How to shop online safely if you have never done it before
Shopping online has become necessary in recent times but if you have never done it before, feeling confident to shop safely will be important.
From movie tickets to washing machines, groceries to holidays, almost everything can now be purchased online. All you need is a device with an internet connection, and a way to pay (e.g. credit card, Paypal, gift card or bank transfer).
Here are some guidelines to help you start shopping securely:
It’s best to shop with retailers or marketplaces you know and trust. Some of the bigger marketplaces like Amazon or eBay can be a good place to start. Bookmark your favourite shopping sites to get there quickly to avoid typing the address directly into your browser as a small mistake might take you to a fake site that looks like the real one.
Beware of deals that are ‘too good to be true’. If you find a price that seems too good to be true that’s probably because it is and you could be on a fake site. Compare the price on another site before you buy.
Don’t browse on public Wi-Fi networks. Free Wi-Fi in shopping centres is not the most secure. always best to shop safely using your own home Wi-Fi or device data.
Pick a strong password. Most purchases will require you to set up an account to complete your purchase. As you would with any passwords, choose a word or even a phrase like ‘My cat loves the sun’ (don’t use this one) and use a mix of upper and lowercase letters and symbols to increase the security. Avoid using the same password for all sites.
Guard your personal information. Provide reputable sellers the minimum personal information necessary in order to complete a purchase. Usually your name, address, phone number and credit card details is all that’s required.
If you are not confident, ask friends or family who shop online to support you while you learn how to do it.
Let’s go shopping.
Searching. With the above tips in mind, you can search for the item or service you are after directly into your internet browser to find different options to purchase. Type the item into the search bar and press enter. You will see a range of websites, from department stores to large websites that are primarily for shopping, such as Amazon. If you use Google as your internet browser, you can also use the Shopping option on Google itself. Clicking on this will give you items available based on product reviews and price. You can also ask only for results available in shops near to you by selecting 'Available nearby'. You can refine your search further by selecting price ranges. Just a reminder that retailers will pay for premium space to advertise so results that appear at the top of your page might not be the best deal.
Buying a product from a website. Once you have located your item select it to take you to the website to purchase. Many websites let you have a closer look at the product by zooming over the image in some way. There will be a range of options depending on what you are purchasing such as quantity, size and colours.. Once you have completed your choices select add to basket or shopping cart. Doing this will save the details of this item until you’re ready to buy it.
Continue shopping or buy your product. You now have two choices either to Continue Shopping if you want to buy other items from this website or select Go To Cart and pay for the item you have chosen.
Check out and pay. To pay for your item, select the check out option, this will take you to the payment area of the website. Some websites may ask you to create an account, which can be handy if you plan to be a return shopper as your basic details will be saved. Some will allow you to shop as a guest without creating an account.
Create an account to buy. When required to create an account to purchase, the website will normally ask you for basic information such as your name, address and phone number. This information will be stored. There may also be an option for you to select to be sent promotional material or deals from this website in the future. You can choose to not receive these at this stage. For tips on completing online forms read our previous article here.
Finalising check out. You will need to complete all the boxes marked as required/mandatory such as your email, name and address. You may also be asked to select the box to confirm you have read and understood the terms and conditions of purchase of the website. Some websites will also ask you to provide the billing address (the address that is linked to the credit card you are using to pay) as well as a shipping address (the address you want you purchase shipped to) as it may be different from the billing address. At this stage you will also be given the option to review your purchase before proceeding to payment.
Confirm payment details. At this last step you will be asked to enter your credit card details. This will mean entering the name on the credit card, the credit card number and the CVV number on the back of your credit card. This CVV number provides an extra layer of security to protect your data for online transactions. Once you have added these details if you are happy to confirm the payment, select confirm payment.
What happens next? With every purchase you should see a confirmation on the website after the payment is successful and that your order is being processed. You will also receive an email confirming the same with an order number and information on how to track your order once it’s dispatched.
If you feel a little apprehensive about online shopping, start with one small order. It’s also worth noting that in Australia, you're protected under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), whether you've bought a product in an in-person retail store or an online store. Now is a great time to avoid the shops, we hope that some of these tips and hints will make the experience a little less daunting. Please let us know if this article was useful and share any tips you have for shopping online in the comments below.
