1. Online Shopping
Shop Smart, Stay Safe
A Presentation by:
Imran Ali (FA10-MB-0188)
Sahrish Karim (FA09-MB-0171)
Nazish Verteji (FA10-MB-0033)
2. Overview
1. Term “Online Shopping”
2. Online Shopping Process
3. Why Shop Online ?
• Advantages
• Disadvantages
3. Tips for Protecting Yourself
4. Popular Online Shopping Sites
• eBay
• Amazon
3. Online Shopping
Online shopping is the process whereby consumers
directly buy goods or services from a seller in real-
time, without an intermediary service, over the
Internet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_shopping
6. Advantages
• Incredible convenience
• Price comparisons
• Infinite choice
• Opportunity to compare as many products and prices
• Easy access to consumer reviews
• No pressure shopping
• Savings in time
• Avoid Crowds
• No driving and parking
• Information on product comparison easily available
• 24/7 shopping
• It allows people to browse through many items and categories
without leaving their house
7. Disadvantages
• You can't try things on
• You can't talk to someone immediately
• Privacy and security
• Time consuming to return faulty goods
• more chances for mistakes in ordering the wrong item
• Judgment of size and quality
• Shipping Cost
• Lack of touch and feel of merchandise
• lack of close quality examination
8. Tips for Protecting Yourself
5 Tips for Safe Online Shopping
Taken from Washington Post article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/21/AR2007112102673.html
9. Tips for Protecting Yourself
1. Shop From a Secure PC
If possible, avoid using the family PC that your
children use to chat with their buddies and
play games online. Those machines,
especially if they're a Microsoft Windows
computer, are often already infected with
spyware. An infected system will undermine
all of the other precautions you might take to
avoid online fraud.
Before you start shopping online, make sure your
system is running with up-to-date anti-virus
software, and that you're using a firewall to
block potential intruders. Just as important,
be sure that your computer has the latest
Microsoft software security updates installed.
10. Tips for Protecting Yourself
2. Shop Smart, and Only at Sites You Know &
Trust
Avoid search-engine shopping. For the safest
online shopping experience, it's best to stick
with merchants you know and trust. Most
importantly, make sure you have read and
understand the merchant's shipping and return
policies before making any purchases.
Be sure to print a copy of each receipt or
confirmation e-mail you receive. Keep all of
your receipts in a folder and filed away in a safe
place.
Never buy anything advertised via unsolicited e-
mail. Such offers are almost always a scam.
11. Tips for Protecting Yourself
3. Shop with Your Credit Card
Most online merchants accept both credit
and debit cards. Under federal law, credit
card issuers can only hold customers liable
for the first $50 of fraudulent transactions,
and most issuers will ignore even that
amount.
Experts say credit cards still present less
potential for annoy when dealing with your
financial institution should unauthorized
charges show up later on a monthly
statement.
Never, I repeat, never, shop at sites that ask
you to wire your payment or send money
orders.
12. Tips for Protecting Yourself
4. Consider Alternative Payment Methods
For the truly fraud-wary online shopper, there
are still plenty of alternatives to entering your
account number at multiple Web sites. Many
financial institutions and card issuers --
including Bank of America, Citibank, Discover,
and PayPal -- offer customers the ability to
generate unique, "virtual" or "one-time use"
account numbers that are good for a single
transaction or a handful of specified
transactions only and cannot be reused.
13. Tips for Protecting Yourself
5. Get a Handle on Spam
If you worry that giving away your e-mail address
at multiple online merchants might wind up
cluttering your inbox with more junk mail, consider
creating a new address for each new Web site that
requires you to enter one as part of the
registration process. This allows you take action if
a merchant you're doing business with sells or rents
your e-mail address to marketers.
NOTE: We recommend creating an unique e-mail
used just for online purchases. Free e-mail
accounts are readily available from Google, Yahoo!
, and Hotmail.
14. Tips for Protecting Yourself
Other Online Shopping Tips
• Keep all passwords private.
• Never give out your Social Security Number.
• Read site's privacy and security policy.
• Look for "https://" at the beginning of web address.
• Pay attention to shipping facts and terms.
• Learn the merchant's Cancellation, Return and
Complaint-Handling Policies.
• Consider using single-use card numbers.
• Be extremely cautious of anything that is offered in an
unsolicited or spam email.
15. Popular Online Shopping Sites - eBay
eBay - www.ebay.com
The following is taken from the eBay website
eBay is "the world's largest online marketplace - where practically anyone can
sell practically anything at any time. It's an idea that BusinessWeek once
called "nothing less than a virtual, self-regulating global economy.
"With a presence in 39 markets, including the U.S., and approximately 84
million active users worldwide, eBay has changed the face of Internet
commerce. In 2007, the total value of sold items on eBay's trading platforms
was nearly $60 billion. This means that eBay users worldwide trade more than
$1,900 worth of goods on the site every second."
16. Popular Online Shopping Sites - eBay
What can you do on eBay?
• Bid on new and used items
• Find market value on almost any item
• Sell new or used items
• Participate in charity auctions
• Run an eBay-based business
• Find reviews on select products
17. Popular Online Shopping Sites - Amazon
Amazon - www.amazon.com
Founded in 1994 as an online bookstore, Amazon is now America's largest
online retailer.
Amazon offers a huge variety of products and allows individuals and
businesses to sell both new and used products via its site.
Amazon is a pioneer in social media allowing customers to rate and write
about available products and allowing these "reviewers" to provide
suggestions based on certain likes and interests.
18. Popular Online Shopping Sites - Amazon
Advantages of Amazon
• Wide variety of products
• Ability to purchase used products
• Flat rate, and often, free shipping
• Create a wish list for later purchases
• Clear and dependable return policy
• Discounted items and promotional sales
19. Popular Online Shopping Sites
Other popular online shopping sites:
• Wal-Mart - general merchandise
• Target - general merchandise
• Dell Computers - Dell brand computers and accessories
• Best Buy - electronics and computers
• JC Penny - general merchandise
• New Egg - computer-related merchandise
• QVC - general merchandise
• ETSY - handmade items
