Guide and Tips to Shopping Online
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The internet has turned shopping into nothing more than sitting down at a computer, signing onto the internet,
and a world of products is at your fingertips. It is great! When you a special occasion, shop online, and the gifts
are delivered to your door.
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This experience is certainly a lot different today than years ago when shopping entailed getting into your car,
driving for hours and miles, to see maybe a hand full of stores at best. People simply do not have the time,
or energy, to do that anymore.
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The internet has given us an almost unlimited supply of merchants and products in that you can find almost
anything for sale by someone. Unfortunately, online shopping also has its pitfalls. You cannot touch or feel
the products in person and sometimes the ads posted for the products are not detailed enough and do not give you
enough information before you buy. So shopper - BEWARE! This article offers tips on how to find what you want
online, and make sure you're happy with your online shopping experience!
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Problem - It is hard to tell if you're getting the best price for the product you want to buy.
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Tip - Comparison Shop
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This should be where you try to find one shopping web site that offers access to many merchant stores.
This will allow you to easily compare prices of one merchant to another without spending hours just
trying to find different internet sites that even has the product you want.
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Try to find a web site that offers Online Coupon Codes. Of course every merchant will claim to have bargains,
but will they back that claim up by providing coupons or discounts?
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Problem - Can you trust the merchant store or individual seller?
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Tip – Do a little homework before you buy
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There is hardly anything worse than buying a child a birthday gift and it never arriving.
You have a couple of options in trying to find a trustworthy merchant.
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If a company or individual has scammed someone there is a very good chance that someone has posted that bad
experience in an article online. To determine if an unknown merchant is trustworthy, try to find merchant
store and product reviews about the web site and products. It does not take that much time to Google a merchant
store name to see if someone has posted an article about having a bad experience with the merchant or their products.
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A more safe method of shopping online is to shop with brand name merchants that you know. We all know the
brand name merchants, so the only question to be asked is, are you happy with the price?
Another option, to gain trust in an unknown merchant web store might be to buy a product that does not cost
very much just to find out what type buying experience and quality of products that the merchant provides.
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Another possibility is to call and talk to a company representative. Most web site post a Contact Us page on
their web site which will list their phone number.
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Additionally, companies put BBB seals or a Trust-e seals on their web sites if they abide by a set of standards,
such as listing how complaints and disputes are resolved, and how personal information can and cannot be used.
If you don't see this information on the site, look in the privacy policy or "Terms and Conditions" which should
be clearly posted somewhere on the site.
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A VERY IMPORTANT TIP - When you find a good online shopping web site, one that provides many merchant store options,
bookmark it, to be able to visit the site each time you need to purchase an item.
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Problem - Paying For Items Online
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Someone stealing your credit card information is probably the largest problem with online shopping. I recently
had an experience where I purchased an item online and found out the next day that my credit card number was stolen.
How did I find out so fast? I check my bank account every morning. I saw a charge posted to my account that
I did not make. Typically, a merchant charge will have a phone number posted with it, supposedly belonging to the
merchant store were the item was purchased. I called the number immediately and got the response that the number
was not in service. I immediately called the bank, told them about the problem, and they refunded the money back
into my account, cancelled my compromised card number, and issued me a new card.
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Tip – Make sure that the web site has Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
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This SSL capability allows information to be sent over the internet as encrypted information, meaning, that the
information is un-readable. If a merchant store uses SSL, and most do today, there will be a symbol that looks
like a lock in the bottom right hand corner of your browser and the URL will start with https://. The S means
that the web page has security measures in place. If you do not see this information on the web page where you
enter your card information, DO NOT buy from that merchant store.
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Problem - Some companies will inflate their shipping costs to make up for price cuts and bargains
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Tip - Review their shipping methods and policies
Look at the carriers they use to deliver their products, their shipping rates, and if they provide tracking
and insurance. If possible, find out where the merchant ships the products from. Products are sometimes sent
from international locations, which require customs and extra time.
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Problem - Too much information
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Beware if a company asks you to enter information that is not required to make a purchase. Your personal
information is worth money! Several companies sell your personal information to marketing firms.
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Tip – Only enter personal information that is necessary to complete the purchase.
You will probably enter your credit card number, address, and telephone number. Be wary if they ask
for other information such as your Social Security number, bank account, or mother's maiden name.
Additionally, some companies might ask for your interests by having you check certain boxes. This information
should not be required to complete the purchase.
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