Real Online shopping

What do I need to know about online shopping?

If you want to shop online you need to know where to go, how to find out what's on offer, how to pay and how to be sure that you're shopping somewhere you can trust.
It's easy to get confused when you're shopping by computer, so knowing what to look for is important.
After all, if you're buying clothes online you want to be sure they're what you want.

How it works
Shopping online is more like using a shopping catalogue than anything else. You look through the list of all the stuff they've got to sell, choose the things you like and send off your order.
It's a bit more complicated than that - this is the internet after all - but you'll quickly see that it's

pretty similar.
The front page of an online shop is like a window in the shopping centre - you get the shop name and an idea of the sort of stuff they sell, with all the special offers and things they think will make you want to buy.
Once you step inside then everything is laid out on shelves - in an online shop this is the catalogue. You wander around putting stuff into your shopping basket and then you reach the

checkout and pay.
If you're in the mall then you take the stuff home yourself, but unless you're buying music or computer programs that can be sent directly to you over the internet you'll have to arrange

home delivery.
And once you've tried the clothes on or seen what the curtains look like against your wallpaper, you might want to return goods to the shop.

Finding the shops
You can try using a search engine to find a shop, but you're better off with a directory. If you want to buy wallpaper online then searching for 'wallpaper shops' at Yahoo! will quickly take you to Wallpaperdirect.

The checkout

At the checkout you hand over your money. Most online shops let you pay by credit or debit card - Switch or Delta. You'll need to enter the card number and expiry date.
Some sites are cautious enough to ask you for the security code printed on the back of your card too, in case someone has found an old receipt in the dustbin and stolen your card number.
Before you pay, make sure that the site you're using has a safe checkout. Look for a small padlock in the bar at the bottom of your web browser.
This tells you that the information you're sending to the shop can't be read by other internet users. If you don't have a bank account then you'll find it difficult to use online shopping, as they don't take cash and most won't even let you send them a cheque in the post.

Getting my stuff
Unless you're buying music to play on your computer, or a program that you'll be running, the stuff you've just bought will need to be delivered to you. Some online shops just post it; others use delivery services like Securicor or Federal Express.

Some of the online supermarkets have their own delivery teams, like Tesco and Asda. The main problem is making sure you're in when the stuff arrives, as otherwise you'll have to collect it.
The supermarkets will let you choose a delivery slot, and they'll deliver at weekends too, but if you buy from Amazon you'll be lucky if you're at home when the post arrives.
You also need to be careful that you don't end up paying too much for delivery. With Tesco it's a flat 5 pounds on top of your shopping bill, which is ok if you're doing a weekly shop.
But other sites charge differently. The delivery charge should be clearly stated when you get to the online checkout - if it isn't then you're taking a risk, because you could end up with a bigger bill than you thought.

Do I trust them?
It's easy to set up an online shop. Too easy, as this means that dodgy dealers can make themselves look as good as Marks & Spencer with a bit of work, and customers would not be able to tell the difference.