How to Shop Online

Research and Decide

1. Do an online search for the desired product. That's the first step for how to shop online. I also recommend doing research on the store or shopping site as well. More on how to research online shops and stores

2. Compare the prices and features and shipping conveniences offered from several sites. Make notes. The internet is a Comparison shopper's paradise. There's so much to choose from! But you have this advantage - you can take all the time you need to choose. And to learn how to shop online smartly! More on helpful Comparison Shopping sites.

3. Decide at which online shop to buy your item(s). This is usually the hardest part. In the end it is often an intuitive decision, but there are security criteria to use. More help on chosing online stores.

Check for Secure Shopping Site

4. Make sure the shopping site's shopping system is secure, and offers the payment method you can or want to use. At the very least, read the "Terms of Service" and decide if you are ready to complete the transaction. Is this the scary part of how to shop online? More on Secure Shopping Criteria.

Check Out with Shopping Cart

5. Put the items in your shopping cart by clicking on them or the BUY link close to them. (It's smart to keep a running total on some scrap paper. It saves having to remove things from your shopping cart when you gasp at the total.) Some sites will take you to the shopping cart each time, then allow you to click on "continue shopping" if you want to add more items.

6. When ready to buy click on shopping cart, and carefully check each item for accuracy, and the shipping charges, if any. If the total comes to more than you planned to spend, you can click "remove" to get items out of the cart. This is NOT a trap if you know how to shop online.

7. Fill out the form with your name, email, mailing address (if required), and your payment card type and number, etc. Click the last button. Click it only once! It may be slow because the system is dashing off to other financial sites to make sure your card number is good, and to process your purchase; if you click twice you will most likely be billed twice! More about using credit/debit cards

8. Find the link for the printer-friendly receipt, and print out your receipt on your printer for a hard or paper copy record. Put it where you store all your other purchase receipts, or enter it into your bookkeeeping right away. (Note: if you don't have a working printer, you can save it to your computer, and then get a copy to a friend's computer from where you can print it out).More on troubleshooting online invoices when you have a problem with a purchase.

Receive Your Purchase(s)

9. Wait for your purchases to be delivered by mail or courier. Or, download. If you bought digital products like software or e-books, after your payment is accepted, you will be taken to the download page, where you click on the link, and the download begins. You can have your item(s) in minutes! Sometimes in just seconds. This speed and convenience will soon be one of your most favourite parts of how to shop online! More on downloading your purchase.

(Believe me - at first my shopping experiences sometimes took me days, and then hours, as I carefully moved from step to step. Now I have much more confidence so I can be done in a matter of minutes. You will soon be like that too. You will become a Power Shopper!)

Are you a power shopper? That does not mean a BIG SPENDER in my mind, but someone who learns to take advantage of all the best ways to shop online so you can be both frugal and wise in every purchase. Here we want to help you become a true Power Shopper with every advantage.

Would it help you if I could tell you where to find the online shops and stores that you can trust because someone has carefully screened them?

Would it help you if I guided you to where the best deals are found, and when the biggest online sales are on? Better prices than in your local store!

What if I guided you to get a rebate on every purchase you make? YES, you can make money back from every purchase!

New! Comments

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More & Deeper on Grocery Shopping

Grocery Shopping Online - Discoveries about Grocery Shopping Online in the UK, USA and Canada, including short reviews of the first flush of such sites found.

Grocery Shopping Online in Canada - with some basic information on the online grocery stores listed here to get you started.

Grocery Shopping Online in USA with descriptions and reviews of some national and regional grocery shopping sites that can deliver groceries to your door.

Grocery Shopping Online in UK - and the results of my search for such online grocery sites in that country. At first I thought they had a corner on this novel idea.

Need to send a Personal Shopper for your groceries? - Tips to either arrange for a personal shopper to do it for you, or for you to offer to be a personal shopper for others.

A Power Shopper, - and how to become one in several stages as you develop your online shopping skills.

Suggestions for setting up your own personal shopper business, - where you use your skills on behalf of those who do not have time or otherwise cannot shop for themselves.

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Main index - Default entry point for this website about online shopping guides.