Imagine this: you order a product on the internet and wait days—or even weeks—for it to arrive. When the parcel finally shows up, the thing inside barely resembles what you ordered. Then again, maybe you don't have to imagine this. Maybe you know the pain of dealing with a refund system that seems designed to test your will to live.
To illustrate just how funny and frustrating online shopping can be, we've collected a set of pictures showing people's most disappointing experiences with it. From tiny pools to terrible knock-offs, these examples prove you must always read the reviews before checking out.
#1 Found This Via Video On Instagram - No Words. Just Too Funny - Up There With The Reindeer
Image credits: camlaw63
#2 “Extra Large” Dog Pool
Image credits: leftcrow
#3 Latex Thigh Highs Ordered But Got What Seems Like The Case For Sleeping Bags
Image credits: SweetHeatFeet
#4 This Has To Be For The Babies
Image credits: CurttiMagurtti
#5 Check Out My Cool New Lap Desk From Temu
Image credits: Worldly_Way_5537
#6 Throwback To The Time I Thought I Was Buying A Surprisingly Cheap Weightlifting Bench, Only To Receive This In The Post
Image credits: NaturesTemper
#7 Found A Cheap Kitchen Scale. I Feel Like Something Is Missing
Image credits: reddit.com
#8 I Bought Silicone Bowl Lids On Ebay At A Higher Price To Avoid Amazon
So did some guy just place an Amazon order with my name and address and pocket a few bucks?
Image credits: charcoalisthefuture
#9 What I Ordered vs. What I Got
My wife ordered a very nice Irish Sweater from a site called ArtsWardrobe.com.
So it looked like a really awesome knit (actually a fairly complicated pattern) in the image.
She ordered it and got a printed sweatshirt with poorly-sewn hems on a low quality polyester fabric.
Description says “knitted” not printed.
TLDR: don’t order from ArtsWardrobe.com
Image credits: Pbacker
#10 What I Ordered vs. What I Got
At least I have a cool welcome mat now.
Image credits: Beautiful-Nightmaree
#11 Ordered A 32 Gallon Trash Can From Walmart Got A Toy Instead, Fraudulent Seller Later Changed The Listing To A Pencil Box Trash Can Toy
Image credits: crosstheroom
#12 The Shoes My GF Ordered Online Are For The Same Foot
Image credits: TheBlackCom
#13 Ordered A $1000 Graphics Card From Amazon, Received 4 Cans Of Beef Ravioli
It showed up in the sealed Amazon box, and inside that, the graphics card box still had intact security stickers and shrinkwrap. Taking it up with support, but also screaming internally for fear that they'll think I'm the one scamming and won't refund or replace.
Image credits: King_Carmine
#14 My Girlfriend Has A Pair Of Gloves And All Of The Fingers Are The Same Length
Image credits: TheStaplerMan2019
#15 Lmfao
Image credits: dimelo_ali
#16 What You Order vs. What You Receive
Image credits: SirLlama123
#17 Fiancee And I Ordered Some Small Ice Cream Bowls To Hold Fruit At The Tables At Our Wedding - They Arrived Dirty, With Food In Them
Image credits: lookingforagamergirl
#18 Finally Decided To Order A Skims Bra And This Was What I Got When I Opened The Package
I’m so upset too because this size and color are now sold out. Customer support waived return fees but that doesn’t help me get the bra I wanted (without someone else’s eyelashes attached!) 😩.
Image credits: kristin630
#19 Another Classic "What I Ordered vs. What I Got"
Image credits: chemicalmum
#20 The Dangers Of Online Shopping
Image credits: ihazone
#21 Ordered LEGO At Amazon, Got Pasta Instead
Image credits: MtHove
#22 Not What I Expected
Ordered this from Walmart's website. What I ordered versus what I got. Yes, I tried “fluffing it” and tried to make it look comparable to what it’s supposed to look like. The bow isn’t even the same. There’s so much glue all over it. It’s a lost cause.
Image credits: Sleep-deprived_siren
#23 My Walmart Delivery Order Sent My Nicotine Gum Inside The Locked Container
Image credits: Anxious_Purpose4270
#24 Trying To Find One Similarity
Image credits: tolanibaj
#25 Switch 2 Purchased From Walmart Arrived Empty
Image credits: Huggens
#26 Farmgirl Flowers “Now And Gem” Bouquet. Ordered Flowers To Make My Bridal Bouquet, Was Very Excited. Absolutely Shameful
Image credits: PlatypusPizzaLover69
#27 Ordered A Jacket From Adidas… And Got A Tricky Problem To Solve Instead
It was on sale and the last in my size. It’s comfortable and fits great, perfect for walking the half-pictured dog… Guess I will meet lots of new people in the mall today once I go around asking if anyone is able to remove it for me.
Image credits: Sophia521h
#28 Shirt I Ordered vs. What I Got
Image credits: strikecat18
#29 This Chair
Either the girl is tiny, I'm huge, or the chair is a lie.
Image credits: chrismsx
#30 I Ordered Brake Pads And Discs From Amazon And Got A Pizza Oven
Image credits: lohikuningas
#31 My Buddy Buys Cheap Shoes Online From China. This Model Is Known As “Run My Guy”
Image credits: reddit.com
#32 Always Check Before Buying A Tape Measure
Image credits: landmatt
#33 Ordered A Bike For My Daughter, Assembled It Today And No Seat
Contacted Walmart, and they said they just can't send a seat. We gotta mail it back. Then they'll send the replacement.
Image credits: curlytops81
#34 Kayaking Shirt Was Was Printed With Text Right Side Up Completely Ruining The Joke
Image credits: arkiser13
#35 Online Shopping Fail
Friend ordered an etched urn online to put her father’s ashes in - this arrived!
Image credits: mjbc80
#36 New Technologies, Unbreakable Drills Straightened It Out And Continue Using It
Image credits: AS99
#37 Just Received A Network Cable Testing Kit From Amazon, Came With A Surprise
Image credits: reddit
#38 I Ordered A Scarf Online, I Received Half Of It. The Note Speaks For Itself
Image credits: wekidough
#39 Man Ordered A PS5 But Got A PS3 In A PS4 Box Instead
Image credits: ThyssenKurup
#40 Today's Episode On What I Ordered vs. What I Got
Image credits: AdebanjoPhelumy
#41 Pre-Ordered An Exclusive Limited Edition Vinyl. Only Getting Offered A Refund
Image credits: caitlinisgreatlin
#42 So My Friend Ordered The Dog Lamp On The Left
Image credits: udar55
#43 The Seal Plush Pillow I Ordered vs. The One That Arrived
Image credits: SplashDMG126
#44 The Walmart Worker Who Shopped My Order Didn't Remove The Micro SD Card From The Security Case
Nothing a quick blow with a hammer on the side of the case couldn't fix, but still...
Image credits: admiraljohn
#45 Guess I Don’t Actually Own A Queen Size Mattress
Image credits: XBL_blue110
#46 Bought A Book On Ebay. Received A Counterfeit Copy From China Instead
I bought a book on eBay, but the seller sent the parcel from China instead of Italy, as it said on the profile. The first page is a copyright notice, saying that this is a Press eBook.
Image credits: munta20
#47 Do Not Buy From Eleven Forest. Not Just Failed, But Clearly A Scam
Image credits: reddit.com
#48 Ordered Flowers For My Assistant At Work As A Thank You Gift
No, HR, I didn’t mean to imply she’s a stoner. Of course, I don’t think jokes like this are appropriate at work.
Image credits: JSavMusic
#49 Got This For My Aggressive Play Fighter
Image credits: Monkfroot
#50 Ordered A Lizard Tank, Received A Chair Instead
Image credits: ChickenCowChicken
#51 This Online Order Was Supposed To Say Vancouver Canada
Image credits: YVR19
#52 Aliexpress, Alihome Tools Scam. Even If You Contact Aliexpress Customer Services First, They Say That They Are Ok, And That You Can Go Ahead And Buy Them
Avoid - generators and batteries, they have been promoting them as being offers at a big discount, introductory offers, discounted store offers, etc, and then send out photographs of them? Even if you contact AliExpress Customer Services first - they say that they are ok, and that you can go ahead and buy them??
Image credits: Cen_SGT_774
#53 Me And Some Friends From Med School Ordered Like 60 Of These. It Was Supposed To Look Like You Have A Stethoscope On Your Shoulders
Image credits: fusems
#54 Ordered A New Phone Online And The Box Arrived Empty
Ordered a refurbished iPhone 13 Pro on Backmarket and the box arrived completely empty...
Have raised a complaint with Backmarket about the box being empty, but have never had anything like this happen before. My last time ordering something this expensive online, but I thought it would be okay due to the seller being supposedly reputable.
Image credits: idrivebigships
#55 Homer Simpson Chia Pet
Image credits: irman925
#56 What I Ordered And What I Got. Apparently, After A Long Time In The Delivery, She Lost Weight From Hunger And Now It's Flat
Image credits: ApprehensivePoem6071
#57 So I Ordered Leggings, Amazon Sent Me A Clothing Rack Instead? Like Come On? How Could You Possibly Mix These Two Up?
Image credits: reddit.com
#58 Flowers By Eva. Yes, I Paid 100 Bucks To Buy My GF Some Bulbs. I Suggest Not Ordering From Them
Image credits: thotoppa
#59 My Husband Ordered A Fishing Pole That Came Without The Handle. He Was Really Looking Forward To It
It's was not in its original box, but open/loose in a UPS box, the handle is missing. A fishing pole needs the handle to be able to reel in a fish or it's useless. Looks like someone taped 2 UPS boxes together- this was not sent in an Amazon box. (Ordered from Amazon)
Went online immediately and tried to exchange, but then they said it's no longer available and are not sure when/if it will be.
Image credits: Justme-again
#60 What I Ordered vs. What I Got
Image credits: Astro_Z0mbie
#61 My Parcel Came Bent And Unreadable
It also came late. I ordered this weeks ago. The metal is bent, and most of the writing is unreadable. I was really excited for this, too.
Image credits: Half_of_a_Good_Pen
#62 I Ordered Some Childhood Games From Gamestop
Why even send this? Literally just plastic garbage I was charged money for.
Image credits: 0o0snap
#63 I Ordered Cool Heart Rock Valentines, Got Plastic Beads Instead
Image credits: SirWalterPoodleman
#64 The Same Thing
Image credits: yabaleftonline
#65 Have You Had An Expectation vs. Reality Scenario Before?
Image credits: Trilliant2
#66 Ordered A Book Online, Received Balloons Instead… “Your Story Deserves A Colorful Background”
I found it kinda funny with the text on the package of the balloons. That would be nice and all, if it came with my book…
Image credits: TheBibulousDwarf
#67 I’m Never Ordering Flowers Online Again
Image credits: X_staythpath
#68 Ordered From Zippo.com - Meant To Be A Gift
Super disappointed with the actual item. What was shown was so beautiful and vibrant, what was received is so splotchy & pale that you can only see some colours at certain angles. I'm in Canada, and this item was only available on the US website, so I had to get help from a friend to get this. Not even sure if I want to gift this anymore.
Image credits: Help_One_AnOtter
#69 Ordered: Stone Bath Mat, Got: Giant Mouse Pad
Ordered the stone bath mat shown in the first photo, priced around $70–$80. It took about six weeks to arrive, and when it finally did, it was a “mat” made of mouse pad material with a printed stone design on top.
Image credits: readycent
#70 It’s Giving Hospital Scrubs
Image credits: yabaleftonline
#71 Christmas Present Tommy Bahamas Blanket Had Big Hole In It When Opened
I bought this online as a present and wrapped it when it arrived. Gave it to a person as a gift today and when they opened it, immediately went to a big hole in it! I was mortified and apologized and promised I would exchange it and get a new one for them. When I get home, turns out the blanket was final sale, no returns or exchanges. Cool. I wouldn’t be surprised with like a Temu or Big Lots blanket, but I am surprised with a kind of expensive blanket from a brand like Tommy Bahama. So imho don’t buy Tommy Bahama, there stuff is a joke and the customer service is a joke.
Image credits: APKLYPZ
#72 "New" Mouse, Old Packaging
So, I decided to treat myself to a new gaming mouse. Ordered this Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless from Amazon, expecting a brand-new experience. What I got instead? A box that's seen better days, with clear signs of being opened and likely used. Amazon, come on! I paid for a new product, not someone else's leftovers. And don't even get me started on the potential hygiene issues... If you want to sell open-box items, fine. But at least be upfront about it and offer a discount. This bait-and-switch tactic is just disrespectful to customers. Anyone else had similar experiences with Amazon?
Image credits: SierraTheWolfe
#73 Not To Mention Late Valentines Delivery
Image credits: d4wnn
#74 Ordered Some Pencil Lead Refills
180 pieces divided into 6 plastic cases. All 180 pieces fit into a single case.
Image credits: Barrett4184
#75 Jesus Wept. Bought This From An Instagram Seller. Lesson Learned
Image credits: felinedynamite
