Online Shopping: A Safety Checklist

Think online shopping. Yes, thanks to the internet, you can do your shopping right in the safety and comfort of your home. Everything is available to you with just a click of a mouse – clothes, shoes, books, bags, flowers, cellphones and more. And with internet shopping, there is no rush, no long queues, and no worries.

Wait! Do you really have nothing to worry about online shopping? How safe is it really? You know and appreciate the convenience of it – with just a click of a mouse, the item you bought will be delivered, gift-wrapped even, to the person you’re giving your gift too.

So, how do you make online shopping safer and worry-free? Here are some simple tips that you should remember to make your online shopping experience more enjoyable:

Buy from established online shops – just like buying from real shops, you go for those with good reputation, that’s should also be your concern when buying from ‘virtual’ shops. Ask for referrals from friends, check the website’s background. Read the ‘About us’ page and the customers’ feedback page if there are any.

Understand properly the ordering and paying procedures – when you have made your choice of items to buy, read clearly the procedures and policies in placing your orders and how you can make your payment. Place your orders only when you are serious in buying.

Are there any policies on returns, refunds and cancellations? – look out for your welfare. Check if the website is accepting returns and/or refunds for defective or broken items. See if they have after-sales support, and if they offer warranty.

Is the website secure? – make sure that the website is secure before placing your order. You can do this by looking for a padlock icon on the lower right hand corner of the screen. Check also the website’s URL, it should begin with “https” instead of “http.” These are just some of the safeguards to ensure your transactions will not be accessed by hackers. For this tip, it only applies to non-social networking sites.

Paying for your purchases – internet shops usually requires credit cards as the mode of payment. Some entrepreneurs accept bank deposits, cellphone wallet payments and cash on delivery. Surprising as it may seem, credit cards appears to be the best choice for online payment. For one, you can ask for the credit card company’s help if the items purchased is defective and you’re claiming for a refund. You can also be sure that the payment will reach the vendor. Be sure to print a copy of your payment record just in case you want to file a dispute.

Check the merchandise – upon receipt of the item, be sure to check the merchandize so you can contact the vendor immediately if there’s a problem.

Give feedback on the vendor’s website – be sure to leave a feedback on the vendor’s website whether your purchases arrived on time or not, and if you have received them in good condition. This is for the benefit of other online shoppers who might want to buy from the same vendor.

If you remember these simple tips, your shopping online experience will be safer and worry free. And remember, other than your credit card number and number, you don’t need to give any other information to the buyer.

One last important reminder – trust your instinct, when you feel like something’s amiss with the transaction, don’t continue with it.

by JM Tee

Multiply to Ecommerce

Multiply has been a haven for young budding entrepreneurs in the Philippines. The usual scenario is an entrepreneur posts pictures of the things he/she sells, gives her cellular phone number and the payment and delivery options. And voila, the online store is now ready. Next step would be the actual buying. Millions of subscribers in multiply browse through or just stumble upon online stores, negotiate and congratulations! He/She has bought an item from the online store. This just shows that in a minute you can have a business, in hours or even minutes you can buy something. But are we actually talking about Ecommerce here? By definition, ecommerce is the purchasing, selling, and exchanging of goods and services over computer networks (such as the Internet) through which transactions or terms of sale are performed electronically(http://www.digitsmith.com/ecommerce-definition.html). But I define Multiply as the Philippine version of Ecommerce.

As a fourth year student in Ateneo, I have Ecommerce as the major topic for our year long project. Our group actually aims to introduce ecommerce to BSO Network, an NGO with a greater vision of alleviating poverty through social entrepreneurship. As I journey through the Ecommerce jargons for months, I realized that we are way behind of an actual ecommerce. It is a business model that could actually make our lives easier and move at a faster pace. Imagine Robinsons and SM, accepting transactions online. Imagine Abenson, delivering your gadgets on your doorsteps. But what would be actually great is, Filipino entrepreneurs (MSMEs) selling and transacting real-time online and can reach the global market. We’ve got a wide opportunity out there. Multiply is actually a good start for Ecommerce! Kudos again to the Filipino ingenuity! But at the end of the day we still ask, why are we not dwelling to ecommerce? As we study ecommerce, everything is ready! There are a lot of ecommerce tools and instant builders of an ecommerce website. But what’s stopping us? Or let me rephrase the question, what’s stopping the Filipinos in selling and buying products online? Concern for Intellectual Property Rights was raised in one of our FGDs, especially for those who design jewelries and furniture wherein competitors can easily replicate their masterpieces. Selling wholesale was also a problem and the elimination of having an actual experience with the product poses setbacks for some consumers. But above all, years ago and up to until now, Filipinos were always bombarded by media of unsafe transactions using the web, security issues and the like. This fear was actually instilled to the Filipinos and makes the people lean on to the traditional and “safer” way. The challenge now for the advocates of ecommerce is to change that mindset of Filipinos. But the bottom line is, we ponder upon how this innovation can be of value to the entrepreneurs and if this can actually be of complimentary to them.

by: Kristine Claire Ongcangco