October 26th, 2020 | Updated on June 30th, 2022
Online shopping is no longer a rare activity: many Internet users buy various goods in online stores. Most of them are looking forward to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The discounts are so attractive that even those people who do not usually make purchases online and have no relevant experience may feel tempted to take part in online sales. By the way, worldwide shoppers spend several billion US dollars on Cyber Monday.
The world economy is going through hard times. So, it is not surprising that many shoppers can take advantage of these hot-on-sale days to purchase the desired item at a deep discount. For example, they participate in annual Meijer Black Friday sales and get the best deals. However, it must be done safely. So how do you safely make your desired purchases on Black Friday?
10 Tips For Safe Online Shopping
1. Remember about phishing
During the weeks before Black Friday, you will receive tons of newsletters with attractive offers. We do not advise you to click on offers you do not know. Try to respond to the offers of those companies or stores that you know, in other cases it is better to check the information about an unknown company or store on the Internet before making a purchase.
2. Check the info
Discounts will indeed be big these days, but sometimes they are too good to be true: such emails can be scams. Don’t be fooled by Black Friday or Cyber Monday: any product costs a certain amount of money, and it is unlikely that the discount on them reaches any incredible values. When in doubt, just check the information on the search engines and learn if anyone else sells a similar item for the same price. Perhaps you can find something more attractive!
3. Do not be afraid to buy in the usual places
Try to do online shopping on those sites and online stores, where you have previously made purchases. It hardly makes sense to worry if you order an item from a well-known online store. For example, if you are looking for the best Black Friday appliance deals, you can purchase at the stores that you already know.
4. Check store address
When searching for the best discounts, you can get so distracted that you will not even notice how instead of an original online store you will find yourself on its false copy. Therefore, do not forget to pay attention to the address of the online store in the address bar of your browser. If in doubt, it is better to restart the browser, find the required online store, check the address, and make sure that you are exactly where you expected to place an order.
5. Please read the product description carefully
Sometimes it happens that you feel like you are buying a new device from a well-known brand, and in the end, you will receive a restored device. If you are offered a big discount, then it is not a fact that the product will be great. Do not be too lazy to spend a little time studying the store’s working conditions, product warranty, insurance, product return policy, availability of the purchased product, and delivery times.
6. Do not use your bank card for payment
In most cases, it is much easier to use a bank card to pay for goods directly from your account. But if you become a victim of fraud, then you may lose all funds in your account. Therefore, it is better to use a separate card (or electronic money), where you will transfer exactly the amount that is necessary to pay only for the required purchase.
7. Check your order
When ordering different goods, it is not uncommon that some of them appear in the order by accident, or the house number for delivery is incorrectly specified, etc. Therefore, we advise you to double-check your order before paying for it. It only takes a few extra seconds. It will be a shame if, having bought a Christmas present a week before Christmas, you will receive it only 3 weeks after the holiday, because this item is shipped from China.
8. Make sure the online store is safe
Do not buy anything from online stores that do not use SSL encryption. If the site uses it, then the site address will start with HTTPS:// (not just HTTP://).
9. Use anti-virus software
It may sound annoying, but it’s really important to be protected. Do not postpone buying an antivirus “for later”. Antivirus can help you and your family stay safe when shopping online.
10. Stay conscious
The last but not least, if you see a site that looks suspicious, don’t buy anything there. You can find many interesting offers in other, more reliable online stores. It’s okay if you call the company during business hours to check the accuracy of the information provided. Stay conscious, and do not allow yourself to waste your money!
In Conclusion
Every year, people spend billions on purchases during big sales, and hackers are making attempts to get our bank card details, steal our personal information, etc. Don’t let them ruin your weekends and holidays, so just follow our advice above and enjoy your shopping!
