How to Shop Online with Confidence
Online shopping has become quite popular in the past few years and just about everyone who is familiar with the Internet, buys something online in one form or another. Whether it is a gift item or software, online shopping is a hassle-free way to provide you with the product or service you want. With the growing dependence of the Internet and online purchases, people are getting more and more concerned about scams and online frauds that may await them while they are shopping online.
The key to shopping online with confidence is the ability to avoid scam and finding a reliable online store that has credibility among buyers.
Instructions
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1
Do research
No matter what you intend to buy; you need to do some research before making up your mind about a company and pulling out your credit card to get your product. Online research may take a few hours, but it is a nice way to get your familiarized with many websites operating on the Internet. The first thing to research a particular online store to see how credible it is. If the website you have set your sights on is trusted by McAfee SECURE™, then you should know that 80% of your research has been done successfully. You can also check the content of the sit such as claims the company makes, product range, and most important of all, reviews. Go to different forums dedicated to safe shopping and pose a question about the credibility of your chosen company. You will surely find reviews on the company and meaningful advices. Forums are usually used by general buyers and people may share their personal experience with that particular company. -
2
Ask for their location
If you have set your sights on an online store and are thinking of buying from it, you should first check if they have a customer service available. If they can be reached via phone, make a call and ask for their location. Check their IP address through Google search and you will find their location. Most scammers fool the buyers into believing that they are a genuine company based in so and so country. The reality is, scammers cannot afford to run a business from a physical location. -
3
Do not pay for products via electronic transfer
There are lots of online stores that will ask you to pay for their products via electronic bank transfer. These are usually less credible companies, not having proper accounts with well-known payment processing companies (intermediaries) like PayPal. These companies may be involved in shady business practices and that is why they decide not to accept credit cards. Since payment processors (like Paypal) accept registration from companies that are legit and comply with legal online businesses practices.
