Online Shopping
The internet has revolutionised our shopping experience; companies are using all their best marketing techniques to keep their customers from going to a competitor’s website. However, online shopping as we know is not just for companies to sell their items, anyone can sell something they own to another person on the internet. Through websites like eBay or social media such as Facebook. Social media has such an influence on online shopping in recent years that Facebook launched the ‘Marketplace’ to make it easier for people to sell their items to others. Online shopping does have its risks, such as the potential for an item turning up broken after delivery, delays on items being delivered or the return policy i.e. no return policy on items sold by an individual.
Online shopping has become one of the most popular ways to shop in the 21st century, but there are some sinister sides to the experience, such as fraud and theft. Shoppers have learnt how to protect themselves from scams over the years, but scammers have become savvier with the way they con people. Safe online shopping and making sure you are protecting yourself and your money has a lot to do with gut instinct; if you feel like something isn’t right do not go through with the purchase, ultimately the only loser in that situation would be you. To make sure you are doing everything to protect yourself, follow the guide below about safe online shopping.
How to Stay Safe when Shopping Online
There are different elements to making sure you are completely safe whilst online shopping. By following this guide you should shield yourself from any unlawful activity around your online shopping experiences.
Trust Your Intuition
You know that feeling you get if something isn’t quite right, if you feel this way about a potential purchase you are about to make then abort. You may be wrong, but don’t chance it. If someone is asking for you to pay for a product before collection, investigate why this might be rather than agreeing and paying before collecting. Don’t part with your money until you are 100% sure that you are not being conned. As the internet has grown and got more sophisticated, so have companies who use to the internet to make their dealings. Reputable websites of big brands and trustworthy companies are not the concern when purchasing online, however, do make sure you have all the security software installed on your device before inputting any bank information.
Be Cautious
When using social media sites to purchase items be cautious of who you are buying from. This may be a case of the product not working how the seller said it would, or that the product is faulty. Once you have collected the product and handing your money over the item is yours; there is no return policy, usually the seller will sell the item as ‘sold as seen’. Also, be cautious of any sellers that ask you to send the money for the item prior to collect. Social media and the internet work the same in the fact that people can just vanish from it, your money and item gone.
Another aspect to take into consideration is when you are inputting payment details into any website. If you are using Wi-Fi, make sure you have all the security software on your device, as hacking Wi-Fi is something a hacker can do easily if they know how to. Another precaution you could take is making sure that none of the websites remember your bank details, however inconvenient it may be, someone may be trying to get hold of your confidential data and this gives them easy access.
Do Your Own Research
Make sure that the company/seller is legitimate by undertaking your own research on sites like https://onlineshopping.help. You can google the company/seller to look for reviews, or any scam stories posted online, read all the reviews on the platform you are thinking about buying the product from, and have a research for the original item listing online if you are buying it second hand. This should give you a much better all-round view of the seller/company and whether they are trustworthy. If you are still unsure from the reviews, look back to point one; trust your intuition.
