Despite the increasing popularity and millions of products on the Web, online purchases are still a relatively new phenomenon. The number of newcomers to online shopping is now very high. Take advantage of this network and try your luck. Basic safety tips for online shopping can be very useful for beginners and help you avoid the most common mistakes. Let's begin.

1. Only buy from approved retailers or sellers.  Verification can be done independently; using any search engine (for foreign online stores it is better to use Google). Learning more about assessing the reliability of shops and vendors can be found here и here. The safest place to make your purchase is in a large and well known online store.

2. Be suspicious of buying goods at prices well below market value. This advice seems obvious, and yet there are still thousands of sites offering the latest phones, cameras, computers and other products at fabulously low prices. These "shops", alas, are the only ones who benefit. After receiving payment, a store will never send you the product that you ordered. In a variation of this fraud, in addition to complete deception the stores will sell counterfeit products. For example, if the official dealer of any phone says it’s worth 20,000 rubles, and you find a store that offers exactly the same phone for 8000, it will most likely be a fraudster.  

3. If you bought a product and are expecting a package, communication with the seller should not usually continue. For example, if the seller all of a sudden contacts you and requests that you make additional payments for any reason - do not accept it. The reasons may be different in some cases. Standard victims reported that the parcel was delayed at customs, and so they were asked to “pay the fee". Remember, after the payment of your order, the package must be delivered. There should be no more payments to the seller. If you need to pay customs duties, you will be contacted by representatives of Customs or the postal service, but never the seller.

4. Little known small shops can often have very long delivery times and often cancel orders. This is not cheating the customer, but be prepared for such a development. The reason for the delays and unstable work lies in the fact that these stores sell goods without having them in stock. The store may represent the goods on the site as "available" but will actually order your product from the supplier only after receipt of your order and payment. Thus, this category of stores are selling essentially not theirs, but someone else's product. Hence the delay in the timing and cancellation of orders.

5. If you pay online for goods be careful that the connection is encrypted. Any normal site that accepts payments uses encryption. You can tell if the connection is encrypted by checking the blue or green stripe in the address bar of the browser.

6. If you are not sure a seller is 100% genuine it is not recommended that you to pay bank transfers via Western Union, check or postal order. If you pay using these methods and encounter fraud, trying to get your money back will be almost impossible.

7. Only use recorded mail with the ability to track via the Internet . Before the order is placed it is advisable to make sure that the seller or store sends the goods by recorded mail. It is much more reliable than other methods of delivery.

8. Always try to insure the parcel. This will help avoid losses if the package is damaged during delivery.

9. If you are signing for a parcel make sure that it contains what you ordered. Do not sign for the parcel if it does not contain your order. If the parcel is damaged or there is a difference in weight from what is claimed, the parcel may be taken if it is in satisfactory condition, but it is highly advisable to draw up a statement signed by the employee of the mail service who delivered it with a list of any discrepancies or damage. This will help with insurance claims from the post service if the contents of a parcel are damaged or loss.

We hope you can use these tips. Remember - Internet shopping can save a lot of money and give you the opportunity to get exactly the product you are looking for the lowest price! And as with any purchases and sales, compliance with basic rules will help you avoid a bad experience!

Happy shopping!