The Internet has changed the wholesale and retail landscape. Shopping through the net has become the latest fashion statement and the necessity of the day. From clothes to accessories to furniture to electronics all are being shopped through the World Wide Web.
An online shop is just few clicks away! You can place orders for food, toys, television, movies, music systems, garments, mobile phones, medicines and many more daily requirements for you and your household without even stepping outside your house. Items ordered are delivered at your door steps by payments made through credit cards or through online banking service.
You have more options to choose your online shop. Today we are also availed with more and better choices than ever before. Life being so busy today it leaves no time for shopping. Moreover shopping (be it in the nearest locality) takes at least one hour.
Getting dressed, reaching destination, parking, lines to wait etc., takes another one good hour of our precious time. But shopping through net will hardly take few minutes. So we can call this a best time saving medium for shopping.
Though E-commerce has opened the doors of fortune for consumers as well as sellers, shopping online has still some pros and cons.
Here are some advantages of shopping online:
- More choices Compare and shop: Consumers have better choices online. They can find several offers as well as use comparison engines to pick the best offer suitable for them.
- Time saving: It saves much of time, shopping online is a matter of few minutes only.
- Simplified buying decisions: Some reviews and rating sites provide fair reviews and ratings by actual consumers. Consumers can find reviews about specific stores and read the user experience before buying any product.
- Birth of online discount coupons: You can find lot of websites that list exclusive discount coupons of famous stores. Consumers can find and apply exclusive coupons. A good research on web can save lot of money.
- Shop till you drop: You can shop any time 24 hours a day to 365 days a year.
There are many advantages buying online but it has some disadvantages too. There are a host of sites which provide these provisions but we have to be very careful while choosing the right site. Some are phony which double deal with the users and extract important information and use them unwisely.
Below are some disadvantages:
- Credit Card security issues. You have to pay online using your credit card or online banking. You can not pay cash or check. Even though many online shops use secured transaction one can not rule out possible misuse of your credit card.
- Rise of Phony/Scam websites. You have to be smart to identify the difference between real shop and a phony website. Phony websites are generally using a clone domain or misspelled domain name. You need to verify before you buy.
- Shopping cart/ Server malfunctioning. Shops that are not updated with latest technology may face sudden shutdown and leave in middle of shopping.
- Billing error issues. It happens sometimes that you have not received the discount or your coupon is not working. You may also found that your card is overcharged.
- Packing and shipping issues. This is an additional cost on consumers. However most of stores offer Free Shipping too, still you have to verify the actual cost of shipping and packaging.
- Difficult to return. You need to verify the return policy before you shop. Sometimes it’s very hard to return the goods if you are unhappy. The process may take 10 to 15 days.
To secure yourself from such sites you should be aware of the necessary guarantee certificates and security logos which will verify whether these sites are valid or not. Hacker safe, ControlScan, VeriSign, Thawte, GeoTrust are leaders in this field.
Any shopping site you visit should have at least one or more of these certificates to make it safe for you to use. After confirming the authenticity of these certificates in the site you can then shop as much as you like without even thinking once.
Seals and Trust Marks to check at online shop:
[Disclaimer: before you read further I like to state that use of any tool mentioned below are 100% secured, however they reduce the risk and enhance your shopping experience.]
Control scan being one of the leaders in web securities gives confidence to customers in connecting to the web at large. Its security solutions are so effective that it secures us from all the known as well as unknown threats from around the globe.
HackerSafe is another certification mark which will seal all paths of the hackers and protect your information and boost the sales of the respective sites.
VeriSign’s intelligent infrastructure will help organizations to deliver and make maximum profit. It protects billions of interaction everyday across the world’s voice and data networks. Also layered security solutions are provided to protect organization’s brand, consumers and site.
A Thawte certificate is based on Web of trust model and has a full backing of VeriSign. It includes a variety of security and telecom services like payment processing etc.
GeoTrust is also a certificate provider. Its technologies inscribe trust to all sizes of businesses and give them good business too.
Shopping on the net is very amenable and hassle free. Most sites provide sorting through brand names, price, availability etc. For shopping smart and fast this is the best medium.
Firstly decide what you want to buy. Then choose the site where you want to shop. Remember before giving your details to any site check whether it has the web security seal and certificate aforementioned.
After confirming this then shop whatever you want to. Click the buy icon and then give the shipping and payment details as asked. Your order will be shipped to you in the next few days. Isn’t it a piece of cake?
Read User reviews and Ratings: before you buy, do a small research on some sites that provide ratings to an online store. You will find lot of forums where users share their experiences. Below is the list of some example sites:
Rating Sites:
· ResellerRatings.com,
· Cnet reviews,
· PriceGrabber.com
· Pricerunner.com
Deal forums:
· Fatwallet.com
· Slickdeals.com
Deal Websites:
· DealNews.com
· Deals2buy.com
* Discountmario.com
* Deals2give.com
Daily Deals:
Coupons and discount listing websites:
Some sites which have taken all the necessary measures to provide web security and are listed among the top shopping sites are discussed below.
Buy.com is the master of all sites. You will get everything you want here but it is not a search engine. It will expand your vision of shopping. Its enhanced listings, superb gift ideas, shopping guide will floor you. All the sites under it are very popular and extremely safe. It lists only those shops which abide to the full code of security, prices, delivery and above all who has valid details displayed about them like contact numbers, addresses, E-mail ID etc. in case of complaints. It no doubt fulfills the basic need of shopping.
Staples.com is one site where you can shop anything from Office supplies to Technologies to Furniture. Anything and everything you ask for is here. For keeping all your personal and financial details safe and intact it has adopted the VeriSign seal of web security on it. Since it stocks all the products directly from the manufacturers it reduces mediator costs and makes it more desirable. However, shopping at staples.com is done by keeping the customers ease in mind.
Tigerdirect.com deals in all types of electronic goods like computers, laptops, camera, T.V. etc. It is also associated with the leading brand names like Acer, Belkin, Canon, CablesToGo, Epson, Hitachi, IBM, Microsoft, Logitech, Samsung, Sony, Systemax, Olevia and more. Its unbiased approach towards all customers and orders makes it even more enchanting. All its products are manufactured direct from the companies and so are 100 % original and flawless. Its vast information on its products along with their pictures will impress you. Every product is supported by a guarantee certificate and you can be rest assured about the products being delivered to you. Customer care being the main objective it is VeriSign certified and also supports the eBillme payment option.
Wirefly.com is among the top 5 dealer of cell phones. According to the research made by HitWise, it’s been ranked amongst the top 10 electronics site for the last three consecutive years. It offers plans for all the major carriers of the world like Alltel, Amp`d, Cingular wireless, Disney mobile, Liberty, US cellular, Virgin Mobile, T-Mobile and many more. Its yeoman service includes a host of brand names like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG, Apple, Motorola, Samsung, Blackberry and many more. Shopping is fully secured here coz it is not only VeriSign certified but also HackerSafe tested.
It is also powered by InPhonic.
Cellhut.com is an exclusive dealer of mobile and mobile accessories. It has enough reasons to be proud of itself like its huge variety of mobiles and accessories along with non-challenging security and price, all under one. Its information technology is also great. Helping the customers to strike the best deals is its main objective. It is regularly updated with the most recent phones with the most recent technologies. All the leading brands with all the recent technologies and features are associated with it. In addition, it has the VeriSign Seal and in that’s not enough ControlScan too has approved of it.
LetsTalk.com – It serves the customer with the best and the latest wireless products as well as services. It is a user friendly site with very fast search tools. It is associated with a legion of reputed brands and services like Nokia, Samsung, LG , Blackberry, sanyo, Motorola, metroPCS, SureWest, US Cellular, amp`d sprint , T-Mobile and many more. Purchase anything confidently coz it is cnet certified, diginet SSL digital certificate and TRUSTe approved privacy statement. Together with the most alluring offers and unbeaten prices and service it is no doubt that it is one of the most sought after sites.
Shopping can be fun, amenable and fast if we know where to look for. Now you must be well aware of what’s to be done during online shopping and what’s a big no-no. So go and visit our safe sites and get blown away by its alluring offers and products. Have a safe shopping!! Have fun shopping!!
