Tips For Shopping Safely Online


Author: Andrew Green


Shopping safely online should be foremost on your mind before you hand over your financial details to any web store. Luckily, shopping online isn't as risky as it used to be and millions of safe transactions are made each year. Still there are a few things to look for to ensure you have a safe shopping experience.

The best tip for shopping safely online is to make sure you do business with a reputable website. Just because someone creates a fancy looking website, it doesn't mean it is a safe one. Investigate the company first as best you can. Even if you think you are shopping at a well known offline company, double check the URL in your browser's toolbar. A common trick of identity thieves is to create a dummy site that looks identical to the real one. The only way you may be able to tell for sure is by looking at the website address. Another time to examine the toolbar is when you are entering your financial details into the order form. To indicate a site is secure the URL will begin with https instead of http. Some browsers will even display a secured site icon such as a closed lock to let you know it is safe to enter your personal details.

If the site you are ordering from does not have a well known offline reputation then you should be even more careful. Make sure the site displays a street address as well as a telephone number. The site should have both a 'contact us' and 'privacy notice' page. Additionally, the website may have third party endorsements such as a Better Business Bureau graphic or a Trust-e icon. Click those to make sure it pulls up the company's profile and the graphics were not just stolen by an identity thief.

To help you decide if the website is reputable, run a web search on the site to see what other people are saying about them. Word of mouth is a great way to tell if the company delivers as promised or if they have ripped people off in the past.

Another tip for shopping safely online is that when you provide your financial and personal information, give only what is absolutely required. There should never be a reason to have to give your social security number when ordering products online.

Most credit cards and banks will reimburse you if your card was used fraudulently online. To help ensure you are shopping safely online, create a special account that you only use online, or pick up a prepaid credit card to use. That way you don't have to worry about anyone getting to your main financial account. Even though reputable companies work hard to protect your information, at times hackers can still break into a database and steal credit card information.

Ultimately, it is up to you to protect your identity and your finances. Check your statements closely and check your credit report periodically to make sure everything is as it should be. By following these safe online shopping tips and keeping tabs on your accounts, you can enjoy the convenience and variety of choice that shopping online offers and have peace of mind knowing you are shopping safely online.

Andrew Green is part of the team behind A-Z Proxies, an attempt to list from A to Z every active web proxy. Andy has been actively working in the web proxy field since 2005 and has built up a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

Online Auctions

Buy at online auctions to save money and get bargains or sell at an online auction to make money:


Online auctions are a great way to bag a bargain and save money. They are also ideal to sell items that you no longer have a use for or items that you want to make money from as a business. This online auctions article will guide the internet user through buying and selling at online auctions weighing up pros and cons and offering advice to take advantage of online selling and buying and the disadvantages of online auctions at sites like eBay and SwapitShop.







Most online auction websites will allow you to register for free. Rarely will they charge you a join up fee. Most will make their money from advertising within the auction in the case of free auction websites or will charge the seller of auction items a listing fee and a small percentage of the sale. Some, like eBay, have free listing days where such fees are not charged for the day, or are at a reduced fee, like 5p or 10p per item. There are even free listing days for car auctions where on normal days they can run into several pounds to list. There should not be a charge for buying from reputable internet online auctions. Do be wary though of sellers who try and charge you excess fees if you choose to pay by credit card or PayPal this is against most online auctions terms and conditions and sites like eBay actively encourage users to report people making such illegal charges.

The seller should not charge you an excess amount for postage and packaging and these should be clearly explained in the listing. Some sites like Swapit offer free delivery to the person who successfully wins the online auction with their free swapit points. There is more about SwapitShop further below.

Those selling at online auctions can help reduce postage and packaging costs to their sellers by recycling padded envelopes and bubble wrap or buying these in bulk at discounted retailers. Do mention this in your auction and pass the discount onto your buyer. They may well choose you over another seller because your postage costs are cheaper.








Selling At Auctions And Income Tax

These online auction costs can be added to your expense sheets if you are selling for profit to reduce your tax costs. If you do sell items that you either make or buy to sell then this is classed as a business and you are liable to pay Income Tax and National Insurance. However if you are clearing out your loft, cupboards or garage and selling your own items like old books, CDs, DVDs, clothes, etc then you will not have to pay tax or NI. Your local Tax Office can give you more information and help on selling at auctions and Income Tax


Online Auction

So you may have joined an online auction site by now and had a good look round. So now lets share some online auction tips.

If you are looking for an online bargain then look at the closing soon section of the online auction website. These listings usually finish within a few minutes and you can bid last minute for some great bargains.

Do try and avoid getting into an auction bidding war though where if you are outbid you feel you need to keep bidding to win the auction, no matter what the price is. Winning isn't everything and a bidding war will loose you money and your bargain may have just cost you more than you would have paid in a shop or online store. So do check out the prices on the net and set your limit. But just like a game of poker do not reveal your cards just yet.

Bid last minute for your lots or set a spend limit into the auction website software. There is last minute auction software you can download and use to automatically bid at the last moment on your behalf. These can be set as soon as auctions go live and will remember your settings 3, 7 or 10 days later or can be set on the day.








Do check the delivery costs and country of origin. For example make sure it is a UK seller or can send to the US etc. If you are selling do weigh your item, in its packaging, at the Post Office and state these costs in your listing.

If you sell regularly at online auctions then get quotes for delivery charges from courier firms. Their prices may work out cheaper then the PO, though you may have to weigh up the cost of mileage and petrol to the courier firm, though some will pick up from your home for an additional small charge.

Check the payment method is one you can use, eg if the seller only accepts paypal do sign up for a free paypal account before the auction. This has the added advantage of being able to pay by credit card and have money paid into your bank account from your own auction sales.







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If this page has not answered your questions or you need some more advice then please feel free to e-mail me. I would also welcome any advice to increase the information on this page to make it more useful to others. So feel free to e-mail me your thoughts. I would also appreciate it if you were to send the url of the www.findextrawork.co.uk to your friends, forums and websites.


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Use a password for your online auction site that is hard to guess using a mixture of random numbers and letters.
Photographs can help sell an item or secure a higher price. Take your own photograph rather than use stock photos. A unique photo will make your auction look more realistic and feel honest. Buyers will appreciate that.

Read the feedback points and comments of the buyer and view the feedback left to him or her by other buyers. Positive comments will give you reassurance that you will get your purchases. You may wish to avoid a user with many negative comments, though you can message or e-mail the seller to discuss any concerns you have.

If you plan to sell at auctions for profit or as a full time trading and selling job then buy many small low cost items from auctions or sell household items or quick selling cheap items. This will increase your feedback score and rating and give people a chance to see how quickly you send or pay for items. Other internet auction users like to buy and sell from other auction users that have a high feedback score. Some will only trade with those who have a feedback score above 100 because they know they are honest and an experienced seller.

Do send your items as soon as payments have been secured or pay for items as soon as the auction you have successfully won has finished. Keep in touch by e-mail or telephone with the buyer or seller. They are more likely to want to leave you positive feedback and it will give them assurance that their item or payment will get to them.

If a buyer wants to pay you by cheque, ask him or her to write their name, address, and cheque guarantee card on the back. Cash the cheque and wait for about 7 days before sending the sold items. Then if the cheque should bounce because it is stolen or there is insufficient funds in the buyers account then you have not lost any items or money. A refund of any auction fees can be requested from the auction site in these sort of instances. You can also sell it to the next highest bidder and explain the situation to them. This is known as second chance.

Post items by recorded delivery or ask for a proof of purchase so that you can claim for any missing parcels from the Post Office or courier. These small costs can either be met by yourself or passed onto the buyer if mentioned in the listing. The cost of recorded delivery is only about 65 pence and gives you insurance against any losses or damage.

If you are using a public computer do remember to sign out - you'd be surprised at the number of people who forget and therefore give access to their account to strangers.


Auction Site

The most popular auction site is eBay the online marketplace which is free to join and is easy and clear to use. It has many free tools to help buyers and sellers such as eBay toolbar, seller protection and feedback. Ebay has easy to follow buyer and seller guides and offers online support.

A children's auction site that involves no money is Swapit which adults with children can also join. When you sell something or take part in their surveys and competitions you get free Swapit points which you then use to buy items. The person swapping the item will send it to the swapitshop team so no-one on the site will know your address and all members use a nickname so that names are never revealed. This is a safe site for children to swap the stuff they no longer want and to get stuff they do for free.


Sealed Bid Auction Website

AuctionAir is a sealed bid auction website where you can bid for high value lots like TVs, laptops, iPods, digital cameras, watches, flights, holidays, weekend breaks, etc. Bids are sealed and unique and no one will be able to see them until the end of each sealed bid auction


Reverse Auctions

Reverse Auctions are slightly different to normal online auctions because the lowest unique bidder will win the lot. Most people will bid a penny but remember it is the lowest and unique bid that will win so most reverse auctions are won by people who tend to bid over £1 and aim for a unique value. Reverse Auctions tend to attract many bidders so the lots are usually high value items like a Plasma TV, sports car like a Porsche Boxster, PS3, etc. Reverse Auctions normally make a charge per bid to cover the cost of the lot and make the company a profit for running the auction. However bidders can successfully win reverse auctions through good fortune whilst having some fun. An example of a reverse auction website is Million-2-1 where bids can be placed online or via SMS. As an example of what Million-2-1 auction and the bid price it went for was a £125,000 Ferrari for just £123.82! The winner only paid £1.50 to place that winning bid. Quite a good return!


QXL

QXL is an online auction platform that enables individuals and small businesses to buy and sell all types of products and services online in an easy, efficient and safe environment with a buy now option available. Items generally available for sale or that you can list include cars, comics, collectables, toys, software, items for the home and garden, mobile phones, baby equipment, stamps, coins, etc.


The Cons Of Auctions

There are a few cons of auctions and sadly conmen and women frequent auctions in the hope of scamming people. The commonest auction con involves them buying an item, sending you a cheque for an over inflated amount and asking you to wire transfer or send by cheque the difference. These cheques they send you are either stolen or will bounce. In the meantime if you have wire transferred or sent a cheque for the balance then this will be cashed by the crook and people find it impossible or really difficult to trace the money and get a refund. People have been reported for fraud even though they are the innocent victims of this internet auction scam. They have also lost the item they were selling to the villain. This is know as a Nigerian Scam because it originated from Nigeria and many fraudsters still do seem to come from this country.


Auction Sites Phishing Pharming Scams

Another auction con is phishing and pharming attempts to get your account details so that crooks can access your bank details. These are e-mails sent to you that will look like they come from a popular auction site or from paypal. Sometimes they are easier to spot from spelling and grammar errors. Other times they look like a genuine e-mail. Do be wary of these because if you reply or click the link then you will be taken to a mock site that asks you to type in your password and username. This is then captured by the scammer who can then access your account. There is more written about online auction scammers and cons of auctions on the Internet Scams page. Follow that advice to avoid such scams and make your online auction experience much safer.

But do not let these cons of auctions put you off, online auctions are a great way to make money by selling online and there are many savings and bargains to be made for buyers.


Computer Equipment Auction Website

Morgan Auctions is a computer equipment auction website where all bids for computers, laptops, monitors, etc start at only £1 and there are no reserves on the lots. Morgan Auctions sell a wide range of overstock, refurbished and second user computer equipment.