Buyer beware: tips for online shopping

Shopping online is easy and fast, and it seems like everyone does it today. The internet can be a great resource for shoppers looking to expand their choices of products to buy and it’s an invaluable way for saving money. There are pros and cons to online shopping and because the holidays are just around the corner that also means there are going to be a lot more people doing their shopping online. Shopping online is fun and most of us enjoy it but there are some cons to it: you do not have the ability to physically inspect or try on the items being considered for purchase and you sometimes lose the power to negotiate the price and payment terms that may exist in local stores. Items ordered online are sometimes back ordered, but shoppers may not find out until weeks later. Restocking and shipping costs are often charged on returns, online shoppers often do not have a person (or the same person) to talk to when dealing with a problem.

The biggest problem always seems to be that shoppers do not always know if the site is a legitimate retail store and they put their personal information in and they realize later on that someone has gotten into their card and knows their information. But on the bright side there are pros to online shopping, and they are that the stores are almost never closed, shoppers can shop in their pajamas and that also means online shoppers save on gas and even better there are no parking hassles. Online shoppers rarely have to deal with aggressive salespeople and there are no annoying crowds. Also, you do not have to wait in long lines to check out. Many online retailers allow shoppers to post reviews about the products that they purchased and that allows for the customers opinion and that gives ideas to any future shoppers using the same shopping site.

MHS Shiyler Ayub has had a bad experience with online shopping. Ayub ordered a shirt that just didn’t turn out right. “I saw the shirt, and I didn’t hesitate to think again, I clicked order now.” Before clicking order now, you should always read about the item and make sure you know the product will actually be what you want. “A package came in a week later, I had been waiting impatiently, I rapidly opened the package and the moment I saw the way the shirt looked I double checked the address to make sure it was my package,” said Ayub. “The original shirt was a pink flowy shirt and the one that came in was almost an orange color and it was not the type of flowy shirt that I originally wanted. I didn’t know much about the website, I just saw it and decided to order the shirt, but all I know is that I was ripped off and I now know that if I want something online, I will double check the website and make sure what I am purchasing is exactly what I see on my screen I don’t want anything like this to ever happen again.”

You have to understand what you are getting yourself into, and you can’t really blame anyone else for what you do online because that is your responsibility most of the time. Some tips to remember are to use a familiar websites, look for a lock in the status bar, don’t enter your social security number because no actual website needs that information. Check your statements regularly to make sure there isn’t anything suspicious going on, use strong passwords, avoid using public computers, privatize your wifi, and last but not least, know what’s too good to be true.