These days, shopping is not merely a necessity of life. With the rise of color magazines and TV in the 20th century, along with improved mobility and the spreading of supermarkets, department stores, and shopping malls; shopping has evolved from a comfortable way to obtain required goods into something pleasurable, a hobby and eventually mass entertainment for an entire generation.
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How to Be a Smarter Online Shopper
By Ada Ogboso
Are you planning on shopping online for the holidays? Some people do it to save money on gas, avoid crowds, and others for the convenience of shopping at any time from home, work, during the day or even in our pajamas. There are predictions that online shoppers will spend more on the internet this holiday season more than before.
Before shopping online, do some ground work for your safety and protection. Here are some things you can do to be a smarter online shopper.
Phone Number: Find out if the website has a number. If it does, call the phone number, that way you know you can reach the seller if need be. If the phone number does not work, you better think twice before shopping on that site. If they have an alternative number, better yet. This says that the website owners are ready and willing to help and do business.
Security: Find out if the website is encrypted, thus, ensuring a safe environment in which you can submit your credit card number. A well secured website has the Internet standard of 128-bit SSL encryption. To be sure that a website is encrypted or secured, as soon as you visit the website, look at the browser status bar and see if there is a closed padlock on it. At Checkout, make sure that the beginning of the website's web address changes from http to https.
Inquiries on Search Engines: Go to search engines like Yahoo, Google, MSN, Netscape, etc. Type the name of the website. Find out if there are negative comments about them. Learn as much as you can. Sometimes, some negative comments are not necessarily negative or true. If you can, learn more, maybe from others about those comments. Better yet, call the company and ask questions. You never know what you'll learn.
Privacy Policy/other policies: Does the company have a privacy policy? If yes, thoroughly read their Privacy policy. If they have other policies, read them too. You need to know how information on you will be used and how it will be shared. It is important that you learn this. Does the website have a return policy? It is to your own interest that you find out how issues or disputes are resolved. If you have a damaged product, or want to return an item for other reasons, how will it be handled, and how much if they charge re-stocking fee. Different sellers have different time frame for items to be returned or exchanged. Some let you return the items, some let you exchange, and some others do not accept returns at all. For the shipping of returned or exchanged item, some sellers pay for it, and some ask their buyers to pay for it.
Bargains/Discounts/Offers: Do your calculations before buying from a seller. There are so many deals, bargains, discounts out there, most especially now, with the holidays around the corner. Make sure you are getting the best deals. There are a lot of FREE shipping offers. Make sure you know the condition for the FREE shipping. In some cases, you have to spend a certain amount or buy some items to qualify. Some sellers give extra discounts or Gift cards/certificates when you register with them.
Payment: Before shopping, think about how you are going to pay. Most online shops or malls, accept Paypal, Google Checkout, credit cards. All these are safe ways of paying online. With Credit cards you can easily file a dispute if there questionable charges, or if a paid item is not delivered. Pay-pal is very popular among buyers and sellers now online. With Pay-pal, sellers will not see your personal information. And you can use all forms of payment except cash. For more security, be sure the seller is Verified. This means that Pay-pal has all of the seller's information, including bank account information. Look for the Pay-pal seal on the seller's homepage. Never send cash or wire money to anyone over any transaction or order done online.
Services: More and more sellers are offering different shopping services to make shopping easier for all. Some sites have Reminder service. This allows shoppers to set up a reminder for a future gift-giving date, such as anniversaries or birthdays. In some sites, two weeks before the event, the website will automatically send an e-mail to the shopper with a link to the site, reminding them of their event. Some also have Gift Registry and Wish List. And some others have Gift Ideas. This is for shoppers who are either in a hurry to choose a gift, or those who have no idea of which gift to choose.
Complaints: To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Ada Ogboso is an expert on online and offline shopping. Ada in addition to the studies and researches she has done on online shopping, has been doing a lot of it for over ten years. She has also done a lot of shopping in over eight countries in the world. Ada has over ten websites and blogs which include three online stores.
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Online Shopper's Survival Guide -All You Need To Know For Safe And Savvy Internet Shopping
By Jordan Taylor
There are plenty of books out there that tell you how to make money on the internet but not many that focus on the other side of that equation: how to be a sharp online customer. In Online Shopper’s Survival Guide (Entrepreneur Press, $19.95), Jacquelyn Lynn takes you through the cyber-buying process.
She begins with a look at how “distance buying” has evolved over the years, from the early days of mail order catalog shopping to today’s powerful online shopping malls. “Much of the early American economy depended on mail order, which was the only way rural residents could get many of the goods they wanted and needed,” Lynn says. “Today, shopping online gives consumers access to a much broader range of goods and services than they have locally, even in big cities.”
For many, the lure of online shopping is convenience: no driving, no parking, and the stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For others, it’s the bargains—and there are plenty to be had on the internet.
Lynn walks the reader through online shopping basics, including how to evaluate an online seller, how to pay for purchases, and how to find bargains. She goes into great detail about how to shop online auctions—which is to be expected, since one of her earlier books is Make Big Profits on eBay.
She spends a significant amount of time discussing consumer protection and fraud issues. Readers who follow her advice can shop online with confidence and know that their personal information isn’t likely to be stolen and they aren’t going to be victims of a scam. She even talks about what you can’t—or shouldn’t—buy online.
Because online opportunities aren’t limited to merchandise, Lynn discusses things like online dating, job searching, and even participating in discussion groups. “The internet has created a whole new way for people to connect, and as long as you know how to do it smartly and safely, the opportunities are tremendous,” Lynn says.
Written in a lively, casual style with plenty of anecdotes and illustrations, Online Shopper’s Survival Guide is an entertaining and informative guide for anyone who shops online. In addition, it’s a must-read for seniors who are just learning to navigate in cyberspace and for teens who probably know more about the internet than their parents but who could use a dose of caution on how to buy safely online.
Lynn has posted an excerpt of the book on her web site at www.jacquelynlynn.com, along with an order link.
Evaluating an online seller: Before you buy from an online merchant, take the time to answer these questions about the web site:
- How professional and use-friendly is the web site?
- Does the company list a street address and telephone number as well as e-contact information?
- Are products clearly and completely described?
- What are the refund and return policies?
- What sort of after-sale service and support is offered?
- Are there any hidden price inflators?
- Does the company have a privacy policy and what is it?
- Does the company subscribe to online consumer protection services?
- Does the company invest in advertising?
Source: Online Shopper’s Survival Guide by Jacquelyn Lynn (Entrepreneur Press, $19.95); visit www.jacquelynlynn.com for more information.
Jordan Taylor is the editor of Millionaire Mentor™ Newsletter, which is published by Whitney Education Group, Inc.To sign up for a free subscription, visit [http://www.russwhitney.com]
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Become a Savvy Online Shopper
By Chris L. Jensen
The allure of Internet shopping is particularly big for the wealthy, the busy, the shut-ins, the elderly, and the sluggish. With a few clicks of your mouse at a retailer's website, you've made a purchase and it magically shows up on your doorstep a few days later. And you never even had to leave your living room!
Internet shopping, also called online or web shopping, is similar the traditional shopping our parents used to do. The same basic process applies: browse around, put items in your shopping cart, and pay for them at checkout. But in Internet shopping, all these transactions are done virtually. Shopping over the Internet is convenient and saves a lot of valuable time for the busy consumer. Shopping over the web also gives customers the safety of making secure purchases, and people really appreciate that.
This is evidenced by the skyrocketing growth of online shopping in recent years. If, however, a customer suspects that their credit card information isn't safe or that their transactions isn't 100% secure, they will avoid shopping online. Online sales encourage growth in existing and new businesses alike because of low overhead, the potential to reach larger numbers of consumers, and the freedom of information flow.
Even though the general public doesn't quite have complete trust in doing business online yet, the dawn of Internet shopping is a fiercely competitive market that is doing quite well. Buying goods and services online helps you to quickly track down exactly what you need, and quite often saves a lot of money in the process.
For example, you can go to a physical electronics store and get a high-quality digital camera for $500. Or you can do a little price comparison-shopping online and get the same model of digital camera with rechargeable batteries and car charger for $249, plus free shipping! In three days, the new camera and its accessories will arrive on my doorstep and I've saved time and money.
In the past six years, Internet shopping hasn't surged as much as it has right now. On Main Street you may see signs of economic hard times, but business is booming in the online marketplace. Web shopping is increasingly peoples preferred way of getting the things they need and want. Two particularly innovative Internet business, eBay and Amazon, are incredibly successful because of their new retail designs and good reputation as retailers.
One reason online shopping is so popular is that it is such a convenient time saving tool. Let's say you need to run and buy Grandma a birthday present during your lunch hour. You could spend fifteen minutes online and have the whole thing done with, or you could run to the parking lot, speed to the mall, make a mad dash for the department store and hope they have what you're looking for, then get stuck in traffic on your way home and arrive back to work late and stressed out. What would you rather do?
Internet shopping is quickly becoming a necessary convenience in today's world. If you don't have the time to go from store to store or visit the mall then online shopping is definitely for you. It's easier and more convenient to buy online than to shop at a physical store. The Internet gives retailers a virtual outlet to meet consumers needs. With online shopping, both the seller and buyer win.
Chris Jensen is a contributing author of Jetfly Shop [http://jetflyshop.com]
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Benefits of Online Shopping
By Jamie Jefferson
When it comes to shopping, more and more of us are letting our fingers (and our mice) do the walking.
Online sales are expected to hit $211 billion this year. That is a rise of 20 percent over last year and comes just three years after the industry hit the $100 billion milestone, according to the 2006 State of Retailing Online report from Shop.org and Forrester Research.
Here are seven reasons it makes sense to shop online:
1. Lower prices. Online shopping can reduce overhead costs in a variety of ways, which can translate to lower prices for you. In fact, one 2004 study found online prices to be 6 to 16 percent lower than offline prices.
2. More savings with online coupons. Many times, shoppers can save even further with an online coupon or coupon code. According to a 2005 Bizrate/Shopzilla report, 71 percent of online shoppers said they were able to find better discount offers and sales online, as compared to shopping through a catalog or traditional retail merchant. Online retailers may issue a button or text link that will apply an automatic savings to your order, or they may issue a specific coupon code to be entered at checkout.
3. Research capabilities. The Internet allows you to easily compare products and prices, so you can be sure that the item you purchase is the exact item you want. Online merchants can publish much more information about their product on a website than they could affordably publish in a print catalog. And online stores give you the ability to share information and reviews with other shoppers who have firsthand experience with a product or retailer. As Internet connection speeds continue to increase for larger segments of the population, these types of interactive features will become even more important. Zappos.com, a leading shoe retailer, for example, allows you to view most shoes from as many as eight different angles, including a close up.
4. Increased selection. Warehousing logistics can be much simpler for an online retailer, and many of the online superstores have a staggering inventory to choose from. Plus, as a consumer, you can avoid the inconvenience of physically traveling among online stores to comparison shop. A simple online search can lead you to the right product at the right price, fast.
5. Convenience. An online store allows you to shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So you can shop at your leisure, regardless of your time zone. This is particularly important for those of us who are limited in our ability to get to a brick and mortar store. The elderly, as well as parents of young children, for example, may have a more relaxed shopping experience in front of the computer screen.
6. Saves time. So much of the vast variety of products and product information is easily searchable. Plus, there is no traveling, parking, and walking involved.
7. Environmental Benefits. Recent studies are showing that shopping online leads to reduced fuel consumption and air pollution, because so much of our car travel is dedicated to shopping. Plus, shopping online reduces the need for print catalogs and excess packaging. And downloadable items purchased online eliminate the need for any kind of material goods at all.
Jamie Jefferson is a frequent contributor to Momscape.com. Visit today for the latest online Coupon Codes including Overstock Coupons
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5 Top Tips For Shopping Online
By Lizze Leary
Shopping online does not have to be daunting. If you educate yourself with key facts and considerations then shopping online can be as much fun if not more fun than hitting the high street with your friends! You can find even more fantastic things when shopping online in the comfort of your own home! Here is the top 5 online shopping tips.
Top Tips For Shopping Online:
1) Shop around - don't just stick to the same online retailers as you might be missing out on a great deal and customer experience at a retailer you haven't previously used before.
2) Check for customers feedback on the website - What other customers have to say is often a great way of seeing how a retailer works. Customer feedback and testimonials gives a great insight into a company.
3) Check the postage terms - there is nothing worse when shopping online and when you go to checkout your basket cost has increased by GBP 5-GBP10+ because of postage!
4) Ensure your payments are processed securely - for example many online shops process payments through well known companies such as PayPal and Sage Pay/Protx.
5) Has the company you are doing your online shopping with got a clear set of Terms and Conditions and a Privacy Policy? Its important to know what a company may or may not do with your personal details.
We find these simple to follow 5 rules on online shopping work well and really help when your shopping online. So when your shopping online next time check out our top tips for online shopping to ensure your online shopping experience is as positive as it should be!
Kindred Sole is a women's designer shoes shop. Showcasing up and coming footwear designers as well as established designer shoes brands Kindred Sole is a one stop footwear shop. Kindred Sole has a fashion and lifestyle blog as well as an online fashion magazine. http://www.kindredsole.com.
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When you purchase one of our products on the New and Used page, you will be paying securely through PayPal where your purchases are 100% Guaranteed. Either way, you are paying 100% secure, through two trusted and widely used payment sites.
Our Amazon Feedback Rating, selling on Amazon.com, since 2006 is 5 Star 100% Positive.
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