Online shopping is like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Nearly anything you could imagine, you can buy on the internet. Want a pair of Wolverine Meat Shredder Claws? A bacon scented fake mustache? A thousand live ladybugs? All of these you can buy online!

But with the unlimited freedom of online shopping comes some risks, and just like Willy Wonka’s Factory, there are some rules you should follow to stay safe. You don’t want to end up with some Oompa Loompas singing about your mistake of falling for a scam, getting your credit card stolen, or worst of all, not getting a good deal!
 

Don’t Buy Fake and Misleading Products

Anytime you go online to shop, take with you a healthy amount of skepticism. Believe it or not, people lie on the internet! So, you need to be careful of what you buy, because some things online are fake or intentionally made to mislead you.

Some websites have better reputations against fake products than others. Typically, websites that are a part of well known businesses, like Target or Walmart, don’t have fake products. That’s because they are usually selling the same items they have in stores. Other websites have really good reputations that can let you know they are safe to use. 

Then there are some websites that run a risk of scams, but typically are safe. This is like Amazon, where some people can put up fake or misleading products, but the website has a policy to refund your money if that happens. You can also usually get a good sense if something is fake through reviews.

Then, there are high risk website, where anybody can put anything up and the website tells you to buy at your own risk. Wish, eBay, or unknown websites fall into this area. This is where you think you’re buying a chair, but then you get a picture of a chair, or just straight up nothing.

Stick to websites with a good reputation or have a strong return policy. Avoid shopping on high-risk websites and you won’t lose your money to fake products.
 

Sites Designed to Steal Your Information

Sometimes, a website’s end goal isn’t to sell you something, but instead to steal your information. Nearly every online store requires you to create an account to make a purchase. That means giving up an email address and creating a password, and if you are like half of all people online, you use the same password over and over. 

So maybe the website has a really good deal on something you want. You put it in the cart, go to buy, and have to create an account. You put in your email and the same password you use for everything, then go to make the purchase. Suddenly, something is wrong. Shipping is ridiculous, or the item is sold out, or they don’t ship to your location. So you close the website and move on. But now, they have information about you. Your email address and a password you likely use somewhere else.

They could use that info to possibly hack your email, and from there, other accounts. They’ll search your emails for other places you’ve shopped, or that time you sent a login to another site, or even your social security number. Or if you supplied your credit card to buy something on the stealing site, they now have the means to steal your credit card info.
 

Avoid Impulse Buys
 

The internet thrives on a short attention span and impulsivity. Don’t like the video you’re watching, click something else. Scroll down on your social media account, every flick of a finger shows you something new. 

But when it comes to shopping, especially online, impulsivity is bad. The need to buy right away could mean buying the wrong thing, getting scammed, or not getting the best deal possible. If you buy without taking time to research and think, you might end up with something you regret.

A good rule of thumb is to give yourself about ten to twenty minutes to make a purchase, unless there is a really intense sale or demand for the item. With that time, you can do some research. See if there are similar but better versions available, research better deals, look up reviews, and really take a minute to decide if you want to buy this. 
 

Skip Free Money

Now, if you see the words “free money” while online shopping, be skeptical. Nothing is “free” on the internet. But, when it comes to shopping, including online, there is money you are missing out on.

This comes in the forms of different reward and perk programs. The store may have a loyalty program for shopping with them, your credit card or checking account may give you points for every purchase, and you may receive extra perks when shopping.

Pioneer has two different programs that give you extra money and points when shopping. The first is our Rewards! program. Every time you make a purchase with a Pioneer credit or debit card, you earn Rewards! points. These points can be redeemed for flights, hotel stays, gift cards and merchandise. The other program is our “WOW” checking account. Everytime you make a purchase on Amazon, Google Play, or iTunes and spend at least $10, you get $10 back to your account. 

Open a "WOW" checking account