Product Review

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Net Watch Article - Buying Online

We are going to shift gears a bit this month.  I'd like to talk about purchasing products on-line.  I still get people looking at me funny when I tell them that I'm using my credit card to purchase products over the Internet.  The fact is that you can really lose your shirt if you blindly go buying stuff on-line.  On the other hand, you can catch some real good deals if you know what to look for.  Let's look at some do's and don'ts for safe and fun buying on-line.

The most important thing to remember is that a deal "too good to be true" almost certainly is.  Take time to research the vendor that you are thinking about buying from.  Check their site for how they handle returns.  Also do your research about the vendor.  Visit www.BizRate.com here to check out what other buyers have said about them. You can really save yourself from a bad experience by putting in the time prior to purchase.

The safest bets are stores whose web sites complement their "brick and mortar" store locations.  www.CircuitCity.com, www.Walmart.com, www.BestBuy.com are all good examples of sites that are very safe and have good customer support because they have physical locations. 

One step down from  the www.CircuitCity.com's are the www.TigerDirect.com's and other large on-line only e-tailers. Again the most important thing to remember is to know who you are buying from.  Read, read, read, and if it is unclear to you how they handle returns, call them.  If you cannot contact them easily there is most likely a reason for it.  When you visit www.TigerDirect.com their toll free number is on every page.  Try finding a phone number at www.PCShop1.com ,  an e-tailer located on www.cnet.com's price list page.

Once you leave the safety of the "Big Boys" you need to be even more careful.  I cannot stress the importance of research.  You have to read the fine print.  I used to really love purchasing products from www.Ubid.com, a popular auction based site, until I got burned by the "fine print."  I won a bid on a multimedia kit that included a CD rom, sound card, and speakers.  I only paid $37 for the kit.  What a bargain!  I had read the shipping fees ahead of time and was ok with the $9.99 primary charge plus .95 per pound after that.  What I failed to read was the "estimated shipping weight" of 20lbs!  A good deal just turned sour and there was NO recourse.  I've still bought from UBid on occasion, but I'm sure to calculate ALL the charges prior to placing a bid.  What I've found is that 90% of the time, when all the charges are added up, things cost MORE at Ubid than if you were to purchase them outright.

Beyond purchasing products I also pay bills, look at my bank accounts, and manage my credit cards online.  All this has made things very convenient. However trying to keep track of all those user-names and passwords can be a real challenge.  The best advice I can give is that you take time and do your research.  Use sites like www.cnet.com and www.CircuitCity.com for product reviews before you buy.  Use the "Brick and Mortar" stores to try products before you go on-line to find your best price.  You can save money and time and have fun at the same time!