Secure Online Shopping

How can you be sure you are doing truly SECURE online shopping?

The most immediate answer is that when you come to the shopping cart at an online store, before you put any information in the shopping form, IS -

check to see whether the URL for that page starts with https:// instead of just http://.

That website has to jump through some legal hoops to get a secure online shopping cart on their site before they can get that https in place. It tells you that their system will hide your credit/debit card number and will not send it in a plain text email. Rather your information will be encrypted.

Another clue to secure online shopping - is a little icon of a locked padlock on the status bar/line just under the screen area where you see the website you are visiting. If that padlock icon is open - that is, the upper metal loop part is turned away from the lower mechanism, then you are at that moment on an unsecure page of that site.

If the little padlock looks closed, it is locked. That means the page has secure online shopping software in place.

It may reassure you to know that merchants who want to sell online have a far greater danger of being scammed by customers than you have a danger of being scammed by them. Those who have a brand name that you recognize, and who have put all kinds of contact information about themselves as a business or the owner(s) are usually honest and above board. Sadly, they are often scammed by so-called customers.

There are also some crazy goofs who like to brag they hacked a certain well-known site. If you are a decent, law-abiding citizen, who wants to buy something, the shopping site owners are likely to fall over themselves trying to serve you. They do have to guard against that other sort however.

There are a few other not-so-legal sounding, but practical habits you can form to quickly assess whether a shopping site is NOT secure enough!

Secure Online Shopping Habits

When I come to a site that does not look professionally created,
   does not show any contact information,
      no name or location,
       nothing about who is running the business -

Then I personally refuse to do business on that site. They may be just naive, but that's how fly-by-night scam-artists often set up too.

Mind you, on the other hand, scammers can create a very professional-looking site as well. It pays to be cautious. Don't be ashamed to be Super-Cautious. Let it motivate you to become smarter and well-informed.

(However, avoid the cliff of paranoia - you'll fall off the edge - probably into the lap of a scammer taking advantage of your panic).

I've learned to watch for clues so I'm not so tense about shopping any more. Here are some of my personal habits for secure online shopping;

* I watch for recommendations from people I already know and trust. When I have to purchase from strangers I do extra research, and even pray about it, and sleep on it a night or two before I finally make a purchase, only when all signals appear green otherwise. Okay, that may sound a bit paranoid to those who dash ahead where angels would tip-toe, but if you are shy and unsure of what could happen, then by all means, go slow and c a r e f u l l y as you learn secure online shopping habits.

* I always look for the "About us" or "About Me" page. I want to get to know the person(s) behind it, and see them, no matter how homely they look. If they have to hide their face, I ask myself, what else are they hiding? Are they real business people or are they trying to fleece people?

* Often I have signed up for a site's free ezine or emails for a while so I can read between the lines and discern what kind of character they have. If I'm not impressed, I can unsubscribe in a jiffy. Sometimes I have waited for months to make sure I could trust the owner.

Just think: if you were stepping into this store in a mall down your street, you would pick up cues from appearances, and body language. Getting to know character online is every bit as important for secure online shopping.

* Somtimes I also search for their name in Google to see what others say about them. If anyone complains of bad online shopping experiences with that person or business, I pay close attention. It might be sour grapes, but then, it might also be a serious alert flag.

Let's exercise discernment!

Besides these small cautionary steps there's more you can do:

* Join a shopping portal and start all your shopping from there. They have already screened the stores they recommend and quickly detach one that gets a bad reputation. You can enjoy some terrific discounts and rebates that way too. (The one I appreciate most now is BigCrumbs.com!)

* If you come to trust this site, the one you are on right now - you can hang out here - that is, come back frequently to see what secure online shopping sites are recommended.

* Learn to research a store brand or person offering things for sale and find out what others have experienced. It's not just in your small home town that everyone knows everyone else's business any more. That happens online too, to a degree, and if you know what forums to visit, what scam report sites to check, you can soon find out more than you wanted to know.

If you have browsed on eBay any length of time you will notice that the positive feedback score is VERY important to the sellers. They know that new folks are not likely to bid on their items if other customers have had a bad experience with them! - I would just add that we have to learn to recognize when someone is being wrongly tarred and feathered too. Lies as well as truth spread quickly on the Internet. Still, it is possible to enjoy fun, safe, secure online shopping.

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Shopping Online with Gift Cards - there are serious pros and cons to weigh before you start shopping online with gift cards.

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G---o-----s---h---o---p---p---i---n---g & TAKE The Customer Advantage!

Home - Online Shopping Guides is especially for the reluctant and those new to shopping online; I want to show you that it is not that hard, and you CAN shop securely online. 'Home' is the default entry point and index for this website.