How to Successfully Shop From Home

Use the Internet as the wonderful research tool that it is before you buy, when making your purchases and to follow up if there are any foul-ups.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Printers
• File Cabinets
• Internet Access
• Credit Cards And Loans
• File Folders
• Printer Paper
• Computers

1. Visit manufacturers' sites and read product descriptions. Also visit sites that offer product ratings and reviews by specialists and by consumers like you who own the products (www.epinions.com, www.productopia.com, www.deja.com).
2. Use companies that enable comparison shopping (www.mysimon.com, www.cadabra.com). Select the product you're interested in, and the site will return a list of merchants who sell it and their prices.
3. Ask friends and family for site recommendations, and avoid those they've had bad experiences with.
4. Protect your privacy. Provide personal information only if you know who is collecting it, why and how it's going to be used.
5. Guard your passwords. When shopping online, use a password that's different from the one you use to log on to your computer or network.
6. Consider paying with a credit card. If you have a legitimate dispute with the seller later, you may not be responsible for paying the charge on your credit card.
7. Keep copies of all receipts, warranty cards and instruction manuals.
8. Expect your order to be shipped within the time promised or, if not specified, within 30 days of receiving your order.
9. Expect the company to notify you if shipment cannot be made on time and to give you the choice of waiting longer or getting a refund.
10. Expect the company to ask you if you want to cancel your order if the new shipping date cannot be met - unless you agree to another delay.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the Internet to research the merchant's reputation. Look for services that rate and review e-commerce sites (www.feedbackdirect.com, www.bizrate.com).
• Check the merchant's shipping and return policies. Give preference to merchants that have consumer-friendly policies.
• When you order something by mail, phone, fax or computer, the Federal Trade Commission Mail or Telephone Order Merchandise Trade Regulation Rule requires that the company follow the guidelines above.
• Although federal and state laws protect consumers in transactions completed in the United States, it may be very difficult to pursue claims with a company in another country. Be especially careful in cross-border transactions.