The Dumb Dog.com Blog

Shopping online is one of the safest and easiest ways to find what you are looking for from the comfort of your computer.  Here are some of the things I look for when shopping online:

Safety and protection from ID theft are one of the many reasons shoppers visit Amazon, eBay, and other major online retailers because they know their payment is safe, and the seller will deliver the goods in a timely manner.  I mention these two sites in particular, because they both have a  feedback system where you can rate the seller and see how well they have done in the past.  I also sell on both Amazon and eBay and you are welcome to shop in either of my stores.  Shopping on both venues does come at a price.   You may or may not see a difference in price, but know this:  Both eBay and Amazon charge ~15% to the seller to sell their items on their site.  This is one reason many sellers, like me, have their won website.  Cheaper pricing and better service often comes from these sites.

How do you trust a site?  Just because it is the first site you see when surfing Google does not make it the best bargain or service.

Trust a site?  Well, I hope you have anti virus software and spyware running on your computer.  That is the first line of defense.  Having Google Toolbar would be second.

ASK QUESTIONS! Don’t be afraid to ask questions! It is the only way to find out what kind of customer service your ‘storekeeper’ has.  If you don’t get an answer in less than 36 hours, you just found out who they think their Customer is! Also while shopping look to see how they handle checkout.  Look for an authorized seal of approval, such as VeriSign, or Authorize.net.  PayPal is good. Excellent in fact, as they also offer a Security Key.  You password will NEVER get stolen or compromised if you have one of those.   Other’s prefer Google Checkout.  That’s good too.

Just be sure when you are checking out that the address bar at the top of the browser starts with https:  (not http:). This tells you that you are on a secure server, and that the connection is encrypted for security.

When the sale is completed and you have your product, please take time to leave feedback.  No I’m not talking about a form or page on eBay/Amazon, take the time to communicate directly with the seller, especially if there is a problem or concern with the product of service you received.

Happy Shopping, and give that furry eared pal of yours ear rubs from me.