Help

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about your favourite luxury shopping simulator.

Is TheDopamine a real shopping site?

No, and that is the whole point. TheDopamine is a dopamine shopping simulator: you browse real luxury products, add them to your bag, and check out, but no money ever changes hands. Every purchase is recorded in your wardrobe and order history so you can enjoy the thrill of shopping without the financial hangover. Think of it as window shopping, but with receipts.


Do I need to provide payment information?

Never. We do not ask for credit card numbers, UPI IDs, bank accounts, or any form of payment. There is nothing to charge, so there is nothing for us to store. The checkout experience is a fun animation that mimics a real purchase, but the total always rings up at zero rupees.


Are the products real?

Every product you see on TheDopamine is a genuine, currently-sold item from luxury brands like Hermes, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Rolex, Patek Philippe, and more. We source real product imagery, descriptions, and pricing so the browsing experience feels authentic. The Buy Now button simply adds the item to your virtual wardrobe instead of charging your card.


How do badges and achievements work?

As you build your fantasy wardrobe, you unlock badges that celebrate your collecting journey. Badges like First Splurge (your first purchase), Serial Splurger (frequent buyer), Dream Collector (building a diverse wardrobe), and Crore Club (reaching a crore in simulated spending) appear on your profile. Each badge has a unique illustrated design. We also track streaks, so logging in daily earns you special recognition.


What is a closet, and how is it different from my order history?

Your closet is your curated fantasy wardrobe: a visual gallery of every item you have bought, organised by category. Your order history is the chronological receipt view showing when you bought each item and how much it would have cost in real life. Both are permanent records of your simulated shopping journey.


Is my personal information safe?

Yes. Sign-in is handled entirely through Google OAuth, meaning we never see or store your password. We receive your name, email, and profile avatar from Google to create your account. We do not sell, share, or monetise your personal data. For full details, read our Privacy Policy.


Can I actually buy any of these products?

The Buy Now button on TheDopamine is for the simulation only. However, many products include an Available on Amazon link that takes you to the real Amazon listing if you want to purchase the genuine item. We also have a dedicated Amazon Finds section where our curators highlight genuinely useful products you can buy. For high-end luxury pieces, we link to authorised retailers where available.


Why did you build this?

We built TheDopamine because online shopping is fun but expensive, and staring at beautiful things you cannot afford is a universal experience. Our simulator lets you enjoy the dopamine hit of adding gorgeous items to your cart and checking out, without the financial consequences. It is therapy for the serial browser, the wishlist hoarder, and the dreamer who wants to see what a crore-rupee wardrobe looks like. For a deeper dive, visit our About page.


Is there a mobile app?

Not yet, but TheDopamine is designed to work beautifully on mobile browsers. The entire experience is mobile-first, with touch-friendly interactions, responsive layouts, and smooth animations. Add it to your home screen for an app-like feel. A native mobile app is on our roadmap, but we are focused on making the web experience exceptional first.


I found a bug or have a feature request. How do I tell you?

We would genuinely love to hear from you. Visit our Contact page and send us a message. We are a small team building this for people who love shopping but hate spending, and your feedback directly shapes what we build next.


Still have questions? Reach out to us and we will get back to you.