Fonda Compratka
Shopping Online Will Save You Dollars

Shopping online is a fun and easy way to save money on products for the home and office. Low overhead costs allow online stores to consistently offer lower prices than those that might be found anywhere else this not only makes is great fun but it means you can usually buy both the necessities and the luxuries for well below retail. There are some drawbacks however.

When shopping online, security is a vital issue. Not only do you need to protect your credit card numbers from being stolen, you also need to do everything you can to protect yourself from the horrible crime of identity theft. But, you can have a great online shopping experience if you just take a few precautions.

When you shop online, always pay with your credit card to ensure maximum protection from fraud. When you pay with a credit card, you are able to dispute any unauthorized charges and your credit card company will help you sort out the issues and retrieve your money. And, so you don't need to worry about additional fraudulent charges, your credit card company will cancel your credit card and issue you a new card with a new number.

But, even though a credit card might be your best way to shop for goods and services online, it does have its drawbacks. For one, it can be a real test of patience when you need to work with your credit card company to dispute unauthorized credit card charges. There is a lot of time spent on the phone, and the credit card companies don't always seem to have your best interests at heart. But, even with these types of delays, a credit card is the fastest, safest method of purchasing online.

It's also a good idea to check the return policy of a bargain shopping online site before buying anything. Once an item that you have purchased arrives, inspect it immediately and check it for defects so that if there is a problem, you can phone their customer service number straight away.

Here's a good method for keeping track of your online shopping purchases. As soon as you have purchased an item, print out the invoice and note the following on the printed invoice - the web site URL, the company's address and telephone number, when the item should be arriving, and the date of purchase. Much of this information will most likely be on the printout, but if not, write it down. And, if you cannot find any of this information on the retailer's web site, run - don't walk - away from this web site.

Last, but certainly not least, trust your instincts. Too often people see great deals that defy description and purchase them without a second thought. Sometimes they get lucky, but more often than not what they thought was a great deal turns out to be a disappointment that is just full of heartache. Had they listened to their better instincts, they could have saved money instead of losing it. So trust yourself, and then enjoy shopping online!

Fonda Compratka is the owner and webmaster of Fund Shopping, a leading Internet portal for shopping information. For more shopping information and resources, be sure to visit:
http://www.fundshopping.com