The Cookware HeadQuarters

I love Giving Gifts & Getting Them During Holidays.

Mattter of fact, we buy lot of kitchenware, kids things and electronics from online shopping. Call me lazy. I really love Christmas and Holidays gift giving along with making birthdays, anniversary and other life event special. However, I am not too crazy about driving around to get deals.With online shopping, I can quickly compare the best prices around, free shipping or deals all from sitting at kitchen table, sipping my Chai Latte.

We show our love and care to friends and family via gift we buy. A few years ago during Christmas holiday, I used to make a plan to shop for everyone by November to get relaxed December but that did not quite work, as many of best deals for shopping happens around Thanksgiving holiday or event better known as “Black Friday”.

Why I love Shopping Online:

For a few years I used to get up by 3 AM in morning to stand in line and getting pushed all over and losing deals if I was late even for 30 minutes. I got tired, grumpy and was losing on my holiday gift giving spirit. Until one day I realized that I can do most of the shopping online, even during black Friday and cyber Monday deals. Thus saving me headaches of driving, waking up early and fighting rushed, angry shopper crowd.

Since then I also do shopping online for other events throughout the year for birthdays, anniversary, kids gifts, and so on. I still love in store shopping experience once in a while when I am meeting my girl friend for relaxed chai latte and showing off my new handbag that I bought cheap from online. I simply back in love with joy of gift giving.

Side Note: I only use and recommend safe and reputable online shopping companies here. I or other writers are not part of these company so always double check the price and product before buying as sometimes vendors changes information without us knowing.

Online Shopping Tips

Over the years I have learned a few online tricks and tips that I want to share for best shopping experience and avoiding headaches later on. Here’s a list of tips endorsed by better business bureau, you should consult when shopping online. Print this page and keep it in a handy place so it will be easy to review before you order.

• Trust your instincts. If you don’t feel comfortable buying or bidding on an item over the web, or if you feel pressured to place your order immediately, maybe you shouldn’t.
• Be knowledgeable about web-based auctions. Take special care to familiarize yourself not only with the rules and policies of the auction site itself but with the legal terms (warranties, refund policy, etc.) of the seller’s items that you wish to bid on.
• Double check pricing. Whether the product is being sold as new or used, be suspicious of prices that are too good to be true. Also consider carefully whether you may be paying too much for an item, particularly if you’re bidding through an auction site. You may want to comparison shop, online or offline, before you buy.
• Find and read the privacy policy. Read the privacy policy carefully to find out what information the seller is gathering from you, how the information will be used, and how you can stop the process. If a site does not have a privacy policy posted, you may not want to do business with that site. If it does have a privacy policy, there will probably be a link to it from the seller’s home page, or it could be included with the Legal Terms.
• Review the return, refund, and shipping and handling policies as well as the other legal terms. If you can’t find them, ask the seller through an e-mail or telephone call to indicate where they are on the site or to provide them to you in writing. See Legal Terms.
• Check that the Internet connections are secure. Before you give your payment information, there are various icons and software programs that indicate that security software is in place. See Security.
• Use the safest way to pay on the Internet. Pay for your order using a credit card. See Payment.
• Print the terms. You should print out and date a copy of terms, conditions, warranties, item description, company information, even confirming e-mails, and save them with your records of your purchase. See Recordkeeping.
• Insure the safe delivery of your item. If you’re concerned about the safety of your package if there’s no one home to receive it, ask whether you can specify that the shipper must receive a signature before leaving the package. Or, it may be safer to have the package delivered to your office. See Delivery.
• Inspect your purchase. Look at your purchase carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact the seller as soon as possible if you discover a problem with it. Tell the seller in writing about any problem that you are concerned with, ask for a repair or refund, and keep a copy of your correspondence.

Other Important Keys to Note When Shopping Online.

1. Know your Merchant:
It’s a good practice to be familiar with the name or reputation of any company you’re dealing with. You can often find helpful information about online companies from Internet news sources, directories, and rating services. The Federal Trade Commission maintains a web site (www.consumer.gov) that provides many buyer’s guides, lists of tips, and links to helpful resources. (Keep in mind that Yahoo! recommends to all merchants within Yahoo! Shopping that they post relevant information about themselves and their business on an “Information” page. Yahoo! Shopping also provides a rating system, whereby customers are able to evaluate merchants. If you see this symbol next to a listing, it means that the merchant has provided “top rated” service to customers.)

2. Protect your privacy:
Know what information the merchant is collecting about you, how it will be used, and if they share it with or sell it to others. You can do this by checking the web site to make sure there is a privacy policy posted, and that you’re comfortable with the way your personal information is treated under that policy. Look for seals from privacy enforcement organizations like TRUSTe or BBBOnLine. Be cautious if you’re asked to supply personal information not needed to make a purchase, such as your Social Security number or personal bank account information. (We post a link to our Yahoo! Privacy Policy at the bottom of most Yahoo! pages. In our policy, written in collaboration with the TRUSTe organization, we explain when and where we collect personal information, and how we use it. We have recommended to merchants using Yahoo! Store that they post a similar policy on their sites.)

3. Get the Details:
Check for expected delivery dates, shipping and handling fees, warranties, return policies, and other important information. Look for an email address to write to (or a phone number to call) if you have a question, a problem, or if you need help. (We recommend to all Yahoo! Store and Shopping merchants that they post all of this pertinent information on their “Information” pages and that they stay in touch with customers using the email and order-tracking tools that we provide. Look for such a page on any Yahoo! Store.)

4. Use a Credit Card and Safeguard Your Password:
It’s a good practice to pay with credit cards, because under federal law (and your credit card agreement) your liability for an unauthorized charge is limited to $50. When using a credit card online, look for an unbroken key or padlock (a graphical icon usually located in the bottom corner of the web page), or for a policy that indicates use of strong security technology such as SSL. This indicates that your credit card data is transmitted securely. Keep your passwords safe, and don’t share them with other people. (Yahoo! Shopping makes credit card purchases simple and safe, with one centralized Yahoo! Wallet and an SSL-secure password. We also offer the Yahoo! Visa Card, a credit card that guarantees risk-free online shopping.)

5. Keep Good Records:
Make sure to print or save electronically any records related to your online transactions. This will help you keep track of shipping dates, shipping and handling fees, and other details of your transactions. (Yahoo! Store allows for an automatic email confirmation to be sent whenever someone orders something. The system also allows for subsequent email updates, and always includes the URL for online order tracking. We recommend to all Yahoo! Store merchants that they use this tool. It’s a great way to stay in touch and allow customers to update their records.)

•  To file a complaint about a fraudulent business practice or to get free information on how to spot, stop, and avoid one, call the Federal Trade Commission, toll-free, at 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357) or visit www.ftc.gov and click on “Consumer Protection.”

Source: Yahoo Shopping and BBB online (Better Business Bureau)

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