Check online retailers before buying

If you’re like a lot of people, you’re doing more of your holiday shopping online than ever before. But if you’re not familiar with the retailer, you should investigate to make sure you’re dealing with a reputable company. Here are some ways to check up on an online merchant:

• Check the BBB. Look for complaints with the Better Business Bureau. See what gripes consumers have with the particular merchant, if any. Avoid any retailer that has an unsatisfactory rating.
• Look for complaints. Another way to find out what former customers have to say is to search for the company on Web sites such as www.consumeraffairs.com and www.ripoffreport.com.
• Shop through a bot. “Shopping bots,” such as www.bizrate.com, www.dealtime.com, and www.nextag.com, can help you compare prices, but they also feature merchant (and product) user ratings and reviews.
• Do a Web search. Put the merchant’s name into a search engine in combination with such words as “complaint,” “investigation,” or “rip off.” You might turn up news stories, forum postings, and other tidbits that can tip you off to a problem.

You also can protect yourself by avoiding retailers that have a Web site and e-mail address but no listed telephone number or street address. And use a credit card for online purchases. It’s the best way to protect yourself if the merchandise doesn’t arrive, is defective, or is otherwise not as promised. If there’s a problem, you can challenge the purchase with your card issuer. —Anthony Giorgianni

Comments

[vree]

Another good resource is resellerratings.com for customer reviews of online retailers.

[Parker]

Sortprice is another good shopping 'bot' with the added bonus that you can post items you want directly to your own Facebeook page with their wishlist application:

[Rob]

For computers & electronics, pricegrabber.com is excellent.

[Multimastery]

Another thing to look for is to make sure the site is secure at the point of purchase. In your browser you should see https: before the web address (that 's' indicates security! Don't just look for a lock symbol on the website because many scammers have already posted fake lock images on their sites. Look for that liitle 's' Always.

Also you can use a service like paypal to hide your financial information.

[Multimastery]

Another thing to look for is to make sure the site is secure at the point of purchase. In your browser you should see https: before the web address (that 's' indicates security! Don't just look for a lock symbol on the website because many scammers have already posted fake lock images on their sites. Look for that liitle 's' Always.

Also you can use a service like paypal to hide your financial information.

[India travel]

Your post is nice.

[rashmi]

Give a try to http://www.shopnics.com Apart from comparison shopping it helps you find the best products according to your needs. Great UI and unique product comparison