Online Shopping

Have you shopped online yet? Chances are you have, or know someone who has.

Shopping online means access to numerous products 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all from the comfort of your home or office. For individuals who work long hours, for those who are home-bound, for those who live in rural areas, or for those who just can't find the time to get out to the mall, online shopping has become a welcomed alternative.

Besides the convenience that online shopping offers, why else should you try shopping online?

Selection

You can find almost any product on the Internet. If you cannot locate a particular product, just wait - the product will likely be making its way to the Internet soon. You can now purchase gifts, wine, groceries, pharmaceuticals, clothing, sporting goods, art, pet food and more over the Internet. As companies around the world establish an Online presence, Internet users will be able to purchase items that they are unable to find in their own countries. Want to send flowers to your loved ones in Paris, France? You no longer have to worry about international shipping and customs charges - just locate a florist in Paris, and it is as if you were making a local delivery.

Savings

As merchants establish their companies online,they will be trying to attract your business. Merchants often offer free shipping, free gift-wrapping or other discounts as incentives tobuy online. Many stores offer specials online that you would notfind at their brick-and-mortar location. If you're a comparison shopper, you'll love shopping online. Think of the time you would save by not driving all over town to find thelowest price on a particular item. With online shopping, you can compare prices at dozens of stores and make an informed purchase, all in under an hour.

Because online stores have fewer overhead coststhan physical stores, these savings are often passed on to the consumer. Sign up to receive the newsletter of your favorite online stores. They often provide specials available only to their mailing list.

Security has been a major concern of many would-be online shoppers. Using your credit card online, however, is no more risky than using it at the grocery store, a restaurant or over the phone. Just as you would probably not give your credit card to a sketchy street vendor, you should be cautious when choosing online vendors.

If you're new to online shopping, there are a few criteria to look for when deciding whether or not to submit your credit card and personal information:

Look for a privacy policy - Most online stores have posted privacy policies that state what they will do with any personal information (name, address, phone number, email address) that you provide them. Because of the online community's displeasure with spam, the majority of stores will not give your personal information to anyone outside the company.

Look at the Web site address - A company with its own domain name (www.netique.com) generally has more credibility than one that uses free Web space provided by companies like AOL, Geocities, Tripod or Angelfire. A company that uses free Web space can easily "close shop" and disappear, while one that has purchased a domain name is more likely to be around for a while.

Look at the Web site design - Does the site look professionally done? Web site design and development is costly. Acompany that has invested money in the design of its site is likely to be committed to its business and customers.

Look for secure site information - Before submitting your credit card online, be sure the site is secure. A secure site will encrypt the credit card information as it is transferred over the Internet. Most companies will make reference to the fact that their site is secure. Both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer have features that indicate when you have entered a secured area of a site. If you do not see this, consider ordering the product by phone.

Company contact information - Be sure the company lists its contact information. If you only see an email address, think twice before buying. Why are they not listing their address and phone number? You will want that information if you need to contact the company about your order. Also, companies should offer the option of phoning or faxing your order.

Satisfaction guarantee/return policy - Unless you have seen the product in a store, one drawback of shopping online is taking the chance that the product will fit, or that it closely resembles the photo in which it was displayed. Most online merchants will allow returns. Look for this information to be sure that you can return the product if it does not meet your expectations.

Use common sense - If the site gives you any reason to suspect fraud, take your business elsewhere. Visit these sites to learn more about online fraud: Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbbonline.org/) and the National Fraud Information Center (http://www.fraud.org/welmes.htm).

So now that you now know what to look for when visiting a merchant,how do you sort through all the different sites to find the exact product(s) you would like to purchase? How do you find out who is offering specials?

There are several online resources that have done much of the groundwork for you. Most have strict guidelines that each merchant must meet prior to being listed in their directories. These directories are often broken down into categories so you can quickly find the products you want. Next time you want to shop online, try visiting some of these sites first:

Search Engines - If you have a specific item you are searching for, search engines can be one of the best ways to find it. Just enter a few key words (for example, "unique business card cases") in the search field of the search engine, and you will find a wide selection of companies offering the product. Most search engines also have shopping directories. Some of the best search engines are Google (http://www.google.com), Goto (http://www.goto.com),Yahoo! (http://www.yahoo.com), AskJeeves (http://www.askjeeves.com), Hotbot (http://www.hotbot.com), and Lycos (http://www.lycos.com).

BizRate (http://www.bizrate.com) - The BizRate site offers detailed reports on each merchant. "Silver merchants" have been reviewed by BizRate staff, while "gold merchants" are rated by actual customers just after they have made a purchase, and again after the product has arrived.

About.com's Online Shopping Resource (http://onlineshopping.about.com) - Onlineshopping guide, Frank Fiore, features weekly articles on onlineshopping, shopping tips and a directory of numerous online merchants.

MasterCard's ShopSmart (http://www.mastercard.com/shopsmart/) - Here you'll find stores that adhere to MasterCard's online merchant guidelines. All merchants listed offer secure online shopping. MasterCard offers a "Hot Deals" section that lists companies who offer specials for MasterCard users.

Coolshopping (http://www.coolshopping.com) - You'll find numerous shopping sites that have passed Coolshopping's "guidelines." The site lists online merchant "Hot Deals."

Perfect Present Picker (http://www.presentpicker.com) - Shop here for gift suggestions matched to the to the personality and interests of the gift recipient.

Now that you are equipped with these shopping resources and security tips, go grab a cup of coffee, put on your favorite lounging clothes, and go experience online shopping. The possibilities are endless!