Shopping online has definitely made our lives easier, especially with the pandemic going on since it is highly discouraged not to go to physical stores or malls.
However, the major difference between shopping online from purchasing your products at malls is that you can actually check the actual product in person and see for yourself if the product is authentic, damaged, or in good condition, which is why there are hazards to look out for when shopping online.
You may not have to worry about carrying the weight of the products you purchase in online shopping, but there are still plenty of reasons why you should keep your guard up when shopping online. If you are looking for ways to shop safely, here are 7 tips to safeguard yourself from the dangers of online shopping.
1. Shop at Authentic Stores Only
One of the common reasons why people get scammed is that they often shop at random stores that look promising but are actually just made to scam people. Shopping at authentic stores on their website or a shopping platform not only ensures the safety of your purchase but also guarantees you products of good quality.
Always look for a legitimate and secure website or online shop if you consider to shop online instead of going to the mall. One of the indicators of a secure online shop has the “https” on their address site. If ever there is no “s” on the “https”, this goes to show that the site is not encrypted and your personal data will not be secured. All verified online shops have the “s” on the “https”.
2. Beware of False Advertising Links
Not only does opening random links lure you to purchase scam dealerships but also steals personal information by letting you download a file or app automatically without your system’s permission. This could potentially lead to hacking your device and stealing your personal information and also damage your device through viruses.
Whenever surfing through an online shop that you are not sure if it is authentic, beware of where you click because you might accidentally open a false advertising one.
False advertising could also lead to spam emails. If ever this happens, do not hesitate to report that email sender. There are social networking sites that create too good to be true deals that scam people, which you should also be cautious about and do further research first about the product you are interested in.
3. Check for Reviews
When you finally find the product you want online on a particular website, just when you are about to place your order, always check first the public reviews that other customers usually leave after they bought the product themselves. With this, you can easily see what other people think of the product you are interested in.
However, there are fake reviews as well that you must look out for. This is the seller’s way to gain people’s trust. There are ways to determine a fake customer review. Check the name of the customer who left the review, and also examine the review if its grammar is correct or not. Fake reviews are usually translated poorly.
4. Report Shops with Negative Feedback
These shops usually offer a lot of sales and discounts, which of course are obviously not true, and a lot of people still fall for it. Shops with a lot of negative feedback is already a red flag. Automatically avoid this and report the shop to protect others as well from shopping to that particular website.
5. Shop from Verified Stores from Shopping Platforms
An authentic online platform like Amazon, Wish, and other well-known online shops may sound promising but the various stores are absolutely not legitimate. In an effort to mitigate the scammers from online shopping platforms, admins place a verified marker to shops that have good services and customer feedback
Aside from getting the best of everything from online shopping platforms, you can acquire discounts or vouchers that they offer before you place your order, and you can also inquire about coupons from websites that offer free coupons to save you a better deal. You can receive discounts, deals at couponlawn.com.
6. Inspect the Store’s Background
To inspect the store’s background, simply go to the seller’s information and see for yourself if the shop is verified or not. There are tons of fake online game stores out there that target young gamers to buy their products at a cheap price in exchange for their money and personal information. Inspect the website’s background first before purchasing free game benefits.
However, not all good shops are verified. There are unverified shops that have a lot of good reviews, you could go for that as well. Better yet, message the seller and talk about the product they are selling that you are interested in thoroughly.
7. Update your Software
This step is taken for granted by many customers because for them, it seems that updating your device’s software has nothing to do with online shopping when in truth, it really does matter. Updating your software could further enhance your device’s ability to detect unverified stores by giving you a warning.