Safety tips, guidance for Online shopping and also some well-known websites for online shopping:
English entrepreneur Michael Aldrich
invented online shopping in 1979.Online shopping or e-shopping is
a form of electronic commerce
which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a
seller over the Internet using a web browser. Online stores are usually available 24
hours a day.
Online
shoppers commonly use a credit card or a PayPal account in order to make payments. However, some
systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as:
- Billing to mobile phones and landlines
- Cash on delivery
(C.O.D.)
- Cheque/ Check
- Debit card
- Direct debit in some countries
- Electronic money of various types
- Gift cards
- Postal money order
- Wire transfer/delivery on payment
- Invoice, especially popular in some
markets/countries, such as Switzerland
- Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
There
are some risks that come with shopping online:
So,
staying safe while you’re shopping online is paramount. Here are some tips for
shopping safely online:
· Before you
go for online shopping make sure your PC is secured with all core protections
like an antivirus, anti spyware, firewall, system updated with all patches and
web browser security with the trusted sites and security level at high.
· Before you
buy things online research about the web site that you want to buy things from,
since attackers try to trap with websites that appear to be legitimate, but
they are not. So make a note of the telephone number’s physical address of the
vendor and confirm that the website is a trusted site. Search for different web
sites and compare the prices. Check the reviews of consumers and media of that
particular web site or merchants.
· If you are
ready to buy something online check, whether the site is secure like https or
padlock on the browser address bar or at the status bar and then proceed with
financial transactions.
· After
finishing the transaction take a print or screenshot of the transaction records
and details of product like price, confirmation receipt, terms and conditions
of the sale.
· Immediately
check the credit card statements as soon as you finish and get them to know
about the charges you paid were same, and if you find any changes immediately
report to concerned authorities.
· After
finishing your online shopping clear all the web browser cookies and turn off
your PC since spammers and phishers will be looking for the system connected to
the internet and try to send spam e-Mails and try to install the malicious
software that may collect your personal information.
· Beware of the e-Mails like “please confirm of
your payment, purchase and account detail for the product.” Remember legitimate
business people never send such e-Mails. If you receive such
e-Mails immediately call the merchant and inform the same.
Also, some other tips:
- Choose Credit Over Debit: You probably don’t often
hear advice to use a credit card instead of a debit card or cash, but if
you can do it responsibly, you absolutely should. Credit cards offer
protection from identity theft that debit cards don’t. For example, with a
credit card, your liability for fraudulent charges caps at $50 as long as
you report the fraud within 30 or 60 days (depending on the company).
However, if you’re using your debit card online and someone gains access
to it, they can clean out your checking account before you even learn
there’s a problem. It’s likely you’ll get part of that money back, but
possible that it can take a while, and that you won’t get it all. So, use
a credit card instead and pay the bill off monthly.
- Disposable Is Better: Even better than using a
credit card is to use a disposable credit card. Disposable credit cards
work just like most gift cards. You add a specified dollar amount to the
card, and it’s good until that is gone. Once it’s gone, you can add more,
or purchase a new one. And both Visa and American Express now offer these
cards in varying amounts, so they’re easy to get hold of. The bonus is
that if the number from a disposable credit card is stolen, it’s
anonymous, and criminals can’t gain access to anything more than the
dollar amount that’s still available on the card.
- Verify Website Security: The variety that’s
available when shopping online can be dizzying, but it doesn’t stop at
just the products and prices that are available online. There are also
different levels of security that are available online, and you want to be
aware of them. Some online web sites don’t offer secure shopping. That
means that savvy criminals can capture everything that you enter onto a
form on those sites, including your personal and credit information. If
you’re going to shop online, limit yourself to secure sites. You can tell
if a site is secure by the URL. A secure web site starts with HTTPS://
instead of HTTP://. Secure sites will also have a small lock icon in the
lower right corner of the screen.
- Don’t Shop Publically: If you plan to do any
shopping online, do it at home. At home, you can shop in your pajamas (or
nekkid) and you can do it any time of the day or night. You also know who
accesses your computer at home. If you’re using a public computer—at the
library, at a cyber café, or at work—to do your shopping, you have no
control over who might be using that computer as well. You also don’t have
any control over what kind of spyware or malware might be infecting that
computer. So, just don’t do it. Shop at home. It’s much safer.
- Don’t Store Information
Elsewhere:
Many shopping sites, even the major ones, offer you the ability to save
your credit card information on their servers to speed the shopping
process. Think Amazon.com’s OneClick shopping. It’s definitely faster, but
there are some risks to maintaining your personal information elsewhere.
If a company that you’re shopping with has a data breach, your personal
information could be put at risk. It takes a little longer, but instead of
storing your information on some server that you have no control over,
just enter it yourself each time you shop.
Price and selection are two of the best benefits
to shopping online. But don’t let the benefits lull you into complacency. Take
the time to shop securely, and use caution with the sites that you choose to
shop on. Then, not only can you find great deals, but you can do it without the
worry that your identity will be stolen in the process. Also, it is very
important to write a review if in-case you find any kind of fake websites.
Here is the list of some of the
trustworthy websites for regularly online customers:
Flipkart- Score(4.84)-
You can not only buy books online through
Flipkart, but also mobile phones & mobile accessories, laptops, computer
accessories, cameras, movies, music, televisions, refrigerators,
air-conditioners, washing-machines, MP3 players and products from a host of
other categories. After takeover of letsbuy.com now flipkart is largest
player of e-commerce of India.
Website: www.flipkart.com
Amazon- Score(4.86)-
World leader in e-commerce market recently started operation in india, Now
Indians can buy Books, CDS and Electronic at cheaper price from Amzon.in. For
limited time they offering free shipping.
Website: www.amazon.in
Ebay.in- Score(4.88)
After almost 6month of dominating at number 1 ebay has come down at number two
on indiafreestuff.in list. eBay.in is the Indian version of the popular
online shopping portal eBay.com – world’s online marketplace. Ebay has a
diverse and passionate community of individuals and small businesses. Ebay
offers used and fresh items with a wide network of international shipping.
Website: www.ebay.in
Snapdeal.com- Score(4.90)
SnapDeal offers everything from local daily deals on restaurants, spas,
travel to online products deals. They offer you best price with free shipping.
Website: www.snapdeal.com
Shopclues- Score
(4.97)- Shopclues is famous for their heavily discounted
Jaw Dropping deals. Shopclues is one of the best online
stores that offers a wide variety of cameras, Computer accessories, Mobile,
Gift, Jewellery, Cosmetics, toys, clothes, books and bag. Their
Jaw Dropping deal has become most liked deal of 2012.
Website: www.shopclues.com
Myntra- score
(5.01) Myntra.com is leading online retailer of lifestyle and fashion products.
Myntra offers T-shirts, Shoes, watches and more at discounted price.
Website: www.myntra.com
Indiatimes shopping- Shopping.Indiatimes.com has
a wide array of products that range from electronic items to products related
to health & beauty, home appliances, fashion, music, movies and games.
Website: shopping.indiatimes.com
Homeshop18- Score(5.12)
here you find large range appliances, kitchen, cameras, mobiles, laptops, site,
indian, gifts, apparel, buy, online, gifts. and more, HomeShop18 is a venture
of theNetwork18 Group, India’s fastest growing media and entertainment Group.
Network18 operates India’s leading business news television channels – CNBC
TV18 and CNBC Awaaz. HomeShop18 has also launched India’s first 24 hour Home
Shopping TV channel. The company has its headquarters in Noida, UP. The website
has received the ‘Best shopping site” award from PC World Magazine in 2008.
Website: www.homeshop18.com
Yebhi- Score(5.44)
Yebhi is India Largest Shopping Destination for your Wardrobe. Shop for shoes,
apparels, jewelery, Bags and more. No matter yebhi rules in Apparel catagory
and if you want to buy clothes or shoes online this is best site, Their deals
become more lucrative with discount coupons, Now they are also selling mobiles
at good price.
Website: www.yebhi.com
Tradus- Score(5.68)
Tradus.in is owned by ibibo from books to clothes they sell you everything and
after
buying Buytheprice.com they have become more bigger. Tradus
offers the Online Shopping in India to buy Books, Mobiles, Cameras, Watches,
Apparel, Home Appliances, Ipods & Many More at Lowest Price & Free
shipping although their refunding process takes more than expected time and
they don’t ship all over India but still at no 3 on our list.
Website: www.tradus.com
Futurebazaar-
FutureBazaar.com is owned and operated by Future Bazaar India Ltd futurebazaar
offers you wide range with good price The people of behind this company are
same from bigbazaar, pantaloon and ezone.
Website: www.futurebazaar.com
Jabong- Jabong Fashion
& Lifestyle Store offers you great discount on all listed product.They
offers wide range of products from Apparel to Home needs.
Website: www.jabong.com