimes they work, sometimes they dont. You can also get really cheap used luggage by going onto ebay – you have to check the photos a bit closer to make sure it’s in good nick but I’ve bought my last couple of bags second hand online.
Absolutely Tracey – great tip on searching for discount codes, and buying second hand. Personally I would prefer my luggage to be brand new, just because I never know what the people before me have had in their bags and I would probably worry about the off chance that traces of things I don’t know about might get picked up on the bag. A great way to stick to a budget though :)
Ooooo yea, most of the luggage I’ve purchased online was either too big or too small. Haha. I did find my favorite bag EVER online though. :)
Hope these tips helped then! It’s always awesome when you finally stumble upon a purchase which you LOVE :)
I think it’s important to know which type of luggage is right for you. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely Charles – glad you enjoyed the post :)
Good to know the tip. Thanks for the informative stuff. Keep it up!
You’re welcome Brian, glad the post was helpful! :)