Shopping On the Web in Safety A Primer

So you have been hearing all about the most recent "killer app" or must-have gizmo or gizmo, but they don't carry it in the gigantic box store down the road? No problem, you suspect! You can just jump online and get it from somewhere. You know...probably the 1st site that comes up when you type the product name into Google, right?

Not so fast.

I am getting that you are excited, and totally understand that you wish to buy the thing ( whatever it is ) and start the countdown till it arrives on your doorstep, but please, before doing that, be smart about it. The sad reality is just that there are lots of conmen on the 'net, and the last thing you need is the frustration of spending your hard-earned money on something you actually want, only to find out that not only is your money gone, never to return, but you are not going to get the thing you wanted either.

There are three basic rules to safe, smart shopping online. Follow them each and every time and you'll be fine. Get slack about them, and you are asking for trouble. Aggravation in the best case, and you will get outright used in the worst.

The first rule is know your product. Read reviews about the thing you have an interest in buying, and know what you are getting before you go and spend the money. Make sure that it does everything you want it to do, so you're not disappointed when it arrives. And by "read reviews," I do not mean, hop onto Amazon.com or some big name shopping site and use that as your sole source. Sure, use that as a supplement, but more than anything, you wish to find a good, respected independent product review web site. Not only will the reviews be unprejudiced, but they will also be more in depth. Think of it as being the most important difference between reading the classified ads of your local paper for something, versus reading reviews on a site like Angie's List, and you'll begin to see what I am trying to say.

The second rule is know your seller. Never buy from a seller you do not know and trust, either because you have used them before, they have got large name recognition ( Amazon, Best Buy, Dell, etc ), or they come advocated by a reliable source ( friends, family, your social network, etc ). If you happen to have any doubts at all about the seller, look them up on the better business beureau, or type in the keyphrase "company name ( whatever the organization's name is ) complaints" into your favorite search site and see what results that you get.

The third rule is, know the terms! Read over the terms and conditions of the purchase carefully. Is the shipping free, or do you must pay? Are there concealed costs that only show up on the final step of ordering? If that is so what are they and why are they there? ( this could be a red flag in numerous cases, though there are some legitimate expenses that will appear this way ). How long should it take for your item to arrive, and most critically, did you get a tracking number?

Again, if you follow these basic steps for safe web shopping, you will almost never have any issues.

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