If shopping online has you worried, you’re not alone.  With all the identity theft going on and purchasing scams, it’s easy to see why some worry about buying things online. On top of that, buying something that you can’t see in person– or try on– can be worrisome. And yet a huge percentage of the country still makes online purchases.  Do they know something you don’t? Maybe.

If you’re going to shop online, you need to follow some basic rules to help keep your information safe and also ensure that you’ll be happy with your purchase at the end of the day. First, always use a credit card or paypal when making an online purchase. Most credit card companies offer theft protection for online purchases and companies like American Express will reimburse you if the item is received broken and the seller doesn’t want to give you a refund. Debit cards don’t offer this protection and give would-be thieves access to all the money in your bank account.

Second, never purchase from an email sent to you even if you believe it was sent by a legitimate store. Scam artists send out emails that look identical to store emails but the links don’t actually take you to the store you think you’re going to.  If you see something in an email you’d like to buy, type in the url of that particular store yourself, go the website and locate the item again.  That way, you’ll know you’re purchasing from the actual store, not giving your credit card info to someone who claims to have a product they don’t really have.

Lastly, when buying from an individual, stick to sites like ebay and amazon that will intercede if you have a problem with the seller or product.  Craigslist doesn’t offer that kind of  help leaving customers to fend for themselves if they’re scammed.  Always check out a seller’s ratings and take a moment to google their company name to see what other people have said about them on yelp.com or other review sites.  If lots of people are saying that items arrive broken or damaged, avoid buying from that seller and find one that doesn’t have those types of complaints.