Cyber Monday – November 28th

What is Cyber Monday? Cyber Monday has been dubbed such in 2005. It is the immediate Monday following Thanksgiving. It became so named because retailers begain to notice that online sales increased the Monday after thanksginving and became the highest sales day in 2010.

Benefits:

• No crowd hassles. Point and Click
• Great Deals
• New deals

You can get even better deals if you wait till after Cyber Monday on certain items. So be aware that there will continue to be sales all season long.

Here are some tips for shopping online today.

1. Use Good Judgment

This is one time it’s not only acceptable but preferable to judge a book by its cover. Carefully choose which Web sites you shop from, sticking to trustful major retailers that are reputable. If a Web site looks sketchy, it is most likely is unreliable. And most likely, major reputable retailers like Amazon, Walmart or Target are offering the same sale, if not a better deal.

2. Ensure Your Safety

While shopping, ensure the area is safe and conducted over a secure connection. It’s better to shop privately at home where you know the connection is secure, rather than at the library or coffee shop or even and especially, at work, where a third party can retrieve your personal information.

3. Watch What You Click On

Do not click on any links from e-mails or on social networking Web sites, especially if they offer a free gift card or electronic device, as they are more likely scams. If you cannot find the deal using a simple Google search, it’s a fake.

4. Take Precautions

Before you even begin scouring the web for deals, ensure your computer software, browser and all essential security tools (spam filters, anti-virus, anti-spyware and a secure firewall) are in place and up-to-date.

5. Double Check Security Measures

When checking out an order from an online shopping Web site, always make sure the merchant has a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Web certificate. Look for the “s” in the hyperlink address (page begins with “https://” instead of http://) for ensured security.

6. Return Policies

Beforehand, familiarize yourself with the Web site’s return and exchange policies, if you think there is even a slight chance of returning an item. Also, check out the company’s shipping offers, which might be complimentary as many Web sites are offering free shipping for the holidays.

7. Keep Receipts

Gone are the days of keeping old receipts in a shoebox to collect dust. Nowadays, you can file all of your receipts online easily, to ensure you get what you purchased for the correct price.

8. Use a Credit Card

The Better Business Bureau suggests that all online shoppers use a credit card rather than wire transfers or other means, as they can be tracked. Also, many credit cards have protection against fraud, which credit card users can benefit from. Your debit card proabaly does not.