So, what is safety when shopping online for shoppers? What do you need to pay attention to in the first place?
If you visit the site of a large and well-known online store, then there is no reason to expect that you will be cheated. Large online stores have a multi-million dollar turnover, and there is absolutely no reason for them to “deal with nonsense”. Their owners have long ago realized that you can earn much more by conducting an honest business on the Internet than by engaging in deception of customers. Therefore, when you visit such a store, all your precautions should be to make sure that you are really on the page of the store you need, and not on a fake site. This will be obvious to you in the address bar of your browser.
So, rule number one, make sure that you spell the address of the site without errors! Make sure the site is genuine!
But what if the site is not too big or famous? Are all small or not very “old” sites owned by scammers and created to cheat? The question is rhetorical and the answer is obvious – of course not. Every online store starts somewhere. Smaller sites were also the ones that started out as small and have now grown into online supermarkets. It is on small sites that you often find very good deals and very attractive prices. After all, a small site should somehow “promote” itself and stand out against the general mass.
But how to assess the reliability of the site of a small online store? Here are a few recommendations.
Always visit the section About us, Contact us, etc. Any normal firm, this section should contain the registration information firm, the full address and telephone. If you are going to buy on this site, but are not sure yet, pay close attention to the description of the firm. Do not be lazy to write a short general letter to the online store. Or better yet – call the online store and ask a few questions about the product you are interested in.
So rule number two says – read and check the section or page “About the company”.
Well, let’s assume that with the section “About the company” you have successfully sorted out. The data are available, phone and mail are working, the staff responds to your request. Is it enough to make a purchase? Of course, it is not enough. Now just look at the site you visited. Is it done well? Is there a lot of material on it? After all, if the online store is a permanent trade, and not created for one week, it should look solid. More than once I’ve seen on sites “selling” the latest models of cell phones was not the simplest of functions, such as a shopping cart.
Here it should be noted that much enthusiasm in terms of “solidity” of the site is still not worth it. But also to make purchases on the site “clumsy work” is also not recommended.
Our third rule – the site should be solid, ie, have a certain visual minimum of impressiveness and quality.
Well, let’s assume that the site you’re interested in went through this filter as well. It would seem that the time has come to make a purchase. But take your time. Now is a good time to…check the reviews for this site! “Google” this site and everything related to it! Try to find negative reviews. Use different word combinations in your search that may help you. It’s important to note here that any firm that works should have not only positive reviews, but also negative ones. So, a moderate number of negative reviews should not scare you much, but rather should alert you to their complete absence, which is typical for brand new online stores.
Rule number four – look for site reviews on the Internet.
Now finally it is time to draw a line and pass a verdict. If the “researched” site passed all the stages of verification safely – you can make a purchase. But since you (or your friends) haven’t shopped at this site before, buy something cheaper to start with. Don’t go shopping for large sums at once. It makes sense to have a successful smaller transaction before you buy from this site in earnest!
