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Best Practices for Online Shopping and Auctions

Shopping on the web is convenient; you have a store that is open 24/7 and offers everything from tickets to trips to food or fashion. Through a few quick searches you can find anything you are after often with discounts and the promise of delivery to your doorstep. However, with convenience comes caution - anyone can set up a website with the goal of taking your money or worse, your identity.

Use the tips below for a safer, more enjoyable online shopping experience.

1. Know who you are buying from.

Anyone can create a website and sell from it. Use trusted retailers and verify the seller's physical address and phone number. See who links to the site.
Consult the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Keep in mind, however, that BBB does not recommend any businesses or organizations, it can only let you know if it has received any complaints about them. A company could be operating in an unethical manner, but unless someone had lodged a complaint against it, it would not show up in the BBB’s database.

2. Calculate the real cost.

Check out other websites and compare products. Factor in shipping and handling into the total cost of the order. Make sure there are no hidden costs or exorbitant fees for returns or restocking.
Do comparision shopping to get the best deal, both with local merchants and online vendors. A few good sites to check for price and consumer ratings are pricegrabber.com, pricescan.com, www.bizrate.com, and www.pricingcentral.com.

3. Investigate product quality and "too good to be true" prices.

Carefully read product descriptions and pay attention to words like "refurbished," "second hand," or "vintage," which may indicate less than ideal quality.

4. Stick to secure sites.

Set the alerts (under Preferences/Security) in your web browser to warn you when you are entering a page that is secure, or not secure, or when submitting a form that is not secure. Look for indicators that the site is employing security encryption for its transactions, such as a lock icon or key, SSL certificate, or a URL that begins with "https."

5. Reserve one credit card solely for online shopping.

To ensure that no unexpected purchases have been charged to your account, carefully review your monthly credit card statements, and if you can view the statement online, check it every few days.
When you pay by credit card online, your transaction is protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. This means you have the right to dispute charges (under certain circumstances) and temporarily withhold payment while the creditor investigates them. Also look into the terms of your credit card, which may provide additional protection.

6. Keep a record of all your online purchases.

Print and/or save records of your online purchases, such as online receipts, e-mails from the seller, dates, items purchased, quantities, prices, credit card used, and any other pertinent information.

7. Review the privacy policy.

Legitimate sites will be open with you about what information they do or don’t collect. Take the time to review the privacy policy, which will tell you what personal information the website is collecting, why, and how that information will be used. Not finding a privacy policy is a good indicator that you should avoid purchasing items on that site.

8. Don't share financial information via e-mail.

Never send your financial information, such as credit card number, bank account, Social Security number, or mother's maiden name over e-mail. This is not a secure method. If you are going to provide financial information, it should be done over a secure, trusted site.

9. Never click on the link in pop-up messages that appear while browsing.

These could be phishing attempts. Other phishing attempts send you an e-mail with a link to a fraudulent website, which looks nearly identical to the authentic site. The phishers prompt you for your personal and financial information. Learn more about Phishing.

10. Check vendors' policies on shipping, refunds and returns.

Do they impose restocking fees if you return an item? Do they replace defective or damaged items, or let you exchange them at a local store, if available? Do they require authorization numbers?