tips on safe online shopping convenient and fast

Contrary to the old-fashioned door-to-door shopping, advanced technology breathed new life to the way people buy with the introduction of online shopping. As it could be done anywhere and anytime at the comforts of your home, online shopping indeed is a lot more convenient. With just clicks of the mouse, you can already buy items and pay for them. You just have to wait then for you item to be delivered. Apart from the ease and comfort, it saves one a lot of time not having to go physically to the store to make the purchase. With competition on the rise, many online retailers also offer e-discounts which allow consumers to avail of great deals compared to mall prices. However, along with this convenience also come several risks.

In stores, one need only keep vigilant guard of one’s wallet to ensure its security; not so online. It’s exponentially easier to assert one’s will over temporary seasonal help when returning an item in stores. Again, this is not so online. Because of the possible dangers and uncertainty involved with shopping online, many are still not that sold with the idea. Despite the repeated assured that there are reputable online shops that exist in the vast expanse of the Internet, many people are still cautious and would rather play safe than sorry.

But with the changing times, you would find yourself one way or another, wanting to catch up. It’s okay to watch your money, it is just right. But to help you stay on the safe side when shopping online, here’s a few reminders that might come in really handy.

Make sure the Internet connection is secure. Never shop online using public PCs. Using a public computer may mean leaving some personal information on the browser’s memory cache and strangers could access the online shopper’s browsing history, including their login information. Before you give your payment information, check for indicators that security software is in place.

Check the privacy policy. This section should let you know what personal information the website operators are collecting, why, and how they’re going to use the information. If you can’t find a privacy policy — or if you can’t understand it, consider taking your business to another site that’s more consumer-friendly.

Click with care. You’re going to be getting a lot of offers via e-mail from many retailer sites. While they might be legitimate, there is the possibility of some offers coming from fraud sites trying to trick you into giving your password to a fake site or visiting a site that can put malicious software on your computer. Your best protection is to not click on any links–even if the message looks legitimate. Typing in the merchant’s URL manually is always safer.

Keep your financial information and passwords secure. This is very important in buying online as these are often what fraudulent people online are after. Keep in mind too that identity theft can happen online and this is one thing you should also avoid online. Many Net users tend to generate derivatives from a core password for their various online accounts, and this makes it easier for hackers to crack the code once they find out the primary source. To prevent this, generate strong passwords that are difficult to guess and that are at least ten characters long, consisting of a combination of numbers, letters and symbols.

Check out the seller and make sure you are dealing with a reliable one. One of the very most important tips for online shopping is to make sure you are dealing with an authentic dealer or seller to avoid fraud and scams. Doing a background check on the online retailer is important, besides it’s only a few clicks of the mouse in terms of effort versus having to drive down to the store itself. Check out the retailer’s reputation and credibility before making purchases on the site. Google doesn’t certify the integrity of the sites that come up in its searches, but if you see lots of seller ratings that are mostly positive, that’s a pretty good sign. You’re generally pretty safe with sellers that are affiliated with shopping aggregators like Amazon, Yahoo Shopping, Retrevo or Bizrate. If you can, call the company’s phone number to see if there is a representative you can speak to.

Pay attention to any terms and conditions, warranties, shipping facts and many other small but important details of the buying. It also helps if you can get contact numbers of the seller and a way to contact him in case there is a problem with the shipping items. Check for critical purchase details. Online shoppers should be vigilant in checking out critical details, for example, the retailer’s refund and privacy policy. It is particularly important to know that personal details provided for the purchase will be kept private and not shared with third-party sites. If a policy is not posted, ask the merchant if there is a time limit to return an item and whether a full refund or merchandise credit is offered. If users are purchasing collectibles such as sports memorabilia, it would be wise to confirm the authenticity of such items.

Always credit, never debit. While most e-commerce sites accept both credit and debit cards, transacting with credit cards is safer because such offers the buyer protection against fraud, lost shipments, broken merchandise and other problems. Apart from that, credit cards offer you the right to “charge back” if you feel you’re a victim of fraud. The credit company will investigate your claim and permanently remove the charge if fraud can be proven. Debit cards don’t have the same protection as credit cards when it comes to limiting your liability for fraudulent use. With that, if a scammer gets your credit card number, they can cause chaos but the loss won’t be catastrophic. On the other hand, if a scammer gets your debit card number and password, they can empty your bank account of cash.

Keep a paper trail. Always remember to back up evidence of all your online transactions. Print and save records of your online purchases, including the product description and price, the online receipt, and copies of every email you send or receive from the seller. Read your credit card statements as you receive them and be on the lookout for unauthorized charges. This precautionary action might appear somewhat excessive to some, but it is very useful. Take a screenshot of every step of the online transaction, or make printouts of all steps. In the case of a dispute, these can be used as evidence.

Do your research. Compare items and prices before you buy. There are a lot of places online that you can get the best deals especially when you want to purchase gadgets. Make sure also that you have the correct product information before finally placing your order. Especially if you are buying gadgets, you may never know if there are already latest versions available, so you may want to check that out before finally buying so you may not regret later. Use a comparison Web site, such as Bizrate, Shopzilla, Froogle or PriceGrabber to compare prices on similar products from thousands of merchants. These Web sites also offer customer reviews and merchant ratings.

Know the real price. Be sure you understand the actual cost of the item, including shipping, handling, and sales tax. That can have an enormous impact on the final price. Many merchants are offering free shipping during the holidays and some merchants that have both online physical stores will let you pick up the item in the store for free. Be suspicious of prices that are too good to be true. Also consider carefully whether you may be paying too much for an item, particularly if you’re bidding through an auction site. You may want to comparison shop, online or offline, before you buy. Make sure there is not extra shipping or handling costs. Double check the price before you make the actual payment.

Keep in mind these tips for online shopping to make your online shopping not only easy and convenient but also safe as well.