Shopping online is a fun experience but you also need to be wary of fraud and scams. Online shopping is getting more popular and most people are now using the internet to find what they want. There are many online shopping stores out there but not all of them have good quality products. There are several stores that pretend to sell products for cheap but in reality they do not. This is why you need to know what to look for and what to avoid when going online.

There are a few things that you should watch out for when looking for an online store. Most of them will say that they are offering free shipping but this is not true. The only free shipping, that they offer is if you buy four or five items from their store. You must read their terms and conditions on this shipping. Sometimes they will give you two or three months supply for free and then you have to start paying for it.

You should always look at the privacy policy for any website before giving them your credit card information. You do not want to end up giving out your information to a company that will sell your credit card information to other companies. If a website does not have a privacy policy then you should look elsewhere for your shopping needs. Even major websites such as Amazon use a safe checkout system so you do not have to worry about that happening to you.

Another thing to keep an eye out for is when they are charging you for shipping and handling. This can sometimes be cheaper than the actual cost of the product. You should always read the fine print on the website because there are a few instances where they charge you for shipping and handling even after you have shipped the item. This is to make up for the time that they spent to deliver the item. They will only charge you once you have received your product. If you do not like the way they are doing this, then you should look somewhere else for your purchases.

You also want to make sure that you are getting a secure site. If you have ever seen a website that was phishing you then it is time for you to stay far away from that site. Also, do not get lulled into a false sense of security by giving out your personal information. Some people are using social networking sites to get credit card details. It would be in your best interest to sign up for a social networking site and keep your social network private.