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
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ReplyDeleteDo you have any more tips on how to avoid being the victim of phishing?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by phishing mr. bautista?
ReplyDeletePhishing is a manner/tool of hacking information -- such as username, password, email info, credit card info -- from unsuspecting users.
ReplyDeleteThis is done through a fake website which
(1) imitates the original (done using HTTracker or multiple frames in HTML), or
(2) presents itself as an authentic website (sans the need for an imitation).
The fake website then reads/parses/decrypts/stores the information as necessary.
To lure users to such a site and inputting their personal information in them, victims are fished around through faulty links in mail (usually spam), webpage redirection or in a simple mistyping of the authentic website's url.
More info on this could be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing
I think that sometimes it's safe to buy from the establishments themselves and not online for three reasons: 1. One can inspect the product and check for defects. 2. One can tell if he or she could trust the person and finally 3. sometimes its cheaper to buy in stores since there are no additional shipping costs and some stores doesn't require credit cards
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips! I'm not an online shopper myself, but if ever I get into a situation where I'd have to be one, I'm glad that I at least know something about the procedure.
ReplyDeleteWe do not need to westernize our style of shopping. This is another example of colonial mentality where it is not needed. We do need to follow in the footsteps of the online revolution in the U.S, their culture is different. I'm sure a large majority of people would prefer to go to the nearest mall (probably 5-10 minutes away) and actually see and purchase their product there. The sites that have thrived here in the Philippines are buy and sell for the plain purpose that it would be difficult to sell these items anywhere else. Thus, we see an example like Magoo's pizza online being washed down the drain. Our online shopping is what it is and there is no need to imitate a culture that is not our own and not even closely that suitable, i'm sure market alone, you are losing 70% due to the fact that online shopping will be viewed as social elitism in contrast to the fact that a majority of people are below the poverty line. This is why more often than not, purchasing online finds us looking at foreign sites rather than local ones. Buy and sell is solely based on how well you can negotiate and foresee possible outcomes or dillemas. So why worry about online shopping in the first place. Is it culturally correct to do so? With a myriad of malls nearby, I think it is a longshot before it becomes mainstream and until then. why worry.
ReplyDeleteGood advice! I've bought some stuff online too. They never arrive on time. But what's great about online shopping is that you get access to products that aren't usually available locally. The only thing that bothers me with online shopping is that you have to give your mailing address--which I think could compromise the buyer's security.
ReplyDeleteI think that security is the biggest factor that should be thought about before engaging in E-Commerce. Even though you could check the reputation of the seller online via the 'About us' and 'Customer feedback' pages, there is very little assurance that the information written on those web pages are 100% correct and legitimate. I for example, can create a totally professional looking 'About us' page in just a matter of minutes. Even the 'Customer feedback' page can contain bogus testimonials mixed in with the legitimate ones. What would help in my opinion is for the E-commerce website to put up more than one physical address for the prospective buyer to see, and possibly visit themselves.
ReplyDeleteAnd since we are talking about social sites here - what assurance does the customer get that his/her information doesn't fall into the wrong hands? E-commerce here in the Philippines is more likely to happen in social sites such as Multiply, where the encryption of the web pages is almost non-existent. One thing I suggest is that the transactions, business replies, basic inquiries, especially the transfer of Customer Information should be done through email instead of online forms, instead the social site's private messaging service.
Online shopping in my opinion should be hassle-free, worry-free and almost effortless. If it doesn't turn out that way for the buyer, I think that s/he should just stick with the old way of doing it outside the Internet.
I've never tried online shopping before but I think the information is very helpful for people like me to engage in such transactions. Thanks for the tips more power to you
ReplyDeleteE-commerce is still growing in the Philippines. And many have not tried it yet. But the advantage of it is that usually it's considerably cheaper as compared to retail shops. In contrast, it will take a while for you to receive the items since it is shipped after your payment.
ReplyDeleteJust to make to check the reputation of the online shop. That's the only way that you can distinguish that it is real or not. :)
@mark bautista
ReplyDeleteI think that phishing cannot be avoided. The only thing to do is that is just to believe in your instincts and to take risks. If you're not the type of person who doesn't want to take risks then maybe you just buy from stores.