2018 QVC Shopping Resolutions

As we gallop headlong into end of the year celebrations, and perhaps making a list of new year's resolutions... I thought we should once again revisit shopping resolutions on QVC.

Here are mine as a start-off:

1) Always check on Shopping Telly forum first to see if there is anything good coming up to plan viewing.
2) Always check the QVC TV guide to see who will be presenting to avoid nasty shocks.
3) Always comparison shop for the best price (including any P&P.
4) Never go on waitlist (risk of getting a slow return).
5) Never go on advanced orders (risk of getting a quick return).
6) Use auto-delivery with caution, and mark on the calendar when the next drop is due to avoid surprises.
7) Avoid easy pays where possible.
8) Always send back any "meh" or "yuk!" items.
9) If sticking QVC on without checking 1) and 2) make sure the TV is on mute...
10) Don't buy beauty items (it will be years before my stash is reduced to just what I actually need).

In 2017 my shopping on QVC has been significantly lower than in previous years, but I've had good use and pleasure for the items I have bought. I think I've enjoyed the purchases more, and appreciated them where I might not have in years when I really wasn't keeping track of my spending. Not only has being more conscious of what I've been considering buying on QVC reduced my spending with them, I think it has reduced my spending overall.

May this could have been my 2016 list when I had fallen out of love with Q and apart from a few pieces of jewellery (count on one hand) i have stopped shopping with them.

Like yourself I love reading the forum, look at the TV guide but watch little and listen even less.

I don’t buy beauty items so it’s not that hard to resist.

I'll have a go........


1....Always check Shopping Telly Forum to see what advice my Forum buddy's have
2....Anything that catches my eye, Google then buy it cheaper elsewhere
3....Always try to control the effing and blinding when yet another presenter tells lies
4....Try not to laugh at the products, Tena Lady aren't as cheap as they used to be
5....Bet with none QVC watchers (and there are many) and open a book on how many times Simon Dairylee says "there's loads in
store" knowing you'll win
6....Always wear a crash helmet and protective clothing, Debbie Flints hard sell really hurts
7....Count how many times Chuntley slags off the Highstreet
8....Always make sure you require two identical items to save your £2.50 postage
9....Laugh at how QVC talk about Christmas from July onwards yet three days before the actual big day arrives, they stop
10..Just reminded myself why I don't bother now.

Mine:

1. Watch only to laugh.

Mine for the last year or two have been much like yours Maymorgan..no EPs, no auto-deliveries, no advanced orders, no waitlist (mainly because it is so easy to lose track of spending), plan spending by looking at what's coming up (much helped by SCW's posts - thanks so much), comparing prices, and being focused on returns - I find it so easy to not send something back if it is just OK, not terrible. This has reduced my spending hugely.

However, I have recently made a lifestyle change by going vegan which will reduce my spending even more. I have been vegetarian for years and have avoided cosmetics etc tested on animals for as long. Now I will avoid all cosmetics with substances like milk and honey too, clothing containing wool and silk etc, and leather and suede footwear and handbags. This will rule out many QVC brands including some of my favourites such as Emu.

I've bought more clothes from the high street this last year as I lost a lot of weight and had to replace all my clothes and this has reminded me how much more expensive QVC is on clothing. Even in the sales shows over the last few days I have seen tops reduced quite considerably that are still more expensive than an equivalent from eg M&S.

I do still buy from QVC and sometimes things are cheaper - I bought a Joules top recently that was still cheaper than from Joules even allowing for postage. The presenters don't bother me - I just record and fast forward and only listen if there is an item I am interested in.

Mine.
1.Watch QVC
now and then for old times sake and to see what's going on-
be nosy in other words.
2.Shop around on the internet and High St.ONLY for those items I really need.i:e no addictive shopping as FB page has shown how bad it can get!!
3.Be thankful I am not a Q presenter.
4.Get hints on good places to shop on this forum and from friends and family .
5.Finally.Celebrate my 5th or 6th year of Q sobrierty.(cannot remember how long!)

When I first found QVC I was giddy with excitement - the thrill of my first Freeview box! I went berserk, spending money I didn't have on all kinds of things that appealed visually, or seemed like a good idea at the time, but I had no earthly use for. I got into (very deep) hot water with personal debt, which I concealed from my family, and it made me deeply unhappy and ashamed. I was appalled when I received my QVC Christmas card, because then I knew they had registered how much I'd spent, and clearly they wanted me to carry on...
Desperate measures had to be taken. My spending had been out of control for my entire adult life, and discovering QVC was the final nail in the coffin! I stopped watching selly telly altogether, and severely restricted all spending for a couple of years, giving up every personal indulgence I could think of. I charity shopped for clothes, used basic value range toiletries, took packed lunches for work, no days or nights out, I never went near the high street, and swapped my car for a cheaper to run model. I moved credit card balances around to any 0% deals I could get, and I paid it all back. Every. Damned. Penny.
It was a long and hard slog, but I will never go back to that place again. I was very lucky to have the support of a very close friend who I discovered, during a 'bare all' confession, was in a similar position, and we did it together.
So, I haven't actually watched the channel for several years, and my Q spending decreased considerably as a result. I always check out the forum first, and rely on it for good advice, recommendations and honest, balanced critique.
More recent 'self imposed rules' have been to avoid easy pays, waitlist, auto delivery and advanced orders like the plague.
I don't buy much from Q any more, but the things I did buy this year have been good investments.
For 2018 I resolve to ask myself these questions; Is it practical/useful?, Do I really need it/will I use it?, Would I buy it if I saw it in a bricks & mortar shop?, Can I get it cheaper anywhere else? I also resolve to return anything that I'm not totally thrilled with, preferably by 'cancelling under DSR', thereby avoiding any P&P costs into the bargain.

Pick-a-Lily said:

When I first found QVC I was giddy with excitement - the thrill of my first Freeview box! I went berserk, spending money I didn't have on all kinds of things that appealed visually, or seemed like a good idea at the time, but I had no earthly use for. I got into (very deep) hot water with personal debt, which I concealed from my family, and it made me deeply unhappy and ashamed. I was appalled when I received my QVC Christmas card, because then I knew they had registered how much I'd spent, and clearly they wanted me to carry on...
Desperate measures had to be taken. My spending had been out of control for my entire adult life, and discovering QVC was the final nail in the coffin! I stopped watching selly telly altogether, and severely restricted all spending for a couple of years, giving up every personal indulgence I could think of. I charity shopped for clothes, used basic value range toiletries, took packed lunches for work, no days or nights out, I never went near the high street, and swapped my car for a cheaper to run model. I moved credit card balances around to any 0% deals I could get, and I paid it all back. Every. Damned. Penny.
It was a long and hard slog, but I will never go back to that place again. I was very lucky to have the support of a very close friend who I discovered, during a 'bare all' confession, was in a similar position, and we did it together.
So, I haven't actually watched the channel for several years, and my Q spending decreased considerably as a result. I always check out the forum first, and rely on it for good advice, recommendations and honest, balanced critique.
More recent 'self imposed rules' have been to avoid easy pays, waitlist, auto delivery and advanced orders like the plague.
I don't buy much from Q any more, but the things I did buy this year have been good investments.
For 2018 I resolve to ask myself these questions; Is it practical/useful?, Do I really need it/will I use it?, Would I buy it if I saw it in a bricks & mortar shop?, Can I get it cheaper anywhere else? I also resolve to return anything that I'm not totally thrilled with, preferably by 'cancelling under DSR', thereby avoiding any P&P costs into the bargain.

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It's lovely getting those parcels isn't it?Then you realise you have had to pay for them.I was terrible buying lots of stuff all the time from shopping channels etc .I didn't have a credit card as wouldn't want one but I knew someone who got into terrible debt with credit cards and loans which gave me the kick up the backside I needed.Never again.

Well done for sorting it out.You must feel a lot happier now.

Pick-a-Lily said:

When I first found QVC I was giddy with excitement - the thrill of my first Freeview box! I went berserk, spending money I didn't have on all kinds of things that appealed visually, or seemed like a good idea at the time, but I had no earthly use for. I got into (very deep) hot water with personal debt, which I concealed from my family, and it made me deeply unhappy and ashamed. I was appalled when I received my QVC Christmas card, because then I knew they had registered how much I'd spent, and clearly they wanted me to carry on...
Desperate measures had to be taken. My spending had been out of control for my entire adult life, and discovering QVC was the final nail in the coffin! I stopped watching selly telly altogether, and severely restricted all spending for a couple of years, giving up every personal indulgence I could think of. I charity shopped for clothes, used basic value range toiletries, took packed lunches for work, no days or nights out, I never went near the high street, and swapped my car for a cheaper to run model. I moved credit card balances around to any 0% deals I could get, and I paid it all back. Every. Damned. Penny.
It was a long and hard slog, but I will never go back to that place again. I was very lucky to have the support of a very close friend who I discovered, during a 'bare all' confession, was in a similar position, and we did it together.
So, I haven't actually watched the channel for several years, and my Q spending decreased considerably as a result. I always check out the forum first, and rely on it for good advice, recommendations and honest, balanced critique.
More recent 'self imposed rules' have been to avoid easy pays, waitlist, auto delivery and advanced orders like the plague.
I don't buy much from Q any more, but the things I did buy this year have been good investments.
For 2018 I resolve to ask myself these questions; Is it practical/useful?, Do I really need it/will I use it?, Would I buy it if I saw it in a bricks & mortar shop?, Can I get it cheaper anywhere else? I also resolve to return anything that I'm not totally thrilled with, preferably by 'cancelling under DSR', thereby avoiding any P&P costs into the bargain.

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I went mad too when I first 'found' QVC. Something would arrive every couple of days. Nowadays, thankfully, I very rarely buy from them at all and very rarely watch.

It is easy to get pulled into buying things that you don't need. I am so happy for you Pick-a-Lily that you were eventually able to get yourself out of debt. It must have been a fantastic feeling when you no longer owed anything.

I have always sent items back that I don't want and got the original p & p back too.

On a different note, I turned on this morning for a nano second, and there was Catherine Huntley going on about her weight yet again.

PAL I think we have all been there in some form or another. I am so glad you have come through the other end, and I’ll bet that in the main the non designer/branded items were not that bad its just we think they are (but it is nice to do it from choice not desperate necessity).

Nowadays Q have very little to entice me but truthfully I loved most of the stuff I bought in the early years (didn’t need it but loved it) but I was very bad at returning things.

Here are mine as a start-off:

1) Always check on Shopping Telly forum first to see if there is anything good coming up to plan viewing.
3) Always comparison shop for the best price (including any P&P.
I've been doing this for several years now. I find SCW's posts about upcoming TSVs and OTOs enormously helpful!

2) Always check the QVC TV guide to see who will be presenting to avoid nasty shocks.
I used to do this until it disappeared - is it back up?

4) Never go on waitlist (risk of getting a slow return).
Never seen the point of this - I tend to look elsewhere if something's out-of-stock.

5) Never go on advanced orders (risk of getting a quick return).
I regularly do this and only once have I had an issue when received a tub of Elemis Pro-Collagen Supersize Cleansing Balm which had clearly been opened and used and was furtively disguised by the loose top causing it to spill out into the packaging. Despite CS asserting that they only collect returned items over a certain weight, I insisted they picked it up it from me and told them despite being sent a free postage label, it wasn't convenient for me to go to a post office or collection point with it! Nevertheless, having read some of the incredulous stories on here about clothing arriving smelling of perfume and cigarette smoke, I'll be wary of this henceforth.

6) Use auto-delivery with caution, and mark on the calendar when the next drop is due to avoid surprises.

Never been tempted by this.

7) Avoid easy pays where possible.
It's always worked fine for me and the only issue was when I lost my card and updated my account on-line with the new details, the EP still claims from the card you used at the time of purchase and you have to ring CS to update them which is bit inconvenient in this digital age!

8) Always send back any "meh" or "yuk!" items.

As a seasoned viewer, I rarely get sucked into these things now and stick with the tried and tested (almost exclusively beauty brands). It's been years since I've been sucked into purchasing one of those miracle devices that are going to make life so much easier only to find that they don't and huge stocks appear in places like TK Maxx and Wilco's at a fraction of the price.

9) If sticking QVC on without checking 1) and 2) make sure the TV is on mute...

:mysmilie_19: good tip!

10) Don't buy beauty items (it will be years before my stash is reduced to just what I actually need).

While I'm more restrained (resisted every Christmas TSV until the MB one) I think I'd need aversion therapy to do this completely!

Mine are:

1. Challenge CS more and barter with them.
2. Stop having a glass of champagne when Tova's on and feeling that I'm beyond glamourous and have more than a touch of class!
3. Stop phoning CS under said influence of 2. and asking for the item number of Tova's wig and/or photograph/portrait!

I was addicted to QVC for a long time, first twenty years, till four years back I closed my account due to consistently receiving other people's returned goods, paying over the odds and bad service, I also realised that the reason I wouldn't buy the exact same item if it was in front of me in a shop, is because it's the experience you're paying for with QVC. In a shop you buy it and it's instantly yours, thrill over, on QVC you have to wait a week to get your item/s so the excitement builds, the thing is most of the time the novelty has wore off and you think, what on earth did I buy that for? Another thing QVC are good at is, they know that bringing items to the screen fast and furious makes you want things you never even knew existed or thought of, as soon as they're off the screen, you forget about them and realise you don't want it after all, oh the power persuasion. So I can channel hop on QVC for a laugh now and again, safe in knowledge that my money ain't going anywhere. :mysmilie_17:

Well done Pick-a-Lily. :mysmilie_3:

Well done to everyone who has had a serious spending / debt problem and got to grips with the situation.It take a lot of guts to face up to this, take control and come through.Unfortunately there will be those getting into the same situation right now.I loved QVC when I first discovered the uniqueness of shopping telly and although not a serious problem for me I did order far too much and keep things I was I should have returned but couldn't be bothered.Now I order very little, it's like 'Groundhog Day' most of the time and the main grip is as ever the P&P when I can get the same from another source delivered for free.I watch now & again, but am just not dragged into the hype anymore.

Pick-a-Lily, your post has inspired me to completely cut all my Q spending for 2018 - I managed to get a grip on the easy pays earlier this year and have no ADs anymore, but my day to day spending (AndiK, I've lost the plot recently!) is definitely out of control and my credit card has massively suffered as a result. So no spending in January as a starter and I'm going to take it from there - I have more than enough of everything I could possibly need and need to concentrate on self-improvement vs spanking money on new things to make me feel better.

I went a bit mad with my qvc spending when my first hubby died 12 years ago. I was lonely, grieving, and trying to adjust to a whole different way of life. I buried myself in my job, worked as much as I could just to fill my days and was lucky enough not to get into any financial debt but was in a deep emotional debt ie. trying to buy what was lacking in my life with stuff from Q. Thankfully it was a fairly short lived phase but long enough to spend a fortune over the 2 years or so that it lasted . We live in a world full of excess and its a 21st century plague. In the short term buying a new bag,face cream, dress or whatever may make us feel a tad happier but then it just gets lumped together with previous bags, face cream etc etc and that spike of satisfaction has gone until the next purchase. I removed myself from that merry go round and rarely buy from qvc. I love to bargain hunt and find a voucher code if I want to buy anything these days and qvc seem to have so little to offer.

Vienna said:

I love to bargain hunt and find a voucher code if I want to buy anything these days and qvc seem to have so little to offer.

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I totally agree with this. Fortunately I'm in a comfortable financial position but even if I were a multi-millionaire, I'd still seek out a good bargain and get a thrill from my find! QVC offers very little in that respect, these days.

Glad you got over your loss and didn't lose yourself in seeking fulfilment from things that just don't bring it. :happy:

Tarketta said:

Pick-a-Lily, your post has inspired me to completely cut all my Q spending for 2018 - I managed to get a grip on the easy pays earlier this year and have no ADs anymore, but my day to day spending (AndiK, I've lost the plot recently!) is definitely out of control and my credit card has massively suffered as a result. So no spending in January as a starter and I'm going to take it from there - I have more than enough of everything I could possibly need and need to concentrate on self-improvement vs spanking money on new things to make me feel better.

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Hi Tarketta sounds as though you have made great steps forward.The very idea of Christmas make us feel as though we have to spend & it is easy to loose control .I have just been away & diet ' what diet'? but overload can be pulled back.After a while we feel better resisting the offerings of QVC than ordering!Go to your stock & look at the bank balance on the UP!!

I find tidying up the wardrobe/cupboard/wherever you keep your temptations, is a good way to put the breaks on that order when you are just about to press “confirm order”. Actually seeing the stuff seems to bring it home more than just a niggling thought that you might have something similar somewhere.

Silver Fox said:

Hi Tarketta sounds as though you have made great steps forward.The very idea of Christmas make us feel as though we have to spend & it is easy to loose control .I have just been away & diet ' what diet'? but overload can be pulled back.After a while we feel better resisting the offerings of QVC than ordering!Go to your stock & look at the bank balance on the UP!!

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Thanks Silver Fox, I have come a long way since I had c. £800 of easy pays and ADs built up, horrifying now, but I still buy far too much that I have no need of and that's the final hurdle...I will crack it in 2018 :mysmilie_50:

Anna said:

I went mad too when I first 'found' QVC. Something would arrive every couple of days. Nowadays, thankfully, I very rarely buy from them at all and very rarely watch.

It is easy to get pulled into buying things that you don't need. I am so happy for you Pick-a-Lily that you were eventually able to get yourself out of debt. It must have been a fantastic feeling when you no longer owed anything.

I have always sent items back that I don't want and got the original p & p back too.

On a different note, I turned on this morning for a nano second, and there was Catherine Huntley going on about her weight yet again.

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As someone suggested on the thread about the Speakmans TSV next week, I reckon it will be CH who is the QVC guinea pig for their "life plan" tosh. Even though I can't stand the QVC fashion hours, I managed to catch her presenting a couple of nights ago, for the first time in ages. I was surprised to see she was not as slim as she was the last time I saw her (probably summer). She put a size 12 coat on and asked if she ought to be wearing the 14, then said the 12 would be fine by the end of January.