- The convenience of shopping anytime from anywhere (in pj’s? yes!)
- The ability to easily and quickly find the products you want
- Access to so many more items than you could find locally.
Seller Research
If you want to shop mostly on a few favorite sites, look for online sellers that stock the types of items you often look for and have a good reputation, especially for customer service. Any company can make mistakes or run into unexpected problems. You want to know how they react when that happens.Your first step in researching retailers will be a visit to their website:- Does the address start with https://, indicating a solid level of security?
- Does it look professional?
- Is it easy to navigate?
- Are product photos clear?
- Are delivery and refund policies straightforward ?
- Is it easy to contact customer service or make returns?
Product Research
With a favorite retailer, you might trust in their product curation or choose products that are highly ranked on their website. But you can also independently research your best options. Again, start with a search engine query . It’s likely to produce an array of websites promising reviews, but not all product review sites are equal. Look for ones that aren’t closely linked to or paid for by retailers. Depending on the products you’re researching, the best sources for honest reviews could include:- Amazon customer reviews
- BestReviews.net
- WireCutter (from the New York Times)
- Good Housekeeping
- Best Products
- CNET
- Quora
Ensuring Your Safety
Unfortunately the Internet isn’t Andy’s Mayberry and we can’t know everyone we do business with on a first name basis. In addition, many scams unfortunately target seniors. So, to avoid cheats and scams, always follow good security practices:- Install fraud protection software
- Set up strong passwords
- Don’t use public wifi when you’re sharing sensitive information like credit card numbers