Buffalo & Erie County Public Library: Computer Training Programs

ONLINE TUTORIALS

The Useful Web: Online Shopping

Why buy on the Internet?

1. Convenience

Web sites are open and available for browsing and ordering 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any location where you have Internet access. There are no parking problems or adverse weather conditions nor are there crowded stores to contend with.

2. Choice

The number of items and services being sold is enormous and ranges from airplanes to islands and everything in between.

3. Price

You are likely to find lower prices than in regular stores because of the number of websites that are available that want your business. Price comparison sites are also prevalent where prices asked by different retailers for an item of merchandise can be found and compared. An example of a price comparison site is http://www.bottomdollar.com./

Tips to help secure your personal information

Many people are afraid to use the Internet to buy and sell because they fear that their personal details and credit card numbers will become freely available. Understand the following tips to help secure your personal information.

1. Check a Web Sites Security

When sending personal details and credit card information to a vendors site, your details are sent in a coded, or encrypted form. Websites contain information about their security, which can be checked.

Identify a Secure Connection

The first indication that a site is secure is the web address or URL begins with the prefix "https" and not "http". The extra "s" denotes secure.
Another way to check to see if a site is secure:

Right-click on the web page.
Select Properties.

2. Viewing Certificates

Responsible and trustworthy websites hold certificates that are issued by licensed certification authorities. A list of licensed certification Authorities in the U.S. can be found On the State Departments website at www.secstate.wa.gov/ea/ca_lic.htm

3. Security Symbols

A security symbol appears at the foot of your browser window when viewing secure pages. Internet Explorer displays a padlock near the bottom right of the screen. If the padlock is closed, the page is secure, and any information that you enter into it is protected. If the padlock is open, the site is not secure.

Note: You are usually not on the secure area of a website until you begin to enter your credit card information. It is likely that the secure symbols may not be present when you first enter a site.

4. Passwords

Passwords are another method for websites to prevent people from accessing your personal account details. Remember not to choose a simple number that can be directly connected to you such as your date of birth, house number, or your telephone numbers.

Although this is difficult to do, ideally, you should create a new password for each new site that you join or online account that you open and never write the password down.

Web Sites to Avoid: Warning Signals

Examine the text of the site. Scam business sites often use capital letters and many dollar signs and exclamation points. They often include misspellings and grammatical errors.
Examine the site’s URL. Look for the prefix https:// to make sure the site is secure. Be suspicious of a commercial website URL that contains a tilde (~). This symbol sometimes indicates personal web space within a larger, unidentified site.
Examine the delivery time. A company must ship an order within 30 days or the time stated in its ads (if that time is shorter).
Examine the privacy policy. Check a company’s privacy policy to make sure that it doesn’t sell its customers’ details to other companies.
Examine the account details. Never give out your checking account, credit card number, or personal information unless you’re certain that a company is legitimate.
Examine payment methods. If a seller asks for payment in cash by private courier, or by check or money order through an overnight delivery service, be very suspicious.
Avoid be pressured for an immediate response or claims of limited availability.

Visit Safe Shopping .org at www.safeshopping.org. This website, created by the American Bar Association, will help you order safely when shopping online.

Alternative Payment Methods

Many companies have attempted to establish a payment method that they hope will be secure, accepted and profitable. One option is SET.

Secure Electronic Transaction (SET)
A method of payment that imitates the existing credit card payment methods and prevents the seller from seeing the credit card details. It uses cryptographic methods and digital certificates that guarantee confidentiality of both the payment and the ordering information.

Before allowing the transaction to take place, the system authenticates that a cardholder is a legitimate user of an account and that the merchant is a legitimate seller of a product or service. Only sites displaying the SET logo can use this system. For more information, check out setco.org

Using a search engine to find what you want to buy

Enter the search term for the item you want to purchase.
Choose a website from the list of hits returned. Look for a site that appears to include useful information about the product. Select the website by clicking on the hyperlink.
Read the background information.
Make the selection.
Add to the "shopping basket".
Shop more or check out? The page will show the current contents of the "shopping basket" and offer you the choice to continue shopping or proceed to the checkout. A check box is available to remove the item from the basket if you change your mind. When you are ready to purchase the item(s), press the appropriate shipping button in the "checkout" section.
Complete the order form with your personal details including your credit card. Once you have completed the order form, most sites will ask you to click on a "Continue" button or otherwise indicate that your order is complete.
Submitting your order. To send the details to the vendor, click the "Submit" button.

Note: If you live in a different country from the vendor, there may be import charges or customs duty to pay

Product Reviews

Consumer World

www.consumerworld.org

This non-commercial site contains over 1700 links to product reviews, personal finance tips, electronic coupons, and news about scams. This site was created by Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate/educator and an attorney.

Federal Consumer Information Center

www.pueblo.gsa.gov

In February 2000, the Consumer Information Center was united with the Federal Information Center to form the Federal Consumer Information Center. With this merger came the creation of the Federal Consumer Information Center web site. This government site provides information on health, education, product recalls, scams, housing and much more.

Consumer.gov

www.consumer.gov

Consumer.gov is a "one-stop" link to a broad range of federal information resources available online. It is designed so that you can locate information by category -- such as Food, Health, Product Safety, Your Money, and Transportation. Each category has subcategories to direct you to areas within individual federal web sites containing related information.

Better Business Bureau

www.bbb.org

Established in 1912, the BBB covers 98% of the country and includes business and organizations that are committed to voluntarily self-regulation and consumer education. They solve problems through mediation and arbitration without the use of lawyers. BBB works as a neutral third party working in good faith.