Online Shopping Tips

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, but you don't have to wait for stores to open to start shopping. You can shop online 24/7. When you shop online you have a choice of thousands of merchants from throughout the country. Here are some pointers before you take out your credit card.

First, shop around. One way to look for a good price is to use a comparison shopping site such as Froogle.com, Pricegrabber.com, ShopZilla.com or ShopCartUSA.com. Be sure to check out shipping charges and taxes. In some cases, if you buy from an out-of-state merchant you may be able to avoid paying sales tax.

If you land on a shopping site you're not familiar with, do a little clicking around to assure yourself that it's legitimate. Look for a physical address and phone number. If you're still not sure, try doing a bit more research by seeing if anyone has complained about the merchant in an online newsgroup. Go to deja.com and type in the name of the website to see what's been written. You have to take some of these comments with a grain of salt, but at least you're getting a clue.

If you use a credit card, you'll have some additional protection in case of fraud.

Be sure to check the delivery date and the merchant's return and refund policy. Some can be lenient, others a bit picky.

Another good site to check out is Amazon.com. In addition to the merchandise they sell directly they have a network of other retailers that work with them, sometimes with very good prices. And if it's a gift going to someone far away, consider having it shipped directly to the recipient.

For more advice check out the American Bar Association's website, www.safeshopping.org.