Online Shopping: Who Can You Trust?
When you’re shopping online, you aren’t meeting face to face with a living person. So how do you know who you can trust? There are a number of things you can do to find online merchants you can trust.
Trusted Big Company Name
First, you can do business with big name companies like Amazon. While every business can have a problem or complaint, the businesses that grow and succeed are the ones who solve problems and resolve complaints on the few occasions they occur, while building a reputation of quality and trust the majority of the time.
You can (almost) safely deal with a stranger through a company you trust. An example of this is eBay. By using buyer and seller feedback and designing a procedure to protect both parties, eBay helps make buying and selling safe.
Is the seller located in your country? While it is exciting to get a package from across the pond, it’s easier to resolve a problem if everyone is on the same shore!
You may be able to find out more about a seller’s reputation by checking with the Better Business Bureau or Attorney General (U.S. businesses) in the seller’s home state.
If you’re on a small business website, look for an “about” or “contact” page to find the physical address of the seller. There should at least be an email contact address. You can do a “whois” search to see who owns the domain and where it’s located.
Google Search
You can also do a Google search to see if other customers have praises or complaints about the business. Don’t be scared away by one flaming blog post, but look for patterns—if fifty people say it’s a scam, it probably is.
Depending on what products you’re looking for, you might place a small test order to see for yourself if the product is as advertised, delivered on time, etc.
And, just like the “real” world, you can ask other people for advice. The Internet is full of forums, chat rooms, and blogs where you can post a request for information.
Some of those strangers are friends you haven’t met yet. Friends you can trust.