|
Related
Sites:
Shop
Online Safely - Tips From the Federal Trade Commission
Catalogology
- The pseudoscience of winnowing your catalog pile.
A cute articles on performing catalog triage.
|
|
Mail
Order Shopping Tips
- Always
compare prices between a few different catalogs or online
store to be sure you are getting the best deal. Amazon sells
a wide variety of products and usually has low prices, so
they are often a good place to start for comparison shopping.
- When
you compare prices, don't forget to compare the total
price, after adding in any taxes, shipping and handling
charges. Some companies have below market product prices
but then make their revenue up by overcharging on shipping
and handling.
-
- Beware
of free offers, especially over the Internet. Watch out
for shipping and handling charges that may cost more than
the product is worth. Another common marketing scheme
is to require you to provide a credit card number for a
"free" gift. In fine print you will may find out
that in order to get the "free" gift you need
to sign up for some ongoing membership agreement which will
be billed monthly or annually to your credit card.
- Only
do business with reputable companies with which you
are familiar. Web design work is cheap these days, especially
with offshore labor. Just because a site looks glossy and
professional, doesn't mean you should trust them with your
credit information.
- When
possible, make purchases with a credit card so you
can dispute any unauthorized charges under the Fair
Credit Act.
- When
you pay for your purchases with a credit card, try to use
a card with rewards points or cash back for some added savings.
Rebate cards may only be a good deal if you pay your balance
in full each month. If you keep a balance, then financially
you may be better off getting a card with the lowest interest
rate rather than the best rebate program.
- Ask
about the merchant's return and refund policies before
you place your order.
- Make
sure the merchant has a posted privacy policy before
you provide their site with any personal information.
- Never
give a merchant, or any web site, any more personal information
than is necessary to process your order or other service.
Be especially careful with information like birth dates
and social security numbers.
- Never
send social security numbers or credit card numbers through
email. When placing an order or using a service that
has a legitimate need for these numbers, make sure the information
is entered using a secure
server.
Copyright 2004 - 2012 www.mail-order-catalogs.com |
|
