Buy online with confidence

Posted by on Aug 5, 2010 in Business, Security, Web | 0 comments

I’ve made a lot of online purchases and I often purchase goods online to take advantage of better selection and prices.   For example, I recently ordered a larger drive for my desktop PC.  Newegg and Tiger Direct both had a good product for a good price, and shipping was reasonable considering the cost of gas and my time to go to the store.

I’ve only had two bad online experience, and I got my money back both times.  Yet I continue to hear horror stories from others.  So I thought I’d share my approach.

First and foremost, there is nothing magic about shopping online.  The major difference when you walk into a shop is that you have a good idea where they are located. However, disreputable bricks-and-mortar stores (along with phone and mail order outfits) ripped off consumers for years before the Internet was invented.

So how can we shop online with confidence?

1) Consider ordering from businesses you know.  Saving a few dollars on an unknown vendor may not be worth it.

2) If you’re looking for something and don’t know where to find it, consider using eBay or Amazon. Carefully check feedback on the vendor before buying.

3) Always pay by credit card.  From time to time you may run across vendors who request payment by other means.  They might want to you wire money using Western Union or a similar service.  The problem is that once you’ve sent your money, there is little you can do about it.  Real online merchants accept credit cards or use a service like PayPal that accepts credit cards on their behalf. Period.

4) Understand any rules that apply to disputes.  For example, if you make a purchase on eBay and pay using PayPal you must open a dispute within 45 days.  Be wary of anyone who may be trying to string you along with a series of excuses, delays and apologies.

5) Next to how they treat other customers, the best predictor of how a business will treat you after getting your money is how they treat you before. When shopping online we often have our choice of products and resellers.  When I”m trying to decide, I’ll often email a few vendors to ask their advice or for product information.  The timeliness and quality of their response speaks volumes about them.

Have other words of wisdom to share?  Please comment!