Best Practices - Online Shopping

Friends, these are some of the things I follow while shopping online. Please share any that you follow and may help others.

1. Always buy from trusted websites. For me, a trusted website is one where my money is safe and the product I get is as described. This can usually be found out from other buyers and the terms and conditions of refund policy of that company. I always make it a point to read terms when making first purchase on a new website. For ex, I don’t trust Pepperfry even though they have good coupons. They usually refund (if that happens) in the form of pepperpoints. I would expect cash to be refunded in cash so that it can be used elsewhere. Pepperpoints are tied to only that company and have other terms of usage which can be frustrating at most times.
2. Opt for COD when buying from a new website even if it costs a little more. I intentionally avoid using any coupon on a new website for the sake of my money. Just in case, after placing order you realize that they don’t ship in time, don’t respond to your queries and are clueless about the whereabouts of your order, you can always stay cool because you can simply forget about the order and if it arrives at all after many days, you can refuse to accept simply because they failed to deliver in time. I’ve saved lot of mental headache and my money using this policy on websites.
3. Make small amount purchases when buying from new websites for first few times. Don’t go for BIG ones straight away just because they offer huge discounts. So, if your order runs into problems, you’ll have less mental tensions. The higher the amount, the bigger the frustration and bigger the number of followups. Even if it comes to losing money, it should be an amount that you can afford to lose.
4. When buying for BIG money, do a lot of research on the product, the seller/vendor, and the online portal. The more the research, less are the headaches later. Read feedback of other buyers about the same product from same vendor on the same portal, if available. Ebay feedbacks are very helpful in this regard.
5. Pay using Internet Banking and not using Credit Card or Gift Cards such (ex – AMEX Cards) wherever possible. The reason is that if your transactions runs into refund for whatever reasons, it is easier to get refund in Bank Account than in Credit or Gift Cards. Although you can get refund in other modes but chances of running into other problems are much much higher in other modes.
6. Always read terms and conditions when making a purchase. Most of us avoid this because it’s too big to read. Don’t avoid, search for keywords such as “Refund”, “Cancel”, “Cancellation”, “Shipping” etc within the terms and read these things carefully. Usually, that’s all we need to be aware of. And only these don’t take too much time to read.
7. Carefully read about the Product you’re buying. Exact Model Number, Type of Warranty, Product Condition etc. Don’t just look for the pictures. They can be misleading, wrong ones mentioned to intentionally mislead customers or may have been uploaded simply by mistake. Don’t take chances.
8. Always read about experience of others about shopping portals. If someone takes the pain to write those experiences, there must be something they want others to know so that others are safe. These can be eye openers.

That’s all I’ve to share right now. I may have more but can’t remember now. I’ve saved lot of frustrations using these guidelines. Lot of dimers here have posted good experiences that are worth paying attention to.

Thanks.