Safe Online Shopping Is Like Safe Sex: Common Sense
There are probably as many “How To Shop Safely On The Internet” articles as there are computers in the world. Authors try to create some great mystique to it, very much like early Internet geeks, but the truth is, it is not that difficult, once you know what to look for such as quality, service, shipping costs, guarantees and stability of the company. But how do you find this out? It’s not as hard as you may think.
The basics of shopping will take you a long way in Internet shopping. Picture yourself in a regular mall store. What kinds of things do you consider? Cost, quality, gurantee, company stability, service? It’s not much different on the Internet, in fact, no different at all.
Of course the obvious obstacle is you can’t see the seller. He or she may be sitting in pajamas in Mozamibique for all you know. But with a little research, you can find out rather rapidly where the seller is and how long he/she has been there. Also, many stores over an 800 number for customer service and ordering. Use it if you feel a bit skiddish but want a product from the store.
In very rare cases, a store ispsys little or no attention to its security. That is one of online shoppers main concerns. Take a look at the verfication icons at the bottom of the page to see who has verified the validity of the security. In other words, don’t just send your credit card information in an email to an online shop. That is common sense. And unless you are signing up for an affiliate program, there is never a reason to have to give your social security number to order anything. And even then, you will want to do so through a well-known 3rd party source like Commission Junction on their secure platform. But again, that is only if you have found a product or products that you like, and want to resale them on your site (if an affiliate program is being offered). You do not have to sign up for the affiliate program unless you want to. With a good product, they are a great way to make extra cash doing virtually nothing but linking the product to your site.
Is the company stable? Are they going to be able to deliver? There are ways to find that out by doing research on the firm. You can go to WhoisLookup and type in the URL and find out when the company was formed. For instance, though many of my stores are less than two years old, as a cartoonist, we have been selling gifts and collectibles on our main cartoon website since 1997. Our main manufacturer 3drose, is one of Ebay’s oldest and largest PowerSellers with over 12,000 transaction with a 99.4% positive rating. That kind of thing doesn’t hurt. Many stores have sub stores on Ebay or other auction sites. Simply check their feedback and ratings.
Other stores, like ours all have community blogs. We show the blog address on our main sites and people are welcome to offer their experiences and feedback. This can add to the comfort level when buying online.
If the company does not offer a 30-day no questions asked guarantee, I won’t even bother to order. If they don’t have one, there is usually a reason and the reason, more often than not, is shoddy products. I learned this in my early days of Internet shopping. This is of utmost importance whether buying at your local favorite store or on the web. If a company won’t stand behind its products or service, there is a reason. And you don’t want to be a victim of their reason. Buy safe and have fun!
