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Last updated July 2015
ONLINE SHOPPING
GETTING STARTED PAGE 02
Class Overview What You Will Learn ONLINE SHOPPING PROS AND CONS PAGE 03 Benefits of Online Shopping Disadvantages of Online Shopping ONLINE SAFETY PAGE 05 Before You Shop Online Staying Safe Online Protecting Your Identity More Information ONLINE STORES PAGE 07 What Is an Online Store? Browsing for Items The Shopping Cart Paying for Your Items ONLINE AUCTIONS PAGE 12 eBay and Other Auction Sites Searching for Auctions Bidding Online ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 16 Craigslist and Related Sites Searching for Ads Buying on Craigslist View our full schedule, handouts, and additional tutorials on our website: cws.web.unc.edu
GETTING STARTED
Class Overview This is a class for beginning computer users. You should be familiar with the Microsoft Windows operating system and using a browser to surf the Internet. Today we will be going over the basics of using the Internet to research, browse, and purchase products. We’ll learn how to safely shop online, protect your personal information, find product reviews, and choose the appropriate type of shopping website for your needs. If you do not feel comfortable with any of the activities, it is completely fine not to participate. Please let the instructor know if you have any questions or concerns before the class, or as we go along. You Will Learn How To: Weigh the pros and cons of online shopping Prepare to shop online Maintain safe practices while shopping online Protect your identity online Differentiate between the types of shopping sites Choose the appropriate type of shopping site for your needs Find online stores for a variety of products Browse for items on Amazon.com Use the shopping cart Check out safely from an online store Understand how online auction sites work Search for auction items Bid on items on eBay Use online classified sites Buy and sell safely on Craigslist Pay for items securely with credit cards Purchase items using the PayPal payment site Find help if something goes wrong
Disadvantages of Online Shopping Hands-On Inspection One thing that online stores can’t replace is the experience of actually seeing and touching the item you are considering buying. For example, clothes shopping can be very tricky online, since you can’t try on the clothes before you buy. There may also be small details that you decide you don’t like in a product that aren’t noticeable until you have it in your hand. Shipping Some major online retailers now offer free shipping for their products, but many require you to meet a minimum order cost to qualify or only offer this incentive at certain times of year. In general, you should expect to pay an additional shipping cost on top of the price of the items that you order. For larger items, like furniture, this can really add up! Additionally, if you decide that you don’t like a product, you will have to pack it back up and take it to the post office to return it. Again, some retailers will offer free returns, but some do require you to pay for return postage. In that case, even if you’ve decided against keeping an item, you’ve still had to pay several dollars for the shipping! Wait Time Waiting for your item to arrive is another downside of online shopping. One of the great pleasures of shopping at a store is the instant gratification—you see something you like, you pay for it, and then you get to take it home and use it right away! In the case of online shopping, you may have to wait days or even weeks for the item to arrive at your door. Especially if you are in a time crunch, then you may want to consider purchasing your item at a local retailer. Privacy When you shop online, you waive certain privacy rights to the online retailer. Online stores can track your purchases over time to give you more suggestions of things you might like to buy, send you e-mails with sale information, and, occasionally, sell your contact information to other companies. These days, many brick-and-mortar stores do the same thing, tracking your information through your credit card (Target is a notable example). However, it is much trickier for traditional stores to do this, as you may sometimes pay in cash or refuse to provide your e-mail address at checkout. In contrast, by purchasing something in an online store, you sign away certain privacy rights—this is why it is always a good idea to read the Terms of Service.
ONLINE SAFETY
The Internet is a great resource and can be a powerful tool for finding information, shopping, and communicating. But, just like everything else in life, you need to be careful using it. There are some bad people who will try to steal your information online, but if you take the proper precautions, identity theft will be unlikely to happen to you. Before You Shop Online
- Contact your bank and find out about their policies regarding identity theft. It is also important to know these policies about your credit cards. Will you be held responsible for purchases made with your information, should it be stolen?
- Consider installing anti-virus software on your computer. Antivirus software for one computer is typically less than $50, depending on the brand and protection period (i.e., some antivirus software is only good for a year). The most popular brands of anti-virus software are Symantec/Norton and McAfee. You can buy anti-virus software anywhere computers are sold. Talk with a sales associate at a computer store in order to determine which program best suits your needs.
- After you install anti-virus software on your computer, you will need to update it frequently (most programs will do this automatically). Just like real viruses, computer viruses can change quickly over time. Consider an anti-virus update like getting your annual flu shot, except needed more often.
- Be aware of the variety of scams that appear on the Internet. As a general rule, if you get an offer from an unknown e-mail address (or even an e-mail forwarded on from a friend!) that sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Staying Safe Online
- Shop on secure websites. When you log in with your account information, a secure website’s address will begin with “ https:// ” instead of “ http://”. This stands for a secure HTTP connection. If you are using Internet Explorer, a padlock should appear in the top right-hand corner of the address bar in your internet browser window. Many sites will also have some form of a verification symbol to show that company complies with the highest form of encryption and security.
- Always read a website’s privacy policy before providing any information. If something doesn’t sound right, don’t give them your information! You wouldn’t hand your credit card to just anyone on the street, so don’t do it online. Making websites is easier than you think, and sometimes crooks can create very legitimate-seeming websites.
- Smaller websites often use PayPal, a middleman company that exclusively handles online purchases. Using PayPal is generally considered safe, but always read the privacy policy and beware of imposters!
- Legitimate websites will never ask for your credit card number or other personal information by e-mail, so never trust e-mails that request this information, even if it appears that the e-mail came from PayPal or Amazon.com. Also, don’t click on any links in the e-mail if it requests this sort of information—it’s probably a scam.
ONLINE STORES
What Is an Online Store? You can think of an online store like a combination of a traditional brick-and-mortar store, warehouse, and consumer magazine. You are able to browse and search for items, as you would in a regular store; there is a wider range of products, sizes, and colors of products, as you would find in a warehouse; and most online stores contain reviews of products by people who have already purchased and tried out the product. Online stores have been around since 1994, right after the birth of the Internet. One of the most famous online-only retailers, Amazon.com, launched in 1995. Over $142 billion was spent on online retail sales in the United States in 2010. Clothing is the most commonly purchased item on the Internet, followed by jewelry. Most traditional stores also have an online version of their store (For example, Walmart also sells products through www.walmart.com). However, you should be aware of some of the very well-known and trusted online-only retailers. Amazon.com : Amazon started out as an online book retailer, but today the site sells everything from books and DVDs to kitchen appliances and groceries. Amazon is the creator and sole seller of the Kindle eBook reader. It is the world’s largest online retailer. Zappos.com: When Zappos started in 1999, it only sold shoes, but quickly grew, in part because of its free shipping both ways (i.e., free returns up to 365 days later) policy. Today, Zappos sells clothing and shoes, and has become famous for their customer service. Etsy.com: Etsy is a marketplace for handmade, DIY, and vintage items. You can find everything from handmade clothing, photographs, and bath products to craft supplies and antique housewares. eBay: The most well-known auction site on the Internet, eBay allows you to bid on anything from playing cards to cars. eBay now also offers a “Buy-It-Now” feature, making it much more like a traditional retail site. eBay was the first site to use PayPal as a means of payment; we will talk about this service and its pros and cons later in this handout. Groupon: If you love a bargain, Groupon offers daily deals that you can buy to local businesses. They also sell discounted limited-length sale items, like electronics or other luxury items. Deals are delivered to your e-mail inbox daily, so that you don’t miss out on any of the latest deals!
Browsing for Items Just like you would in a regular store, you can either look for a particular item or browse around in an online store. If you already know what item you are looking for, you can go ahead and search for that particular item. On most shopping websites, a search tool will be located at the top of the screen. Type in the item name and press “Go,” “Search,” or a similar word. The example below comes from Amazon.com. If you do not have a specific product in mind, you may either browse by department, usually located on the left-hand side of the screen, or search for a very broad category of item, like “toys.” If you know you are in the market for a new TV, for example, you might search for “television” in the search box, which would then show you all the different types of TVs that Amazon carries. You could also browse in the “Electronics & Computers” department. Most departments also have subcategories when you click on them; for example, the “Electronics & Computers” department includes “TV & Video,” “Laptops, Tablets, & Netbooks,” “Appliances,” and more. Often, you might get an overwhelming number of results when you search, so you can narrow down your results by smaller categories (for example, HDTVs, 3D TVs, specific brands of TVs). These suggested refinements and links might be at the top or left-side of the screen, depending on the website. To find out more information about a product, you may either click on the picture of the item, or the name of the item. To return to the list of items, simply use the back button on your browser. You can always change the department where you are browsing or refine your search at any point in the process. Simply enter a new or more specific word in the search box at the top of the screen and click “Search.” You can always get back to your previous search by using the back button on your browser. Likewise, you can simply click on a new department to change where you are browsing.
Paying for Your Items When you have decided on what you would like to purchase, you can complete your transaction by clicking on the “Checkout,” “Proceed to Checkout,” or a similarly named button in the shopping cart. Many online shopping websites require you to create an account before you can check out—generally, all you will need to do is enter your e-mail address and create a password. These businesses ask for this so that they can send you advertisements and deals to your e-mail inbox, as well as keep a record of all of your purchases—the cost of the convenience of online shopping! For most shopping websites, you will need to input, at a minimum, your name and e-mail address, as well as create a password, in order to check-out with your items. If you think that you might forget your username or password, then entering your mobile phone is probably a good idea. It also allows you to get text messages about item deliveries to your phone, which may be helpful or annoying. In order to receive your items, you will need to enter an address for where you would like the products to be shipped. This may or may not be the same as your billing address. You may also choose to ship your items to other people. Depending on the website that you are using, this step might look slightly different, and ask for slightly different information.
You generally have several options of payment methods when purchasing items online. The most common way to pay online is with a credit card; you almost never want to pay for items online with cash or cash-like methods (e.g., debit cards, money orders, personal checks). Credit cards offer some additional protections from fraud, including zero-liability policies (you are not held responsible for purchases made with your stolen card) and credit protector services that alert you to fishy activity. Importantly, credit cards are not directly linked to your bank account, so no money will be withdrawn from your account until you pay your monthly bill. Some people prefer to pay for their online purchases through online payment services, like Google Checkout and PayPal. These services act like middlemen in the online shopping world—you give your credit card information to one of these services, then they will disguise your information to the merchant. This way, your credit card information is only shared with one company. There is no cost for you to pay with these services, but there is a small charge for vendors. Many larger companies and companies that appreciate that customers would feel more comfortable with these services offer them, but not all companies do. All eBay purchases, for example, are conducted via PayPal (more on this in a moment). PayPal and other payment websites will never ask for your credit card number or other personal information by e-mail, so never trust e-mails that request this information, even if it appears the e-mail looks like it came from PayPal or Google Checkout. Don’t click any of the links in the e-mail if it requests this sort of information—it’s probably a scam. Many shopping websites now include an additional security measure called a “captcha.” This is a photograph of a word that might look a little bit blurry or hard to read and is meant to prove that you are a human and not a robot. These can be tricky to decipher and, depending on the website, sometimes you can have the words read out loud to you or get more than one chance to enter it correctly. Examples of Captchas
includes Home & Garden, Hobbies & Toys, Baby, and more. From there, you will find even further subdivisions of categories. If you choose to use the search box to look for items instead, be sure to use as specific keywords as possible. If you are looking for a Batman lunchbox, be sure to use both the words “Batman” and “lunchbox”—this way, you won’t get everything to do with Batman or every style of lunchbox. After you run your initial search, you can also use the options on the left side of the screen to specify cost, condition, brand, size, or color. You may also perform an advanced search, which is located right next to the search box. By clicking on this link, you will be taken to a page that allows you to search by other options, such as location, shipping options, currency accepted, and more. Some auctions have a “Buy It Now” option, which means that the seller has set a price that they are willing to accept to just let you buy the item. This is only available before anyone else has bid on the item, and is usually a bit (or a lot) more expensive than the starting bid. However, it does take away the stress of a bidding war. You can also choose to search by items that have this option. Some sellers will also accept the best offer. Your search results will be sorted by the “best match” by default, but you can choose to have them listed by time remaining in auction, price, or distance, depending on your preference.
Bidding Online Just as you are required to create an account to buy things on retail sites, you are also required to create an account on eBay to buy or sell items. From every eBay page, there are links to both “Sign In” and “Register”: This allows for more security than Craigslist.org and allows you to keep track of your searches, leave feedback, and use other services. By requiring sellers and buyers to identify themselves in some way, eBay is then able to monitor behaviors and keep disreputable people at bay. By entering your personal information, such as your name and address, this will tell sellers where to ship the items that you have won. It will also allow for accurate calculation of shipping costs. By entering your phone number, you can recover your account password if you forget it later. You will also need to create a user ID and password. The user ID will be displayed to other bidders and the seller instead of your name. You must also pick a secret question, in case you forget your password. Once you’ve completed all of these steps, click “Submit” and eBay will send a confirmation to your e-mail address and you can start bidding!
ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS
If online retail sites are like department stores and eBay is like an auction house, then Craigslist and other online classified sites are like gigantic yard sales. Craigslist and Related Sites To a large extent, Craigslist and similar sites have replaced newspaper classifieds as a way for people to advertise and sell their used household goods, cars, etc., or rent homes and apartments. Craigslist began in 1995 as an e-mail list among friends in San Francisco, to keep them up-to-date on local events. In 1996, Craigslist moved online and started to include postings about buying and selling, not just event notices. Today, the site covers over 700 cities, metropolitan areas, and regions in 7 0 countries. There are over 20 billion page views per month on the site, with 49.4 million unique U.S. visitors monthly. Over 80 million new ads are placed on the site every month. It is available in 12 languages, including Danish, Dutch, English, Filipino, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. While Craigslist is the largest and most frequently used online classified site, there are other sites that perform similar functions, including Oodle (formerly Facebook Marketplace and powering Walmart’s Marketplace), Yahoo Classifieds, and eBay Classifieds (formerly Kijiji). Before you decide to use one of these online classifieds sites, there are a few things to keep in mind: o You are responsible for your postings and interactions with members of the online classifieds community—these sites bear no responsibility. o These sites provide a way for you to get in touch with sellers and buyers, but are not involved in any transactions. If you are scammed or cheated out of your money, your only recourse is through the Federal Trade Commission. o These sites are relatively anonymous and you might not always know who you are dealing with. You should also follow some additional safety measures when engaging in this type of buying and selling: o Always meet with buyers and sellers in public places. Do not invite the people you connect with on these sites into your home. o Before you go meet a buyer or seller, let friends and family know where
you are going. o Take a cell phone with you when you go to meet a seller or a buyer. o If you ever feel like something is weird or just not right, trust your instincts. Searching for Ads To begin, go to www.craigslist.org. In most cases, it will automatically detect your location and show you listings that are relevant to your area: As you can see, there are many different categories of listings for you to browse through, everything from personals to job listings, furniture sales to apartment rentals. When you click on a category, listings will be displayed from the most recent to the oldest.
Buying on Craigslist When you find an item that you are interested in purchasing, you will then need to contact the seller. Unlike on the previous types of shopping sites we have discussed, you do not have to create an account in order to enter into a purchase. Typically, Craigslist will provide an anonymous e-mail address for the seller to use. This prevents the seller’s private information from being available to the general public. The seller will give the contact information they wish people to use, either a phone number or an e-mail address. You must arrange with the seller any viewing of the product, the price, and the method of payment. As always, be careful about sharing your personal information with a seller, and review the safety tips earlier in this packet. Be safe, have fun, and happy shopping! NOTE: Images and screen captures may differ from those seen on another system. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License 2.
