Tips for Safe Online Shopping
Posted on 8:48 pm January 22, 2007 by KitOnline shopping is becoming more and more popular as people discover the benefits. You can shop when you want to - stores are open 24/7. It‘s much easier to do comparison
shopping online. You don’t have to search for parking spaces and you can save on gas expenses. And you don’t have to be concerned about the kids.
You want to, however, make sure that you buy from reputable businesses. There are several things that you can do to ensure a safe and successful transaction. Before you actually make a purchase consider the following tips:
- Stay away from any shopping site that you learn about through unsolicited email. In all likelihood, they will offer a deal that sounds too good to be true. In most cases, it will either be a scam or a sale of unlicensed or unauthoized products.
- Does the web site have contact information? Phone number, email address, physical mail address?
- Does the web site have a stated privacy policy and return policy? Are they going to share your information with anyone else?
- Is the information you send to them secure? Check for an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate image. If they have one, click on it to see that they do indeed have a valid certificate. This means that your personal and credit card information will be encrypted as it travels from your computer to the store’s server. Another thing you can look for is the “s” after the “http” in the address bar. Checkout pages should start with “https”. That means the transaction is secure. If the URL in the address bar does not have the “s”, do not place an order with them. Your information is not safe.
- Here is an example:
- https://www.wholekitnkaboodle.com/checkout.. - good, it has the “s”.
- http://www.wholekitnkaboodle.com/checkout.. - bad, no ”s”. This is fine for all web pages where you are not sending sensitive information.
- https://www.wholekitnkaboodle.com/checkout.. - good, it has the “s”.
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Does the site have any other seals that might indicate that they are legitimate?
- What payment options are available? Businesses should offer at least a couple options.
- Make sure that the credit card you use for online purchases has purchase protection so your liability is limited to $50 in case something goes wrong. It’s also good practice to use a credit card with a low limit. If someone were to run up your account, it could take months to get it resolved. And never use a debit card. You would be giving access directly to your bank account.
Shopping online can be fun, beneficial and safe. Just keep these tips in mind and you’ll minimize the risks and have a successful shopping experience. Happy shopping!
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