If you are reading this, you probably aren't standing in a checkout line or elbowing your way through a shopping crowd. You have most likely opted to skip the black Friday madness in person. If you are planning on doing your shopping online this year, stick around, I may have some helpful tips for you.
Before I get to that though, I want to thank the two guest hosts I had for the last two weeks, kirbybruno and asterkitty. If you missed either of their diaries, be sure and check them out to find a whole bunch of wonderful ideas for gifts you can make at home rather than buy this year.
Shopping online can be a stress free way to find the perfect gift for someone special on your list. What's not to like? You sit in the comfort of your home, and with a few clicks, you can find an unusual and meaningful gift and have it delivered right to your recipient's doorstep. When it goes right, it's a breeze, but when it goes wrong, it can be an unimaginable headache. Here are some ideas to help you avoid some of the potential pitfalls.
Safety First
Shopping online is a bit more risky than shopping in person. You can't physically inspect your goods before purchase, you can't carry them away as soon as you have handed over your money and you can't go visit the merchant in person afterwards to resolve any problems that may crop up post-purchase. Here are a few guidelines to follow to help make your online shopping experience less risky:
- Always use a credit card: Credit cards are the most secure method of remote purchasing. They offer you much more fraud protection than money orders, paypal or even debit cards. If your account is compromised, your maximum liability for unauthorized charges is $50. If you are the victim of fraud by the merchant, you can dispute the charge with your bank after the fact. Debit cards may look and act much like credit cards, but they don't have nearly as good a built in fraud protection safety net as credit cards do.
- Generate one-time use credit card numbers: The biggest danger with using credit cards online is that your account number could be stolen or otherwise compromised. Most credit card issuers will let you generate a so called "one-time use" card number. Log onto your account online and look for a link labeled something like "shopping security" or "fraud protection." This will allow you to generate a credit card number that is linked to your account, but has limited use. In general you can control the dollar limit and the expiration date associated with that number and that number is usually only good for one merchant. Using these numbers will allow you to shop with the certainty that even if your number is stolen, at least you won't have to go through the hassle of canceling your account and having a new card issued.
- Check your statements: Whether you are shopping online or in person, you should routinely check your crdit card statements to make sure that you recognize all the charges on your account. The key to avoiding liability for these charges is catching them and reporting them early.
- Shop with reputable merchants: It doesn't take much to put up a fraudulent shopping web site. There are tons of legitimate looking sites on the webs that are nothing but scams set up to trap the unwary. The best way to avoid getting snared by these is to stick with reputable merchants that you know and trust. If you do find the perfect item at a store you've never heard of before, do a little research before you buy. Google the store name combined with "scam" or "complaint" and see what other customers have to say. You can also check customer complaint sites like Ripoff Report.
- Beware of the deal too good to be true: This cautionary statement is particularly true for cameras and similar electronics purchases. If you find an advertised price much lower than the competition, there is often an unseen catch. You may have to buy extra accessories to get the great price, you may be dealing with a site that is actually offering a similar, but not identical manufacturer or you may just have encoutentered a truly scammy site that will take your money and never ship your product.
Finding the Deals
One of the biggest advantage of online shopping is your ability to comparison shop in comfort. Here are some sites and tips that will help you in this process.
- Comparison shopping sites: If you are trying to compare prices on a single item with the known manufacturer and item number, there are a lot of sites that can help you find the cheapest merchant. One of my favorites is Google Product Search. If you are trying to find the best deal on an item that may be offered by many different manufacturers, such as a Mens Red T-shirt, it can be a bit more difficult to find the best deals. I've found that Amazon is one of the best places to perform searches like this. They have links to a large number of retailers that have been vetted by Amazon. They may not be guaranteed to be honest, but at least you have some assurance.
- Black Friday deals: If you are looking for the best online shopping bargains, Iteya has assembled a handy list. BFAds also has a set of handy links as well.
- Look out for shipping charges: Some merchants have figured out that most people don't look at shipping charges when comparing prices, so they are sometimes lowering their advertised prices while simultaneously jacking up the shipping costs. Make sure you are comparing total purchase costs, including shipping, when you are doing a site to site comparison. If you are looking for a list of retailers that offer free shipping, istobe has a list they update daily.
- Check the return policy: One of the worst things about online shopping is the possiblity of getting stuck with merchandise that just isn't right for you. Before you buy, find out what the merchants' return policy is and also check who pays for return shipping.
- Be cautious of foreign merchants: Dealing with foreign merchants over the web is not necessarily a terrible thing to do, but you should be even more cautious than you are with domestic merchants. Return policies and shipping fees can be almost as expensive as the purchase price. In addition, some credit card companies are charging a 1% fee on any transaction done with a foreign merchant. Even if you are buying an item that is being shipped from a a US site and paying in US dollars, the credit card company may charge this "currency conversion" fee. If you get hit with an unexpected fee like this call your card provider to politely register a complaint. Often they will back down.
In closing, just one more tip: If you do decide to go shopping in person, don't lock your kids in the trunk while you do. The money you save on baby sitters will be spent on lawyers and bail.