ADVERTISEMENT

Online shopping can be extremely convenient. But it's not without its flaws. It’s quite easy to be seduced by the promise of high-quality products for cheap prices. However, the deals can be too good to be true. Sometimes, to a frankly ridiculous extent!

Bored Panda has curated a list of photos from online shoppers who wanted to show off how the products they received were completely different from what they had ordered. Comically large wooden spoons and tiny fridges are just the tip of the iceberg. Scroll down for a refresher about why it’s vital to be careful when buying anything online.

Matt Johnson, Ph.D., a marketing psychology speaker and the host of the branding and human nature blogs, walked us through why online shopping appeals to so many people. He also gave his take on what e-commerce platforms ought to focus on, in order to better protect their customers from potential scams. You'll find the thoughts he shared with Bored Panda below.

#1

White’s Family Christmas Card

White’s Family Christmas Card

atdanwhite Report

Smiley MG
Community Member
2 years ago

Season's greetings from the pearly bunch

View more comments
RELATED:
    #2

    The Delivery Note Got Put Inside The Card Instead Of A Birthday Message

    The Delivery Note Got Put Inside The Card Instead Of A Birthday Message

    aMac_UK Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    That’s hilarious though. 🤣

    View more comments
    #3

    I Received A Comedically Large Spoon

    I Received A Comedically Large Spoon

    Anyways, the spoon was part of a “3 feet of spaghetti” package (3 packs of spaghetti packaged in a line to look 3 feet long) and the spoon was just glued to the front as a gag I assumed. But apparently, as I found out today, it has an actual use as a huge stirring spoon for huge pots.

    PurelyForLolla Report

    Malissa Christopher
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    🤣

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #4

    Rib Mid-Thigh Shorts

    Rib Mid-Thigh Shorts

    reddit.com Report

    Tee Rat
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Definitely grandpa waisted.

    View more comments
    #5

    Costco Will Give You Exactly What You Know You Didn't Need

    Costco Will Give You Exactly What You Know You Didn't Need

    FlipDemStocks Report

    Laura Williams
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Wow

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #6

    Always Check The Dimensions Before Buying Appliances

    Always Check The Dimensions Before Buying Appliances

    kplicious Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    It’s so cute though!

    View more comments
    #7

    My Mom's Old iPad

    My Mom's Old iPad

    miinyuu Report

    Laura Williams
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Didn't understand English?

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #8

    I Ordered A Cupcake Bouquet For Mother’s Day From A Local Bakery. The Photo Examples She Posted To Instagram vs. What Was Delivered

    I Ordered A Cupcake Bouquet For Mother’s Day From A Local Bakery. The Photo Examples She Posted To Instagram vs. What Was Delivered

    matidoodle Report

    Tempest
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This reminds me of all those bored people who took up baking as a hobby during the pandemic and actually tried to start home businesses selling their poor attempts at trying to bake. Speaking from experience being on the receiving end of such a terrible batch of cupcakes. Just to be nice and help out I ordered a batch was a friend’s SIL instead of a professional bakery. It was to be delivered to a cousin as a birthday gift. The SIL actually had a whole Instagram page with a custom name dedicated to her baking which she just started during the pandemic. In the end the decorations weren’t what I asked for and the cousin who I sent them to never once commented on how they tasted. Total waste of money and a good lesson learnt for me to never trust such make-believe pandemic-born bakers, etc. (After about a year of the baking hobby this friend’s SIL switched to a homemade baby clothes and adult frocks business which also died off after about a year.)

    View more comments
    #9

    Ordered A 3 XL, Got A 13 XL Instead

    Ordered A 3 XL, Got A 13 XL Instead

    Blowtorch89 Report

    Earl Grey
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Room to grow.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #10

    The Mask That Came With My Batman Costume

    The Mask That Came With My Batman Costume

    reddit.com Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    More like Barf Vader!

    View more comments
    #11

    Not Quite What You Bargained On Getting

    Not Quite What You Bargained On Getting

    EndersGame_Reviewer Report

    Apachebathmat
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Even the shark in the right hand picture is offended

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #12

    Our Company Now Has 900 Of These Pens

    Our Company Now Has 900 Of These Pens

    mtkeepsrolling Report

    Libstak
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    They should have been returned and refunded

    View more comments
    #13

    I Ordered This "Ottoman" For My Wife. Should Have Double-Checked The Dimensions

    I Ordered This "Ottoman" For My Wife. Should Have Double-Checked The Dimensions

    Nach_Steel84 Report

    Corlissa
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Good footstool

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #14

    The Cake My Wife Ordered From Walmart

    The Cake My Wife Ordered From Walmart

    She called me upset, said she wanted to take it back. I told her nahh, it can’t be that bad.

    War-Weasel_4798 Report

    glowworm2
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This is how I write when I run out of room on paper!

    View more comments
    #15

    Shein Is The Old Wish. Shein Is The New Wish

    Shein Is The Old Wish. Shein Is The New Wish

    facebook.com Report

    Just-A-Black-Cat
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Am I the only one who is reminded of the 'It is Wednesday, my dudes... AGGGGHHHHUUUEEEHHHH" guy from this?

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Never miss a story that brings joy to the world. Add us on Google

    #16

    Hungry Howie's New "Tie-Dye Pizza"

    Hungry Howie's New "Tie-Dye Pizza"

    ChildofValhalla Report

    Corlissa
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    If young children found out about edible glitter.......

    View more comments
    #17

    Walmart Sent My Order In A Store Display Box That Only Opens At The Checkout Counter

    Walmart Sent My Order In A Store Display Box That Only Opens At The Checkout Counter

    poopoo-on-a-stick Report

    Earl Grey
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    🔨 🪚 🪓

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #18

    My Friend Ordered Siddhartha, A Novel About Buddhist Enlightenment, From Amazon And It Was Misprinted With A Red Pill Self-Help Guide Called "The Unplugged Alpha"

    My Friend Ordered Siddhartha, A Novel About Buddhist Enlightenment, From Amazon And It Was Misprinted With A Red Pill Self-Help Guide Called "The Unplugged Alpha"

    fractured_bedrock Report

    DinsdalePiranha
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    It's for when you're too embarrassed to have The Unplugged Alpha on your bookshelf.

    View more comments
    #19

    This Company Absolutely Butchered Our Pen Order Instead Of Following The Instructions In Our Conversation, They Just Printed The Instructions Right On The Pens

    This Company Absolutely Butchered Our Pen Order Instead Of Following The Instructions In Our Conversation, They Just Printed The Instructions Right On The Pens

    Did I mention I have a hundred of these?

    i_luv_coffee14 Report

    Jill Rhodry
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    It's automated - they will print exactly what you write in the box.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #20

    My Uber Driver's Picture. He Didn't Even Say Sorry

    My Uber Driver's Picture. He Didn't Even Say Sorry

    ArclightMik Report

    Corlissa
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    They certainly worked their magic

    View more comments
    #21

    Smaller Than Expected

    Smaller Than Expected

    Uninteresting_kitty Report

    PFD
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited)

    The pens etc in the top right are to scale, more-or-less. Bizarre pic. Still, it's what you can expect to happen when you don't include a banana.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #22

    Ordered Some Onion Rings

    Ordered Some Onion Rings

    Appropriate-Band-746 Report

    Awesome At Being Autistic
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Ewww.

    View more comments
    #23

    What I Ordered vs. What I Got

    What I Ordered vs. What I Got

    Needless to say, avoid the company Heroxce AT ALL COSTS. Total scammers. Won’t return or give your money back. Buyer, beware.

    kaelcollins Report

    Say No to Downvoting
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Seriously, any online store with a weird name that you have never heard of that pops up on your socials, with too good to be true prices, you should be IMMEDIATELY suspicious of. It’s likely a scammy place that is folding and reinventing itself every 3 months, ensuring no one gets their money back and they never accumulate enough bad reviews for anyone to notice.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #24

    At Least I Got A Refund

    At Least I Got A Refund

    Flauschesocken Report

    Libstak
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Which one is incorrect?

    View more comments
    #25

    Ordered One Hoodie For My Kid And Now Amazon Won't Stop Sending Boxes Of Them. There Are More Than 62 Hoodies

    Ordered One Hoodie For My Kid And Now Amazon Won't Stop Sending Boxes Of Them. There Are More Than 62 Hoodies

    magelight343 Report

    Corlissa
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited)

    Well its a seems like a win to me, he could have one for every day

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #26

    Good Guy On Amazon.com: Order One Pair Of Sunglasses, Receive 11

    Good Guy On Amazon.com: Order One Pair Of Sunglasses, Receive 11

    togorange Report

    Leading_Gold
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Resell them!

    View more comments
    #27

    A Few Years Ago, I Worked At An Apple Store And A Fella Brought In 16 In MacBook Pro That He Bought Off Of Amazon. This Is What Amazon Shipped Him

    A Few Years Ago, I Worked At An Apple Store And A Fella Brought In 16 In MacBook Pro That He Bought Off Of Amazon. This Is What Amazon Shipped Him

    violinfiddleman Report

    Averysleepypanda
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    I always buy any expensive tech directly from the company or best buy

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #28

    When You Purchase A $20-30 Stained Glass Lamp On Amazon With Bad/No Reviews

    When You Purchase A $20-30 Stained Glass Lamp On Amazon With Bad/No Reviews

    Listings I could find ranged from $20 to $30, all using the same product photo just edited into different backgrounds. Most had no reviews, a few had bad reviews, but most people at least got something 3-dimensional!

    someusername47 Report

    PFD
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    That's particularly egregious, but the price should have been a major tell.

    View more comments
    #29

    What I Sent vs. What I Got

    What I Sent vs. What I Got

    Alienowls Report

    Hugh Crawford
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    4 years out of date

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #30

    Advertised As A "Chair Cushion"

    Advertised As A "Chair Cushion"

    heenerneener Report

    Canandelabra
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Looks like someone sat on their poor kitty.

    View more comments
    #31

    What I Expected vs. What I Got

    What I Expected vs. What I Got

    The 1st picture is from her website and I made it clear what I wanted. I’m disappointed.

    DeepZucchinii Report

    Latchkey
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    much wow. such effort

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #32

    Was Suspicious Of My “5 Lb” Plate Set. Thanks, Amazon!

    Was Suspicious Of My “5 Lb” Plate Set. Thanks, Amazon!

    AtticusAesop Report

    Hugh Crawford
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    5 lbs before cooking

    View more comments
    #33

    What I Ordered And What I Got

    What I Ordered And What I Got

    Nexus20492 Report

    Lauren S
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    That little crooked nose! Just keep it and love it. (Says a woman who had to play with her toys equally as a child so none of them felt bad or left out… so yeah, someone please love this unique floofy.)

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #34

    Nonamé Is A Nice Baby Name

    Nonamé Is A Nice Baby Name

    JennyDawnTX , JennyDawnTX Report

    Lauren S
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    I would still keep this and have an inside joke in the family that nicknames the kiddo Noname (non-uh-may). 😂 and then I’d order another one, which I bet you show up saying “blank”

    View more comments
    #35

    Bought A 12-Pack Of Dove Soap. They All Came Out Like This

    Bought A 12-Pack Of Dove Soap. They All Came Out Like This

    onetruegaia Report

    Mjskywalk
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Looks like shrinkflation.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #36

    Christmas Socks As A Present. Crock Socks vs. Hand Puppets

    Christmas Socks As A Present. Crock Socks vs. Hand Puppets

    Exciting_Health3054 Report

    BrookeBT
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    As someone struggling to sell woodworking items online, when ever I see something as blatantly wrong as this it makes me furious. It gives online shopping a bad name. I try so hard to show through my pictures that I post that it's all legit, but people have their concerns - I understand - I do too when I'm looking. Just sell the real thing. People will be thankful for your honesty and often will be a repeat customer.

    View more comments
    #37

    Friend Ordered A Ghost Bouquet Of Flowers

    Friend Ordered A Ghost Bouquet Of Flowers

    JepsenRebel Report

    Lauren S
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    This one is semi close considering how bad some other ones are.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #38

    Yeah, Just Put The Kellogg Logo

    Yeah, Just Put The Kellogg Logo

    harps_joey , harps_joey Report

    Benjamin
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    I kind of like it better

    View more comments
    #39

    Bought A $150 Harry Osborn Action Figure Online, And Here's What They Sent Me

    Bought A $150 Harry Osborn Action Figure Online, And Here's What They Sent Me

    UrameshiYuusuke Report

    JayWantsACat
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    It's from the The Amusing Spoderman film.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #40

    Well, At Least I Have 3

    Well, At Least I Have 3

    Bigbadbadger-mole Report

    Stephanie Did It
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited)

    This has happened to me several times, ordering one item and having multiples delivered with some 'delayed.' The delayed one sometimes shows up and sometimes it mysteriously melts away.

    View more comments
    #41

    What I Ordered vs. What I Got

    What I Ordered vs. What I Got

    To keep it short, I was specifically looking for a Goldendoodle holiday figurine for my mother-in-law. At the time, there were no reviews on this and it was $30 so I took a risk. It didn’t pay off this time… I at least thought it would be 3D.

    I would be a bit upset if it wasn’t so funny. I think I’m going to keep him and put him outside.

    Negative-Rub5351 Report

    Benjamin
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Failed to see the 1 star rating

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #42

    I Ordered The Quest 3 For $500 On Amazon And Received A Box Of Plastic Cutlery

    I Ordered The Quest 3 For $500 On Amazon And Received A Box Of Plastic Cutlery

    Artificial_NGHTMRS Report

    Kare Deter
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Your quest has just begun. The quest to get the item you actually ordered.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #43

    At Least It's The Same Fabric?

    At Least It's The Same Fabric?

    squidplant Report

    PFD
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Or not.

    View more comments
    #44

    Ordered New Vans, Received Someone's Smelly Old Reeboks

    Ordered New Vans, Received Someone's Smelly Old Reeboks

    schmody18 Report

    Just-A-Black-Cat
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Delivery driver: "Lemme just.. ah, new shoes. Wait, what am i gonna do with my old ones?" *slips back into box* "Nobody's gonna know"

    View more comments
    #45

    So I Bought A Spider-Man Mask On eBay, And Here's What I Got

    So I Bought A Spider-Man Mask On eBay, And Here's What I Got

    Beautiful_Fishing569 Report

    Lauren S
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Spodermun

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #46

    Ordered A Filter For My Camera And They Sent It In A Mailer Envelope

    Ordered A Filter For My Camera And They Sent It In A Mailer Envelope

    reddit.com Report

    Cecilia Herrera
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    It's a wonder they didn't send a coffee filter!

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #47

    Mistakes Were Made

    Mistakes Were Made

    emmaajenkinss Report

    Belle_Pandamonium🇧🇻l
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    For nutmeg perhaps

    View more comments
    #48

    My Mum Ordered A Gin Glass For My Dad For His Birthday. She Wanted It To Say "Celtic" In The Middle Of The Glass, But She Got This Instead

    My Mum Ordered A Gin Glass For My Dad For His Birthday. She Wanted It To Say "Celtic" In The Middle Of The Glass, But She Got This Instead

    _caitlin88 Report

    Cee Grant
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    A lot of these have to do with the buyer not understanding how this works. It's not a conversation with a human.

    View more comments
    #49

    The Etsy Shop Nailed It With Our Notes

    The Etsy Shop Nailed It With Our Notes

    -RomeoZulu- Report

    DinsdalePiranha
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Doughter?

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #50

    If You Buy Things From Any Big Box Store, Open Them Immediately Even If You Aren't Going To Use Them Immediately. Thanks, Best Buy QC, There Goes $300

    If You Buy Things From Any Big Box Store, Open Them Immediately Even If You Aren't Going To Use Them Immediately. Thanks, Best Buy QC, There Goes $300

    Arigato_FisterRoboto Report

    Brightly
    Community Member
    2 years ago

    Best Buy has the worst return policy and they have quality issues all the time. I refuse to shop there anymore.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT