Rappahannock Community College and Richmond County Public Library
Guide to making purchases online
Safety First!
There are two very real concerns if you shop online; fraud and identity theft. There are several things you can do.
Fraud
Only buy from a reputable business
Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) http://www.bbb.org/
Buy from businesses you are familiar with
Buy from businesses that have actual "brick and mortar" stores
Make sure the Internet address is correct (people can fake sites by one letter)
Identity Theft
Keep anti-virus and anti-spyware up to date (set automatic updates feature on!)
Pick strong passwords that are difficult to crack (no words or names!)
Do not set up login access to automatic
Lock your computer when not in use, or set automatic lock feature when not used for several minutes
Don't leave email in your mail box
Always check for a secure connection while entering information ("https" or closed padlock)
Beware of "Phishing" scams http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm
Amazon and Ebay
Amazon.com Amazon is one of the first major retailers on the Internet. They have now expanded their goods to everything from books to electronics to lawn and garden products. They also have set up partnerships with many well known traditional retailers including Toy R Us, Target, Nordstroms, Gap and Circuit City. If you purchase $25 worth of items from Amazon's inventory (rather than the partner stores), you receive free shipping.
Ebay.com Ebay is an auction site. Members can sell, bid or "Buy it Now." Just about anything you can imagine can be found on Ebay! It is the largest single seller of automobiles in the country. The important thing to remember is to read the sellers reviews from other buyers to be sure the seller is reputable. Ebay does not guarantee any items authenticity or condition. The company leaves the quality control up to it's members.
Traditional Retailers
Many traditional stores now offer online shopping. This provides a tremendous value to shoppers, saving time and energy! Shoppers can check inventory, compare prices or even order online and have items delivered. In most cases, you can return the item to the actual store, saving return shipping costs.
Comparison Shopping Engines
Perhaps the biggest convenience and the easiest way to shop for the best deals is through the quickly growing comparison shopping engines. These search engines allow you to enter a product name or description and receive a list of retailers offering the item and at what price. Most of the sites also allow buyers to rate the retailers for reliability.
The list below is in size order (largest amount of participating retailers):
Froogle (new from Google)
Barlas, Pete. (2004) "Google Frugal in Giving More Attention To Its Froogle; Remains in Test Mode; Its comparison-shopping service still laggard for Web's to search Engine." Investors Business Daily. Dec. 13, 2004, pA05.
Buckley, Neil. (2004) "Internet Shopping- the sequel: Four years after the bubble burst, e-tailing is back. But this time the stars are not start-ups but traditional retailers. The Financial Times. Nov. 29, 2004, p.10.
Maiers, Chris. (2004) "Ioaw State U.: Buyer beware with Internet gift shopping." The America's Intelligence Wire. Nov. 29, 2004.
Retzlaff, Heather. (2005) "Shopping around." Catalog Age. Jan. 1, 2005 v22.
Copyright: Feb. 2005