ABA Family Legal Guide

Computer Law

Online Purchases

How do I shop safely online?

Common sense will prevent many potential problems in cyberspace.

When shopping online, you lack many of the telltale signs of a company's reliability that you witness firsthand when shopping in person. Over the Internet, you cannot readily judge how well products are maintained, how well stocked or stable the company is, or how knowledgeable the salespeople are. Therefore, for safety's sake, it might be best to shop online with companies you know and trust. Also, there are a number of seal of approval programs, such as the Better Business Bureau's site, that allow you to assess an online company.