| By StefanD | | | | damage would be far more severe as not all banks |
| About seven years ago, at the dawn of the new | | | | pay back what you loose. So now that you are |
| millennium, many people regarded internet shopping | | | | hopefully up to speed on secure internet shopping, |
| as a taboo, something unheard of, with one of the | | | | now might be a good time to explain to you exactly |
| main reasons being a lack of trust placed in the | | | | where you can go to shop. Well, firstly it depends on |
| payment system. How do we know our details will | | | | what you want. One of the most internationally |
| be safe, is an example of one of the many questions | | | | renowned sites is Amazon ( It is available in multiple |
| asked. Yet in today's fast paced world that taboo | | | | countries with its own site for each one, and sells |
| has turned into a revolution. With thousands of online | | | | nearly everything except clothes and food. For |
| stores, people are using internet shopping more and | | | | instance, if you are after a mobile phone, it is more |
| more these days. From electronic and specialist | | | | than likely that Amazon will have the one you are |
| goods, right down to basic grocery shopping, you | | | | looking for, and normally at a reduced rate, while if |
| could survive in this life without ever having to leave | | | | you are searching for the new Stephen king book, its |
| your front door for any forms of purchases. So if | | | | bound to be on there. Because Amazon is so |
| you are still in the dark about how it all works and | | | | internationally renowned, you are going to be very |
| how to get started, this article will hopefully enlighten | | | | safe shopping with them. In fact, you might end up |
| you and turn you into a committed online shopper. | | | | logging on to Amazon and finding you have bought |
| Yet before I show you some of the best places to | | | | tons of stuff you would never have dreamed of |
| order online, you may still have your doubts at how | | | | buying as they recommend products to you based |
| safe your credit card details are, so to begin with it | | | | on the searches you make on their site. Yet while |
| might be best to explain how your details are | | | | Amazon has nearly every popular product, it might |
| protected and how to maximize your safety. When it | | | | be extremely hard to find certain niche and especially |
| comes to online shopping, you will always have what | | | | older items. It might be possible that it does not have |
| is known as a basket to place your goods in. Once | | | | what you want in stock either, and this can present |
| you have chosen everything you want, you go to | | | | problems. This is where eBay comes into the picture. |
| the checkout service. Like any old store, this is | | | | If you have not heard of eBay at some point, then |
| where you hand over the money, although instead of | | | | you are missing out. eBay is the world's largest online |
| a person doing it, it's a computer. All online shopping | | | | auction site with millions of users selling stuff every |
| websites will have a secure payment system, with all | | | | day. If what you are looking for has been |
| sorts of protection coded into their sites to enable | | | | discontinued on certain sites and stores, then eBay |
| maximum security against hackers (in fact in most | | | | might have what you are after. People sell all sorts of |
| cases of fraud on the internet, attackers use viruses | | | | junk on there which you can bid for, and if bidding |
| on your computer to steal details meaning the site | | | | for old tat is not your thing, then you can log onto |
| has nothing to do with it at all). All you have to do is | | | | eBay express which contain new businesses selling |
| enter your credit card details and their computer will | | | | brand new products for fixed prices. Finally, if for |
| do the rest. Sounds a bit scary at first, as how do | | | | some reason you can not find what you are looking |
| you know they won't keep your details? Well, there | | | | for on eBay, you can always turn to Google's |
| are steps you can take to ensure you are on a | | | | Froogle. While that phrase may sound strange, the |
| trusted site, with their payment system approved by | | | | acclaimed search engine Google has set up a special |
| a respectable third party. For starters, when you go | | | | search engine called Froogle ( which search's online |
| to the checkout screen, it is always useful to look at | | | | shops for the best prices for the products that you |
| the address bar where it would normally say If you | | | | are after. All you do is enter the product that you |
| are on a secure checkout page (and if you are not, | | | | want and it will search through thousands of sites to |
| do not use it!) instead of having http:// at the start, | | | | find you the best prices and gives you the links to |
| it should say The s stands for secure, so make sure | | | | them. In fact, you do not even have to log onto |
| its there! This might seem a little technical to | | | | Amazon or eBay as Froogle searches them for you |
| someone not used to computers, so there are other | | | | to. Hopefully now that you're coming to the end of |
| ways to check whether or not you should shop on | | | | this article, you've realized that online shopping is not |
| certain sites. For example, if you can not use your | | | | as a harrowing experience as you might have |
| credit or debit card on there, it would be advisable to | | | | through, and you are now prepared to take your |
| steer well clear. Credit and debit cards have insurance | | | | first steps into this cyber world that we seem to |
| and protection plans to repair misuse of your details. | | | | inhabit in these modern times. |
| If you end up paying with a bank transfer for | | | | This article was written by StefanD. He runs a |
| instance, and your account is hacked, that person has | | | | Business Directory dedicated to businesses world |
| got access to your entire bank account instead of | | | | wide You can print or publish this article as long as |
| say a low limit credit card where it will be blocked if | | | | you keep the link live. |
| suspicious usage is found on it. Even more the | | | | |