Online shopping offers you the chance to pick up some great deals and save yourself a lot of money but knowing what precautions to take when buying certain items is essential when you’re considering making any purchase. With that in mind we decided to put together a guide to the most commonly bought items online and what steps you should take to ensure that what you see is what you get.General Electricals
Buying electrical goods online can be a very rewarding money saving pursuit but there are a number of potential pitfalls that you should be wary of before making any purchase. Firstly you want to check that the product comes with a full warranty and that you can easily return it should it prove faulty. Secondly you need to make sure that it meets domestic health and safety standards and that it is a recognised and tested model. This can be done using the many review sites available online and it is always worth doing your research. Finally we would recommend avoiding buying second hand electrical goods unless they are from a domestic online specialist who is fully certified to trade.
Computers
Many of us will end up buying our next computer through online shopping and we felt this warranted its own sub-section as it is a large purchase and one that if done incorrectly can cause huge amounts of grief. Firstly always check that the computer in question is new and that it is made by a recognisable and established company. Secondly and most importantly extensively research the models you are looking at. This can save you a lot of money in the end as you can find out faults with models and operating life etc. Finding this information out means you will end up getting much more value for money than you otherwise might.
Cars
More and more people are taking advantage of the internet to buy a car. This is a perfectly good idea providing you take a few precautions. Firstly only use the internet to browse and never make an actual payment until you have seen and preferably driven the car. Particularly if you are buying a second hand car you want to fully go over it before you commit to a purchase. Look for signs of tampering, check the service history and look for problem areas like rust and weld marks.
Fashion
The internet is a great place to snap up the latest hot fashions at large discounts however when doing so you need to be very careful as there are a whole host of forgeries out there and many unscrupulous vendors. Always check that the seller is licensed and that the products in question are genuine. Good giveaways of fakes are slight variations of spelling and also unbelievably low prices which imply something is amiss. If you’re in any doubt we would recommend shopping elsewhere even if you end up paying a slightly higher price.
Health and beauty
Health and beauty products are possibly the hardest things to buy safely online and we’d generally recommend that you stick to authorised and mainstream retailers for these kinds of goods to ensure you don’t end up with fakes. Beauty products are available online for huge discounts but stick to products you recognise and don’t be fooled by supposed miracle products. Finally when it comes to health products again stick to what you recognise and steer clear of buying medicines or wonder products which are often fake.
Author Byline: Steve writes about where to buy products on the internet, in addition to using shopping portals such as ShopAndEarn where you can earn rewards for items purchased online - http://www.shopandearn.com.au/
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