Internet Shopping Tips for Not Getting Cheated Online

Lot of frauds or scams can happen when you buy online. This article aim is to help you purchase online stuff diligently so that you can have secure internet shopping and thus avoid getting scammed online.

Online purchasing by consumers is increasing day by day as broadband access grows and more e-commerce portals are setup. Presently billions of dollars are spent by internet surfers all over world in online shopping. More and more people are excited to do online shopping as it is convenient.

However, there are frauds also that can happen when doing online purchasing. From the reported Internet frauds, complaints of general merchandise purchases (goods never received or misrepresented) were 30%, auction purchases (goods never received or misrepresented) topped the list at 44% and 26% being the remaining ones for other types of goods.
A lot of electronic commerce sites are reputed and have tried best to make online shopping more secure. These reputed e-commerce sites also keep on improvising as per times and situations to ensure that your online purchase transactions are safe and the right bought goods are delivered to you. Yet, despite all this, it never hurts to always do online purchasing with more knowledge and alertness. If you are going to purchase goods online, consider these steps which will prevent you more getting cheated online while doing shopping:

1. Use only one credit card, preferably with a low credit limit, when making online purchases. This is to ensure that even if your credit card details are stolen or compromised somehow (I wish it never happens with you), you will not face much loss. Avoid using an ATM or Debit card as money amount in these accounts is normally high.

2. Be wary of unsolicited offers by sellers that are sent by email. If in doubt of the authenticity of email, contact the company directly to verify before doing any online shopping for those unsolicited offers.
3. Use only reputable e-commerce websites that list their complete physical address, email address and contact number/s. This will help you later in case you need to contact them directly for any issues with the purchased stuff.

4. Go through the privacy policy of the website before doing an online purchase through it. Some websites may reserve the right to sell/give away your information to a third party. Check the document to see if they allow an opportunity to “opt-out” of receiving special offers from third-party vendors or for permission to share your personal information.

Avoid those online shopping companies that declare that can give away your personal information to other companies.
I do not like to receive emails of special offers as I do not buy much plus do not believe much in these shopping offers. So, if you are like me, then do not buy products from those sites which do not clarify about an option to unsubscribe from their emails.

5. Check for a lock symbol in the your web browser window which is a sign that your PC and the online shopping site in question will have secure communication (s for secure in https). Also, do not provide your personal information if the website address doesn’t start with “https” (a sign that the site is using a secure server).

6. Choose only those online sellers which are authentic. This can be done to find out if the vendor is a verified member of a well known third party such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Guardian eCommerce or Verisign. These third-party websites assist in ensuring that online customers will be protected when shopping or doing e-commerce transactions.

7. Ensure that the product delivery date posted at the seller site is reasonable. If you have not dealt with the vendor on a regular basis, be cautious of any website that states the shipment will be delayed by twenty or more days. The more common product delivery dates are of 7-10 days.

8. Keep a paper record as well as computer record (soft copy) of all online shopping transactions. Print out a hard copy of the shopping transactions and keep it safely in a file for future reference. This will help you in fighting the dispute if needed.

9. Be wary of online money earning offers through any type of product – software, membership (MLM type) and getting your own website etc. that just sound too good to be true.  Example: Push button instant money program that helps you earn hundred of dollars per day just for clicking or using software for 15 minutes a day. The Internet is filled with useless get rich quick scams and false advertising claims. Research and search the stuff for reviews before proceeding to buy it.

10. If you do not receive the item what you paid for online, and the vendor will not attend your emails or calls, get in touch with your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs or Cyber Crime Cell immediately for further assistance.

11. If you purchased an item online using credit card and you are not satisfied due to any valid reason and the vendor is not helping you in sorting the problem, contact your credit card company to file a dispute.
I personally have raised disputes with my credit card company for many crappy items that were not what I had ordered through my credit card and got that item price credited back. But, you have to do it within two months of purchase of the item for which you are disputing a charge back.
I am sure that these tips will surely help lot of my online friends from not getting cheated while doing internet shopping online!

All the best and have a pleasant time in purchase goods online process!