Internet Shopping

Millions of internet sales take place every day. The following steps will help you enjoy trouble free internet shopping.

1. Shop around to get the best deal. There are many price comparison websites on the internet that may help.
   
   
2. Many high street stores operate on the internet. Prices in internet stores may be different to high street prices.
   
   
3. Make sure you can answer the following questions before you place your order.
   
   
   • Where is the trader? UK businesses should put their full geographic address on the website.
     
     
   • What will the delivery charge be?
     
     
   • Does their website have a secure payments system? Only enter your credit or debit card details if the trader uses a secure site. Look for the padlock system in the corner of the web page and “https” in the internet address line at the top.
     
     
   • Does the trader charge a fee to use your credit card?  If a business intends to do this they must tell you before you place an order.
     
     
   • Terms and Conditions?  Look at the terms and conditions. The law requires that they are fair. The trader must also comply with the Distance Selling Regulations 2000. These regulations will usually give the buyer the right to cancel the contract within 7 days, however, you may have to pay to return the goods if you change your mind. See our separate factsheet for more information on the Distance Selling Regulations.
     
     
4. Seller based abroad. If the seller is based abroad, including the Channel Islands, you need to take extra care. Delivery charges may be more expensive and you may have to pay import duty and VAT on your purchases. Goods might take longer to arrive. If you change your mind or things go wrong it may be expensive to return the goods or prove difficult to sort the problems out.
   
   
5. Extra protection is available if the item or service you are buying costs more than £100 and you use your credit card to pay for all or part of the purchase. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes both the seller and the credit card company equally liable for the contract. This means that if something were to go wrong e.g. the seller ceases trading, you can claim your money back from the credit card company. This offers very useful protection and may even be used if you have purchased goods and services from overseas.
   
   
6. Save a copy of your order or order confirmation. A printout might be useful if you have problems later on.