3 Online Shopping Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)

I have to admit, I love online shopping. For me, visiting my favorite online retailers is a way to window shop, look for the best deals and a great way to do product research. And, with the record high sales that many retailers reported after Cyber Monday, it seems that I am not the only one who enjoys shopping from home. With the holiday season in full swing, many people are looking online to find that perfect gift.

Shopping online is fun and can be a huge money saver, but it can also have some pitfalls. Finding the best deals, avoiding scams, looking out for extra charges and preventing big headaches can be tough. So, here are 3 pitfalls of online shopping (and how to avoid them):

• Shop with companies you trust - It is a good idea to do some research on a company before buying anything from them. A quick Google search on the company name will bring up pages of customer reviews and experiences with the company. Keep in mind that most companies don't enjoy 100% customer satisfaction, and unhappy customers are more likely to want to discuss their experiences than the ones who had no problems with their transactions, so just because a company has a couple of bad reviews doesn't mean you shouldn't shop there. The key is to pay attention to what the reviewers are saying and look for common threads. For example, if many people are complaining about shipping issues, then you would be safe in assuming that the company has shipping problems and may not be worth dealing with.
  
  
• Don't be tempted by a "too-good-to-be-true" deal – While there are many sites that offer one time only deals on small numbers of goods, they are well-established, well-known and have great reputations. But on the whole, if a site is offering deals that seem to good to be believed, then they probably are. For example, I love to shop for shoes. But, like many shoe-addicts, I have expensive taste without the budget to support it. Most of the time, I just window shop. I do however, keep a close eye on each designers new lines and look for great deals. Recently, I started seeing ads on my Facebook page for discounts on couture shoes. A pair of Christian Louboutin pumps for $150? You've got to be kidding me! M. Louboutin charges much more than that for his French, red soled shoes, and last I checked, he isn't desperate for cash or going out of business, so why the deep discounts? I did a quick Google search on the company and found pages and pages of complaints about that site and others like it, who are using pictures of these much sought after shoes to scam people into buying them, only to send them very poor knock-offs that aren't even worth the postage. A little more research on the website and their returns and payment policy revealed a very telling way to spot the scam. Which brings me to the next point.
  
  
• Never use a site that asks for, excepts or even mentions using Western Union – Always read over the shipping, returns and payment policies of any online vendor. If there is any mention of using an escrow service or a money transfer through MoneyGram, or more popularly, Western Union, do not do business with them. Wait, let me say it one more time. Do not send them your money. They are a scam and there is no way you will end up with anything more that a big headache and an emptier bank account. You should never send money to someone you don't know through Western Union and you should never use it to pay for purchases. The reason scammers like this method so much is that they can receive the money in whatever country they are in and it is the same as giving them cash. With a credit card or PayPal, when you feel that you have been taken advantage of, there are options for recourse. Wiring a couple hundred bucks to someone across the world in hopes of getting discounted products is just plain stupid. The scammers are laughing their heads off at the “greedy Americans”, because to them it is just a game. If you have some money laying around that you just want to get rid of that badly, consider giving it to a charity like the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots. At least you would have some good feelings to show for your troubles.

Shopping online can be fun and save you money. The key is to pay attention to the details and be sure that the company you do business with deserves it. By reading the fine print, you can save yourself frustration and headaches.

Watch out for my next post, 3 More Online Shopping Pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

Are you looking for a job in the Philadelphia area? Be sure to visit PhillyJobs.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.