Save time and money when you buy online!

Just a few years ago, even the most avid web surfers were hesitant to buy online. Why? Security was the main issue, with identity theft rampant. It was hard for the average consumer to determine who was a reliable vendor and many of us feared that our sensitive data might fall into the wrong hands.

Indeed, tens of thousands of consumers who did buy online either never received the products they ordered or ended up with their credit card information being sold in black market schemes. The result? These consumers were forced to spend countless hours trying to straighten up the mess. This hurt the many honest vendors' bottom line, even causing many to go out of business.

Today, the number of people who make online purchases are on the rise, due to protective measures implemented that serve to safeguard your data when you buy online. Here we provide the skinny on how you can buy online with confidence, safely and securely, saving both time and money.

Online vendors don't have the heavy overhead of the brick-and-mortar electronics stores, so the online seller can afford to offer substantial discounts. Let's say you're looking for an online source for a DVD player or laptop. Your search turns up a vendor with a great price on just the unit you're looking for. Before you jump to the order page, bookmark the page (or open a new tab) and do a Google search on the company. Begin with 'scams company-name'. Note that some vendors may have two names, as may be the case with sellers with multiple sites. For example, Joe's Discount Electronics may be what you see across the top of the page, but you may find a parent company name on the contact page, or at the bottom of the home page. Should you find a second company name, repeat your search with that name as well. If your search doesn't turn up any results, this is a good sign. Now you're ready to continue screening this vendor.

Check the Better Business Bureau to check for complaints made by other consumers against this seller. Use your best judgment to decide whether the complaints are of a nature that should concern you.

Go back to the seller's site and look for the Verisign logo. The presence of this logo indicates that the vendor has been checked out by this independent organization, providing you with additional assurance of the vendor being reliable and trustworthy.

Now, you'll want to check the seller's 'terms and conditions' and 'privacy policy' pages to see how your info will be used is it kept strictly confidential, or may it be traded or sold to third parties? It's always a good idea to read these documents carefully, to avoid having your email account being flooded with hundreds of unsolicited offers from companies you've never heard of and don't want to!

Are you now ready to buy online, securely, with no hassles down the road? Nope. Before you order, find out about shipping charges, warranties and return policies.

Now, assuming everything checks out to your satisfaction, when you click through to the order page, check the lower right hand corner of the order page. There should be a yellow icon which looks like a master lock. This means that the data you enter is encrypted and secure.

Follow these guidelines before you buy online. It won't take long. You can save a significant amount of money, with additional savings on gas used hoofing it all over town!