On-line Shopping

(What you should know … and what you should and shouldn’t do … )

Tips: When you decide to shop on-line, be careful. There are scams and buyers need to be aware. Use the following tips as you shop on-line and your experience should be so great, that you’ll keep coming back for more!

• When you shop on-line you usually have to use your credit card. Be sure that when you give the card information, you are using a secure site. Secure sites protect you by encrypting your credit card information during your checkout. You can tell if a site is encrypting your information by looking for the URL address to begin with "https://" when you are asked to enter your credit card number or other personal information. For Internet Explorer users, it is easy to see if sites are secure by looking for the image of a closed lock at the bottom of your screen. For those who use Netscape, there is a symbol of an unbroken key.
• Legitimate companies will supply customers with extensive contact information including a phone number, fax number, e-mail address and standard mailing address, as well as a privacy policy that emphasizes protecting your information from other companies.
• Be sure to keep your passwords private and keep records of what you’ve bought and at what website you bought it.

Method	Description	Suggested Sites
Browsing	Allows shoppers to look for items in on-line stores without buying	JCrew On-line Gap On-line
Comparison Shopping	Allows shoppers to view multiple stores at once and compare prices and styles on many items	RoboShopper.com MySimon.com
Auctions	Allows shoppers to search for specific items and name their own price	Ebay Yahoo Auction
Gift Giving	Allows shoppers to search great ideas for the perfect gift for anyone	Hallmark.com GiftSense.com
Gift Certificates	Allows shoppers to buy on-line gift certificates that can be e-mailed or snail-mailed to the recipient and can be used at both on-line stores and regular stores	FindGiftCards Gift Certificates.com