I shop online a lot. Besides food or household supplies, I tend to buy everything online. Especially electronics. And over the years I have not really had any bad experiences. Sure I have had defective items, but for the most part my experience has been good.
Now I also have been fortunate to buy most everything from reputable sources such as Amazon or NewEgg, but there have been a few times I have almost clicked the button on a website advertising a way better deal. For some reason my spider sense always stopped me, and after reading this article I am glad it did!
I admit that most of my online shopping has been guided by word-of-mouth; be it a review from a blog I respect, or from a close friend or relative. It is scary to fully realize the scams that exist out there, and even worse that people can be lured right into them from reputable sources such as Google.
I’m not naive. I know that crooks are everywhere. You learn that quick growing up. I do my research and try and go with my gut on things. But not everyone is as cautious, and the reality is, some of these online fraud sites look VERY legit. Yet they are actually being run from someone’s apartment or other rundown building (if you can even find their physical location at all!).
So be careful where you shop online. Understand that search engines like Google make their money by selling search results, so if Google returns a website offering some amazing deal over the more well established and known competition, be suspicious and do not assume Google endorses them in any way. In fact, put Google to use and research these websites and see if you can find complaints. Chances are you’ll learn really fast if they are scamming people or not.
When it doubt, trust your instincts and buy from someone you trust. Even if it does cost more.