Well.....

It just so happens that I've been working in the eCommerce (online shopping) business since 1994. (Gah! That's 18 years! And 20 since I started working full-time in online media! Whoa).

Anyway...

Shopping online is really no big deal anymore, it's safe and convenient, and the prices are very good.

In general, if you shop at a "name brand" store like Amazon.com or Buy.com, you're well protected in terms of customer satisfaction. Or, you should shop at one of the ETS advertisers, all of whom are reputable companies.

All good shopping sites have one or both of product ratings and, if they are just brokering a sale (like eBay), a seller rating. The more reviews or ratings, the better. Not only do bad sellers never get a high number of reviews, bad sellers are quickly eradicated from the reputable marketplaces. In short, pick an online store that is well organized, does not have typos all over it, and do a tiny bit of research with Google or Bing with search terms like "[Company name] return policy" to see what people think.

Here are some of the places where I shop online frequently:

www.amazon.com (sells directly and also is a "virtual mall" for other sellers. My main shopping point)
www.propertyroom.com (sells confiscated items and abandoned items. Auctions)
www.campmor.com (camping stuff etc.)
www.ebay.com (the world's largest marketplace, or so they say)
www.monoprice.com (for realyl cheap prices on electronic accessories)
www.rei.com (camping and outdoor gear)
www.sportsmansguide.com (wal-mart grade outdoor gear and oddball military surplus, occasionally ammo)

Now, as far as payments go, the emotions around PayPal make religious wars seem like a playground spat. I know that Doug Ritter and the ETS foundation won't use PayPal at all, ever and I know that you can't sell on eBay without a PayPal account. Here's my take on it.
I think that PayPal has been the object of every attempted fraudster, every possible hack, every money laundering scheme and every instance of what could happen does happen, and in the end, I think that it's the best way to pay online because of all of this.

A word about credit cards/debit cards:

If you don't like paypal, shop with a CREDIT CARD only online. Not a debit card. Suffice it to say that in the USA, your liability for fraud is $50 maximum, and many (perhaps most) card issuers absorb this without cost to you. Your consumer protections are good with credit cards, not so good with debit cards.
If you MUST use a debit card, link it to a bank account that you use only for online shopping. Debit cards can have "holds" that can be problematic if you use them - money can be locked up for a period of time until all the merchants finish processing their transactions. This is less of a problem with credit cards.


A few things to watch out for in general:
- Outrageous shipping and "handling" charges. Never pay more than 5% of the total price for shipping and handling.
- Returns policy. If they make you jump through hoops and pay a fortune for returns, stay away. Don't shop anywhere with a "no returns" policy.

Finally, don't be afraid to shop across national borders. I buy stuff from Hong Kong, and while shipping takes a while, it's well worth it in terms of cost savings.