Shopping online? A little research can help you get the best deal and avoid unnecessary hassles.
Important steps to secure your financial information and identity and get a good deal …
Plan ahead by setting a budget and include delivery costs.
Determine most important features.
Take name to search engine (e.g, such toaster brand review, complaint or scam)
[toaster brand “sucks” is worth a try, too]
Check product reviews.
Check shopping comparison websites.
Look for online coupon codes; search the store’s name with terms like “coupons” “discounts” “free shipping”
Check out the terms of the deal … shipping, return policy, re-stocking fee, etc.
Decide how to pay. Credit cards offer protection that some other methods of payment do not offer.
Check that the online shopping website starts with https, where the “s” stands for secure and means that your information is encrypted before it is transmitted.
If you can’t resolve a problem with the seller, then take your complaint to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
See also …
onguardonline.gov
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