7 Common Online Shopping Mistakes You Must Never Make.

One of the best things that has happened to shoppers is probably the option of online shopping. The kind of comfort online shopping affords us is enviable; getting all we need from the comfort of our home and at the click of a button. But like most things, it comes with its challenges, especially as a result of the activities of cybercriminals, which can have devastating consequences. The onus is, therefore, on us to protect our system from being accessed by cybercriminals when shopping. How do we do this? We do this by recognising online shopping mistakes and making sure not to make those mistakes.

Here are some of the common online shopping mistakes you must never make.

Saving Your Account Information

The truth is that it is convenient to save your account details on the websites for future purchases and even the stores will encourage you to do that. However, is that the best idea? Saving your account details is a huge risk you can do without because if their site is hacked, your bank account might be accessed. So, to save yourself from this issue, be ready to enter your card information every time you want to make a new purchase instead of saving your details for future purchases.

Using Public Wi-Fi

There is always that temptation to do all the things we need to do online with public Wi-Fi. However, you want to save yourself from the heartache that might be coming your way if you do that. If you are using public Wi-Fi, you should not log in to any website or enter any personal information that you don’t want to become public knowledge. Shop online only with your private Wi-Fi to protect your information.

Ignoring The Return Policy

One of the major challenges of online shopping is that you cannot physically see what you are buying and therefore, could get the wrong item or something different from what you had in mind. There is also a chance that it might not come to you in one piece due to potential shipping hazards. This is why it is important to read the return policy of the store. You should know under what conditions items can be returned, the time frame you have to return an item, how the item will be returned and the refund policy. Some sites are more generous than others, so you should put that into consideration.

Ignoring Or Overly Trusting Reviews

Basically, this is a two-way street. Reviews are very important so it will be a big mistake to ignore them. Read them and get the general idea of what people feel about the product. On the other hand, reviews can be manipulated, some brands get paid reviewers to write glowing reviews, some people write great things about products they love in an exaggerated manner and some can badmouth a product due to personal reasons. So you shouldn’t be overly trusting of the reviews. Try to be a little discerning by getting the message of the average reviewer.

Not Looking For Deals

The great thing about online shopping is being able to visit different stores without hassle. Offline, it might not be easy to visit all stores to check for the prices and best deals but you can do that online, so take advantage of it. Visit different stores to check for the best deals, don’t fall for the price slashes and think you have gotten the best, check others to be certain you are getting the best price.

Shopping From Insecure Or Unknown Websites

It is safe to stay away from websites that are unknown to you or to anybody for that matter or websites that just look shady. You should also check for the little locked padlock sign before the website address on the address bar. If a website contains the locked padlock sign, it means it is secure. If you don’t get that, the website is insecure and you shouldn’t be shopping there.

Using Your Regular Debit Card

Using a debit card to shop online is very risky because once the information of your card is out there, you run the risk of being hacked. It is better to use a credit card or alternatively, you could get another debit card that is different from your main account for your online shopping and transfer the exact amount you need anytime you want to shop online.

Online shopping is really fun and saves you from the stress of shopping, but it also comes with some risks. The online shopping mistakes listed here will help you avoid falling into pitfalls while shopping online.