If you’re like me and millions of other Internet users, you are doing more of your shopping online these days. There are many reasons more people are shopping online today. People want to avoid the crowds at the mall, find lower prices, have the convenience of 24 hour shopping and find a wider selection. There are some pitfalls and drawbacks to online shopping but these can be avoided if you’re a smart online shopper.
You have an idea of a product you want to buy. You go to one of the big 3 search engines online, Google, Yahoo and MSN, to do some research. Or perhaps you use one of the many comparison shopping sites to find a store that carries the product you are looking for. Now that you’ve found the store and the product at the price you’re happy with, what’s next?
First, take a look at the store contact information. Do they have a toll free number you can call and talk to a real person if any problems arise? Perhaps they are a very small or new operation, if they don’t have a toll free number, do they at least have a regular telephone number to call? The very least a store should have is an e-mail address where you can...