Shopping online has become more and more popular, which has been terrific for the consumer - it’s made it very easy to go shopping. Not only that, but a more competitive market unified with the cost-effectiveness with selling online has encouraged cheap prices for items.
All the same, as the e-commerce landscape has grown, so too has the necessity to be mindful of your consumer rights, and what to do if you are in receipt of items that don’t even turn up or faulty goods. Data is made public on the internet, such as the consumer protection act 1987.
Another consideration is which payment gateway to use to buy something, as each payment gateway has its own terms. . Knowing this type of information is the difference between getting a refund or being ripped of by a 419 scam.
Our word to the wise is to do your homework regarding the vendor : do they display their postal address and phone number? What is the seller’s returns policy? Their terms and conditions? Their privacy policy? All these enquiries must be resolved prior to considering buying from the seller.
Another very important point to think about: what are the methods of purchase? In 2009, it’s not enough to merely look for a Secure Socket Layer Certificate - this doesn’t inform you how they keep your information, only how it’s transferred when you make your purchase. If in any doubt, only buy from vendors who use 3rd party payment gateways such as PayPal, Google Checkout, WorldPay, SagePay and NoChex.You can also verify the reputation the seller has with his payment gateway, e.g. check his PayPal account and how many orders have occurred on this particular account.