·1 Know from whom you are buying -
Get the phone number and physical address of the seller. Check with the Better Business
Bureau or other consumer protection agency to see if there are complaints lodged against
the merchant. Check their website to see if they support or belong to programs that
encourage good business practices.
·2 Pay with a credit card - Paying with a credit
card is safer than using a debit card, check, or cash. A credit card gives you the ability
to legally dispute charges for goods that you never received, ordered, or were
misrepresented to you. If there are unauthorized charges on a credit card, your liability
is limited to $50, under federal law.
·3 Look into single-use credit cards from your card
issuer - Credit card issuers are adopting a new technology that allows you to make
charges to your credit card account without using your real credit card number. This
protects you from additional bogus charges by the seller or an unscrupulous employee of
the seller.
·4 Know exactly what you are buying and how much it
will cost - Understand the seller's description of the product and read all the fine
print. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Factor in all charges, including
shipping and handling. Be sure to comparison shop other sites to validate the cost.
·5 Print and save records of all online transactions
- Make copies of the product description, price, receipt and even the main web page of the
seller with contact information. File this paper trail in the event you might need it
later.
·6 Verify the privacy policy of the seller -
Consider what information the merchant is collecting, why it is being collected and how it
will be used or disseminated. If there is no privacy policy, expect that all your
information will have no safeguard, and consider going to another seller.
·7 Check out warranty and service information -
Determine if the product comes with a warranty and if the seller provides service should
you need it.
·8 Confirm that the seller has a return policy -
Find out if the seller will allow you to return the item if you are not satisfied. Also
determine if you are responsible for shipping and handling for the return, and if there
are restock fees.
·9 Validate the security of your transaction -
Many merchant's sites employ Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Secure Electronic Transaction
(SET) technology, which encrypts information you send over the Internet. Look for one of
these signs that your transaction is secure:
o The web address changes from "http" to
"https" or "shttp". The "s" indicates that the site is now
secure.
o Your browser shows a closed lock icon 
in the lower
right - hand corner. Unencrypted web pages will display an open lock.
o Consider what the website says about how the seller
safeguards your information during transmission and storage.
Never provide sensitive information in an email to the
seller, or anybody else!
