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How to go about online shopping:
The idea of online shopping has created a
major interest in net users. It is simply buying
and paying through internet anytime anywhere.
You can purchase almost anything online and
need not bother anyone. You can purchase clothes,
cars, computers, groceries, books, machineries etc
. along with real estates. Generally, the transactions
are done through credit cards only. However, there
are some sites, which offer cash on delivery. Though
online shopping is easier and cheaper as they often
offer discounts, yet you could be in trouble at times.
Have you ever thought of choosing a secured and safe
site for your shopping?
Are you sure your transaction is safe?
Let us think about certain facts before going for online shopping,
Are you using a secure browser?
The browser you are using should abide by the industry
security standards. There are Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
and Secure Electronic Transaction (SET). These systems
encrypt the purchase information you send over the net.
Safe sites show the symbol of an unbroken key, a picture
of a closed lock or a web address started with https://.
Remember the letter “S” after http is very important.
Along with that, most of the browsers also display a
warning message before you click to send any information
to a site.
Go for Certificate check:
It is also easy to verify a secure site with a “certificate”.
Presently Verisign,Inc. is a provider of Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI). This company has formed
long-term partnerships with a large no. of other
companies. You can check out www.verisign.com
for further information.
Do not reveal your very personal information unless required:
Always try not to send your password anywhere if you do not
know the receiver. It’s even secured to use a combination of
numbers, letters and symbols in your password instead of using
birth dates, phone numbers etc.
Always pay with a credit card or charge card:
Online shopping is done by credit card or charge
card in order to make the procedure easy. If you
pay with a credit card or charge card, your
transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit
Building Act. According to the law, consumers
have every right to dispute the charges against
certain situations.
It is always better to invest small amount while
buying online for the first time. Try them a couple
of times and then go for more investments. Using
one card only for online shopping will make your life
much comfortable. Do not forget to keep hard copies
of your purchase order and confirmation number.
Think twice before filling up a form online:
In maximum websites, you need to register yourself
in order to buy things. This form is sometimes very
risky as with just a click of your mouse all your
information could be sent to anywhere. If you are
sending any private information then it’s better to
think twice. Generally the sites want to know
whether you are new to online shopping or what
kind of products you are interested in etc. but
sometime they ask for your e-mail id, password,
mailing address and phone number.
Ask yourself before pouring out all such information:
1) Are they at all required?
2) Should I trust the owners of the site?
3) What about the site’s privacy policy?
4) Is it a secure site at all?
5) What my friends/ relatives/ colleagues feel about this site?
After giving yourself proper and satisfactory replies, you can go forward.
Even after having a through knowledge about the site,
if unfortunately you come across some problems there
are agencies, which could help you.
1) The Publication Analyzing Internet
Information (PM 1789b)
2) Iowans can contact the Iowa Attorney General’s
Office at (515) 281-5926.
3) Federal Trade Commission
at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm.
4) National Fraud Information Center
at http://www.fraud.org.
5) Call for Action, Inc.
at http://www.callforaction.org/
6) Consumer Information Center at
http://www.pueble.gsa.gov/
Shopping online is definitely enjoyable and interesting.
Your online shops are open for 24 hours a day under
any circumstances. It gives you the pleasure and
comfort to buy with just a few clicks on your mouse.
You can go for research before buying a product,
such as can check out the price range, utility, others’
opinion and many more things. As everything has
its good and bad sides, online shopping is not an
exceptional case. Sometime you might have to pay
more as the price includes shipping charges and other
delivery options. Even it takes time to open up pages
where you could be able to see the products.
Along with all the pros and cons, online shopping is just
“in”. Maximum people prefer getting things delivered at
their doorstep even if they have to pay more. However,
before ordering anything online, think and try these out.
If you feel you are secured, go ahead and happy shopping
Author: Paromita C.
Website:http://www.hedir.com
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