I bought tomatoes, a beverage can, and a brand-new motorcycle on Flipkart. Yes, really

What began as a routine Sunday grocery run took a rather expensive turn when a casual browse through Flipkart's automotive section ended with an unexpected purchase: a brand-new Hero HF Deluxe.It was an unusual Sunday morning. I was home. I wasn't travelling for work. And, most importantly, nobody had asked me to attend a launch at 7am in some far-flung corner of the country.So, naturally, I did what any responsible adult would do with such precious free time: I woke up late. As I settled into my lounger, a steaming cup of tea arrived. A couple of Marie biscuits sat patiently on the plate, waiting to be sacrificed. I dipped one into the tea and, just as I was about to lift it, a list arrived.The dreaded grocery list. The biscuit broke off and sank into my tea. It was, in retrospect, an omen. I picked up the list. Bread. Eggs. Milk. Tomatoes. The usual Sunday stuff. Nothing exciting. These days, pretty much everything can be delivered before you have finished arguing with yourself about whether you really need another packet of biscuits.I opened my usual shopping app. And then another advertisement popped up, promising a better shopping experience. It was Sunday. I had nowhere to go. I had already lost a biscuit. So why not try it? Famous last words. It starts innocently enough. The app wasn't entirely unfamiliar. I had used Flipkart before, although usually for things that don't require registration, insurance, number plates and a man at a dealership asking me to sign approximately 47 pieces of paper. I logged in and started adding the grocery items.MilkBreadTomatoesA beverage canPerfect.Then came the thought that has probably caused more financial damage to mankind than inflation: “Let's just browse a little.” Now, when I browse the automotive section of a shopping app, my usual behaviour is extremely predictable. Maybe I'll buy some Valentino Rossi decals. Perhaps a can of chain lubricant. Maybe a set of auxiliary lights that will spend the next three years sitting in a cupboard. Cheap, unnecessary automotive stuff. Harmless. Or so I thought. I started scrolling through the categories and spotted one called ‘Bikes’. I assumed it would contain the usual automotive accessories. Instead, it contained motorcycles. Actual motorcycles. The destruction beginsThere they were. Brand-new motorcycles listed for sale. And the prices caught my attention. They weren't just competitive. They looked suspiciously competitive. The kind of prices that make you check whether you've accidentally selected the “used”, “damaged”, “missing engine” or “please assemble yourself” category. And then I saw it. A Hero HF Deluxe. Rs 59,999 ex-showroom. I stared at the screen.The Hero HF Deluxe is one of India's most familiar 100cc motorcycles, and here it was sitting in front of me on a shopping app, looking no more complicated to buy than a packet of cornflakes. Moreover it was the ‘killer’ all-black edition.Below it was the most dangerous button in online shopping: BUY. It was highlighted in yellow. This was clearly not helping. I clicked. The app then proceeded to behave like an actual motorcycle dealership. There were financing and EMI options, payment choices and, somewhat alarmingly, delivery options.There was even an option to have the motorcycle delivered home. At this point, I started wondering whether we had collectively gone too far with e-commerce. You can order tomatoes. You can order a beverage. You can order a Hero HF Deluxe.What's next? A helicopter with free delivery?Anyway, I chickened out of home delivery and selected self-pickup. The app then asked me to select a dealership. I chose one I already knew. A few years ago, I had bought a Hero Xpulse from the same dealership. So far, so good.Then came the moment. I was still convinced that surely, somewhere along the way, someone would stop me. A warning would pop up. “Are you sure you want to buy a motorcycle?” Perhaps another one: “Rahul, have you lost your mind?” Nothing. Just the payment page. I hit Pay.Congratulations. You own a motorcycle. Ping. The bank SMS arrived. My credit card had been lightened by roughly Rs 57,234. And just like that, I owned a brand-new Hero HF Deluxe. There was a brief moment of silence. Then the panic arrived. What had I done? I had opened an app to buy milk. I had somehow purchased a motorcycle.There was also a coupon involved, which made the final price even lower. Apparently, I had managed to get an additional discount on my way to making a decision I absolutely did not need to make.This was no longer online shopping. This was financial parkour. But what about the tomatoes? The best part was that the original grocery order was still there. The milk arrived. The bread arrived. The tomatoes arrived. The beverage can arrived.And, eventually, so did the realisation that I had just bought a motorcycle while sitting in my living room. The groceries were delivered almost instantly. The motorcycle required slightly more effort.That afternoon, I got driven to the dealership and collected my brand-new Hero HF Deluxe.There it was. Shiny. New. Mine.All because I had started the morning looking for a few tomatoes.So, technically, I went onto Flipkart to buy groceries and came out with a 100cc motorcycle. I suppose that's one way of justifying online shopping.Next time the grocery list says “potatoes”, I'm staying away from the Cars section. Because knowing my luck, I'll come back with a hatchback. And probably a beverage can.Subscribe to Auto Today Magazine - EndsPublished On: Sep 7, 2026 12:25 IST