How Safe is Online Shopping?

Holidays or not, online shopping is fast becoming the main shopping choice for many people. People prefer online stores for their shopping needs over the brick-and-mortar stores for a variety of reasons - discounted prices, quick price comparisons, unavailability of desired items in the retail stores, 24 hours shopping convenience, etc. Whatever the reason is, before you jump into the online shopping bandwagon, you must consider a few things to avoid frustration and monetary loss.

Before you pull out your credit card to buy an item at an unbelievably reduced price, think about the reasons why the merchant is throwing out his profits. Maybe it is a total scam and they want your credit card number to rip you off. Or maybe they want your personal data. If you find a shopping site, usually advertised in a spam e-mail, that sells for example $100 software for $10, look out! You can bet that this is a scammer's site. For this reason it is safe to stay with the big online shopping sites. Sites that are publicly traded or reputable private companies do not spam your email inbox with unsolicited advertisements. And these big online shopping sites have a state of the art secure checkout systems.

Before you select sites that are worthy of your hard earned money, ask your friends about their experiences with online shopping sites. Another approach is to use a search engine like Yahoo to search for items you plan to purchase. When you use Yahoo to search for an item, you will get advertised and non-advertised sites offering your searched items at different prices. Don't simply jump to the first website that offers your searched item at the lowest price. Check out a few sites before you decide where to make the purchase.

Many sites like bizrate.com or nexttag.com offer price comparisons, reviews, and shopping site ratings. Use these sites to read reviews and to do a price comparison. Sites like techbargains.com publish information on latest bargains, coupons, and discounts offered by various online shopping sites. Websites like deals2buy.com offer everyday hot deals and coupons. Monitoring this type of sites provides opportunities to get great bargains. One comparison shopping site, buysafeshopping.com, provides information on qualified shopping sites that have gone through a screening process for merchant's identity, online sales experience, and the ability to deliver purchased items.

If you have to shop with an unknown online merchant, check for their telephone number at their website. Contact someone at the merchant's physical location and talk to them. Ask them about their privacy and refund policy. If you cannot find a phone number or the phone number goes to a voice mail instead to a live person, go shopping somewhere else. There are dozens, if not hundreds, good online merchants for any items you want to buy.

SHOP AMAZON.COM

At the online checkout counter, you have to use a credit card to pay. When you use your credit card, make sure that your credit card and personal information are sent using encryption to avoid someone intercepting your information for unauthorized use. To check for encryption, look for https in the URL. It is perfectly safe if the site has http in its URL for all pages except the order page - the page where you enter your credit card and other personal information like address, etc. Also, look for a closed lock icon in the bottom right corner that indicates the webpage is secure. Avoid public computers at cafes, airports, etc. for your purchases. The danger is that hackers can install key-loggers to log your key strokes before they are encrypted.

Always use a credit card to pay for your online purchases. Most credit cards have online purchase protection. If something goes wrong, you can always call your credit card company and dispute the charge. You do not have to pay for your disputed charges till the dispute is resolved. Federal laws limit your liability to $50 in charges should someone uses your card fraudulently. Never use a debit card. Debit cards pull money out of your bank account as soon as the transaction is made. If you are ripped off, it may take months before you get your money back - that is if you ever see it again.

How safe is online shopping? If you are careful, you can guard yourself against identity and credit card thefts by following safety tips, such as the ones discussed above. A big safety tip is that you have to have a firewall, antivirus software and anti-phishing software on your computer to be completely confident that your online transaction would be processed securely.

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Essential Steps For Buying Perfumes Online

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Perfumes are popular with the young and old. Perfumes have been in use since ancient times and now wonderful fragrances are available online at prices that are affordable. Fragrances for men and women are special and what suits one person will not suit the other. The World Wide Web is the marketplace to buy perfumes. Exotic and simple fragrances are available at discounted prices. If you are a newbie to the world of perfumes all you need to do is log on to your favorite search engine and type the word perfume or cologne. And in a second thousand of websites dealing with the world of perfumes will become available.

1. Be a smart shopper and read up on perfumes and articles and tips written by famous people and fashion gurus on how to wear and select a perfume.

2. Browse through sites that specialize in perfumes and check whether hey send out small samplers for a cost.

3. Otherwise make a list perfume brands that appeal to you and go to the nearest shopping district or mall and view the brands first hand. Most malls have perfumery counters that allow customers to take a whiff of fragrances.

4. Think carefully whether your sense of style matches romantic, casual, flowery, or citrusy.

5. Use online tools to find the kind of perfume you like. Compare costs for the brand at different websites.

6. Check whether your favorite perfume is on special offer at auction sites or other websites selling perfumes.

7. Find out whether shipping is free or extra and what kind of packaging they are offering.

8. Find out whether the website will ship from a local site or from offshore.

9. Ask about return policies and guarantees. Find out whether they will give a credit for a returned perfume.

10. Check about the safety of the payment gateways.

Before buying a perfume brand find out whether it is eco-friendly and hypoallergenic. Consider if you have any allergies or special requirements. Think about whether you want a bottle, purse vial, or large spray. Always buy a small quantity first so that you have the option of changing the perfume you wear seasonally. There are people who like to try new fragrances and others ho always wear only one brand. So find out which kind you are and order the perfume accordingly.

Before choosing a perfume or cologne think about your skin types. Choose a perfume that suits you and matches your pheromones. Always test a perfume by applying a dab on the inside of your wrist and see how long the fragrance remains fresh and inviting.

Online stores sell discount perfumes, designer lines, as well as exotic fragrances from all over the world. Most websites also host articles and cataloges describing the different types and give tips for buyers on which perfumes are the best. In case you like exclusivity there are online stores that will mix a perfume just for you.

So the choice is yours whether you want to smell special and distinctive or buy from readily available brands of perfumes and stay within your budget.

WORST-DRESSED WOMEN LIST

MR. BLACKWELL'S 48TH ANNUAL WORST-DRESSED WOMEN LIST

10.) Alison Arngrim: Little Nellie of the prairie, looks like a 1940's fashion editor for the Farmers Almanac.

9.) Lindsay Lohan: Lindsay the fashion frenzy strikes again! Lohan takes fashion to a new low -

8.) Jessica Simpson: Forget the Cowboys. In prom queen screams, can it get any worse? She's a global fashion curse!

7.) Avril Lavigne: Gothic make-up courtesy the mad spatula-Fashions provided by…The house of Dracula!

6.) Eva Green: Stuck in neon nightmares not fit for the sane. Fashion this loud could give Bond a migraine! A profusion of confusion from toes to nose!

5.) Kelly Clarkson: Her heavenly voice soars above the rest…but those belly-baring bombs are hellish at best! She may be the queen of “Pro-Active” - but that wardrobe looks downright radioactive!

4.) Fergie: Another style-free “Fergie” in fashion's hall of shame? Yes, when it comes to couture chaos, guess it's all in a name!

3.) Mary Kate Olsen: YIKES! In layers of cut-rate kitsch, Mary Kate's look is hard to explain…she resembles a tattered toothpick-trapped in a hurricane!

2.) Amy Winehouse: Exploding beehives above…tacky polka-dots below…she's part 50's car-hop horror.

1.) Victoria Beckham: Forget the fashion spice - wearing a skirt would suffice! In one skinny-mini monstrosity after another, pouty posh can really wreck-em.

*** Britney NOTE - For those of you who were expecting to see Britney's name adorn the 2007 list, I felt that it was in appropriate at this time to make comment, when her personal life is in such upheaval. I hope 2008 is a better year for her.

Fabulous Fashion Independents for 2007:

Reese Witherspoon, Jemima Khan, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes, Kate Middleton, Katherine Heigl and Cate Blanchett.

--January 8, 2008