Online Shopping Information
Holidays or not, online shopping is
fast suitable the main shopping choice for many people. People prefer online
stores for their shopping needs over the brick-and-mortar stores for a variety
of reasons - discounted prices, quick price comparisons, unavailability of
desired items in the retail stores, 24 hours shopping convenience, etc.
Whatever the reason is, before you jump into the online shopping bandwagon, you
must consider a few things to avoid frustration and monetary loss.
If you find a shopping site, usually
advertised in a spam e-mail, that sells for example $100 software for $10, look
out! Before you select sites that are worthy of your hard earned money, ask
your friends about their experiences with online shopping sites. When you use
Yahoo to search for an item, you will get advertised and non-advertised sites
offering your searched items at different prices. Check out a few sites before
you decide where to make the purchase.
Many sites like bizrate.com or
nexttag.com offer price comparisons, reviews, and shopping site ratings. Sites
like techbargains.com publish information on latest bargains, coupons, and
discounts offered by various online shopping sites. One comparison shopping
site, buysafeshopping.com, provides information on qualified shopping sites
that have gone through a screening process for merchant's identity, online
sales experience, and the ability to deliver purchased items.
If you have to shop with an unknown
online merchant, check for their telephone number at their website. There are
dozens, if not hundreds, good online merchants for any items you want to buy.
At the online checkout counter, you
have to use a credit card to pay. It is perfectly safe if the site has http in
its URL for all pages except the order page - the page where you enter your
credit card and other personal information like address, etc. Always use a
credit card to pay for your online purchases. Most credit cards have online
purchase protection. If something goes wrong, you can always call your credit
card company and dispute the charge. Never use a debit card. How safe is online
shopping? If you are careful, you can guard yourself against identity and
credit card thefts by following safety tips, such as the ones discussed above.
Tips For Safe Online Shopping
With more localised online shops,
people do not have to worry too much about shipping costs either. Scan your
System for Malware
There might be others that are more
lethal acting as key loggers that can obtain personal account information
including your credit card information. Upgrade your Operating System and
Browser
Carefully Look at the Site Address
before Making any Transactions
The latest browsers include
anti-phishing technologies that can detect fake shopping websites that do
nothing but keep your details for malicious use. These anti-phishing
technologies aren't perfect and may not detect all sites. Read any Supplied
Terms and Conditions
Double Check your Shopping Cart or
Order