Trust of course plays a major role in a persons shopping habits and the fact that you have no physical contact with the person you are dealing with can create a psychological barrier upon that trust. This doesn't, however, need to be the case as we examine below.
How do I know I can trust an online store?
If you've ever tried to take something back to a shop only to be greeted with scorn or accusations, you will probably give a high priority to the issues of trust with the organisations you wish to buy from. Many people will therefore only buy online from branded shops and while this may be a good practice for safe shopping you will miss out on some bargains and truly proficient service offered by some lesser known retailers.
Firstly, your online purchases should be protected by your credit card company, check your agreement for details. Any company taking money on the internet needs access to what is known as an internet merchant account. They can either have their own IMA or have access to a third party IMA such as paypal or world pay. Either way they will have been vetted and hold agreements with a bank or third party provider and any unscrupulous company will soon have its agreement revoked.
Tips to stay safe with an online store;
- Make sure that you only provide personal information to 'secure sites'.
- Check the privacy policy to see how the web site uses your personal information.
- Check the delivery and returns policy.
- Look at the contact information to make sure there are good methods of contacting the company if it proves necessary.
- Use an online shopping directory such as shopsavvy online to search for shopping products. We personally vet all stores in our featured listings to ensure they adopt a professional code of practice.