5 TIPS ON SHOPPING ONLINE SAFELY

         Online shopping has become widely accepted as the newest form of buying and selling business. In this generation, anyone can be an online seller by just creating an account on a particular online store site for selling and shopping purposes, and by just posting the products you want to sell and put there all the specifications of that product. But is online shopping safe enough for people to spend money? If you're not that sure of it, being an online seller and shopper myself, here are some of my tips on how to shop online safely.

1. Ensure the identity of the seller. I’m sure that nobody wants to waste money for a bogus buyer, right? Always ask for the seller’s complete information such as complete REAL name, location, and contact number before buying in case you encounter problems, you can always contact them.

2. Look for reviews or feedback given by the customers of the seller. Before buying, make sure that you look for the customer’s reviews or feedback of the seller. If the seller has many followers, good reviews, and feedback given by his/her clients it is a good idea that the seller has a good online reputation.

3. Look for the real and complete specifications of the product and ask for more actual photos of it if possible. Buying online is somehow risky because you cannot see or touch the actual product you’re buying. So it is better for you to ask the seller for more actual photos of the product you’re buying, and it is also important that you look and check for the specifications of the product carefully.

4. Find out about billing, guarantees, and delivery before you buy. Make sure to look for the payment details and additional costs before sending out money or giving your credit card information. Most of online shops require shipping fees or delivery fees. Choose for a trusted courier to deliver your product because some of the couriers don’t have insurance that they won’t be able to get back to you if they accidentally damaged your product while on delivery. Also make sure to ask the seller for the warranty of the product you’re buying.

5. Trust your gut or instinct. Don’t shop at online stores that give you a bad feeling and appear suspecting. You may hate to leave behind a really good discount, but the money and time you could lose is more important. If you want to buy something from a shop you haven’t bought from before, do some research first. Ask around, perhaps someone you know already experienced their services.