Shop 'Til You Drop - ECommerce

WAEF Internet workshop by Mr. Curt Minich
This Web page can be accessed at http://minich.com/interneteducation/shopping

Top Shopping Sites:

Recently, in the Access magazine supplement to the Sunday Reading Eagle, I saw these Web sites listed as the most popular online shopping sites:

ebay.com - the popular auction service
amazon.com - a place to buy books, CD's, and many more types of items
cnet.com - great reviews and great deals on computer hardware
mypoints.com - earn & redeem points by surfing the Web & reading junk mail
bluemountain.com - create & send free online greeting cards
cdnow.com - buy music CD's & videos
freeshop.com - advertises hundreds of free deals
americangreetings.com - create & send free online greeting cards
barnesandnoble.com - like the store; you can buy books online
shopnow.com - an online mall that allows you to comparison shop and name your price (priceline-style)

but virtually all traditional stores like Walmart & Kmart sell their goods online.

a/ The typical process - You visit the online store, select the item, input your credit card number and mailing address, and the company sends the item. Most ecommerce sites use a shopping cart metaphor where you select items that you wish to purchase. When an item is selected, it goes into your virtual shopping cart. At any time, you can view the items in your cart or exit the Web site even without having made the purchase. When you are ready to purchase the items, you click on a link that says something like "Go to Checkout Counter". At the Checkout Counter, you will enter your credit card number, verify your order, enter your mailing address, and finally click a button that says something like "Submit Order." Most of the time, you will see a Web page that verifies that you have made the purchase. If you don't see this confirmation or are worried that something went wrong, you should probably call or email the company.

b/ Examples - I've personally purchased books that were not available at the local bookstores, textbooks that weren't even available at my college bookstore, compact discs that were not available locally, flowers for delivery to friends in the hospital, my latest Dell computer, a part for my truck that was not available at A&A AutoParts, plane tickets, and more. Hard to find novelty items are easier to find online than they are in local stores. Goods that are easy to ship (e.g. books) and that have consistent quality (e.g. books) sell well online. I also pay virtually all of my bills online through CheckFree. Any questions about my experiences?

Security Issues

• look for the closed padlock in the lower left corner of your Web browser window when you submit your order at the Checkout Counter
• look for a message that a secure server is being used
• be wary of companies that do not provide a company phone number, address, etc. on their Web site
• set your browser's (e.g. Netscape) preferences correctly and safely
  • your main decision is to accept cookies or not; some online stores may require you to "accept cookies"
• choose good usernames & passwords for online memberships; You may not want to specify for usernames, passwords, credit card numbers to be stored in your Web browser (usually as cookies)
• using credit cards - I recommend that you use one or two specific credit cards for online purchases. You may want to decrease the credit limit on the card to $300 or so. I do use credit cards online since it is just as easy for a criminal to get your credit card number the old-fashioned way (tapping a phone line or breaking into a store's file cabinet or computer) as it is through a computer. Companies are putting a great deal of money into securing their online transactions and encryption is being used to protect the data.
• some Web sites are allowing you to use "digital cash" (e.g. PayPal, beenz, payme, emoneymail) to purchase items. This is fine but realize that ultimately you probably have to buy the digital cash with your credit card number.

Travel

All airlines, hotels, and rental car agencies are active online. You can go directly to the company's Web site such as www.hilton.com or you can go through online travel agencies. Sometimes you will find a better deal online but often with a sufficient amount of comparison shopping. Also, you can often find affordable vacation package deals online, bypassing the need to set up a trip through a travel agent. You may also have to wade through cluttered, confusing Web sites in order to find & make the deal that you want. If you are flying from a major city to another major city, there is no doubt that you can often get a great deal online. However, if you get bumped for some reason, you have no travel agent that will recommend a "Plan B" so be forewarned. Also, you can't really negotiate with an online ticket service like you can sometimes with a travel agent so don't go online if you like to haggle.

Most sites like travelocity.com encourage you to set up a free membership in order to purchase tickets or even view the offerings. Some (including travelocity) offer convenient services like automatice email notification if a good airline ticket price to your favorite city is available.

You may choose to go with a "reverse auction" service like priceline.com. At priceline, you specify the maximum price you are willing to pay for a ticket and the arrival and departure dates. You must also enter your credit card number. Priceline will then automatically sell you a ticket at that price if one is available. The downside is that you may be flying at 6 a.m. in third class but you can get extraordinary prices this way since airlines try to get rid of seats right up to the last minute. Be sure to read the fine print and the restrictions at such reverse auction sites before you purchase the ticket. By the way, priceline also sells hotel rooms & car rentals in this way.

See my list of online travel services at the bottom of this page that include sites like bestfares.com, cheaptickets.com, expedia.msn.com and more.

Visit Travelocity to see how easy it is to buy airline tickets.

Visit Priceline to learn more about the "reverse auction" method of buying tickets.

Ebay

Ebay is a very popular online auction site that allows you to bid on items posted by ordinary people. You must sign up for a free membership however you send the payment directly to the seller. The seller then ships the item to you. Ebay is largely self-monitoring. That is, sellers receive ratings from people who have purchased items. If a seller cheats a bidder somehow, the bidder can spoil his rating. I know several adults who haven't cleaned out their basement, attic, and garage to earn a nice sum of money by selling "stuff" on Ebay. Ebay isn't the online online auction site however it is currently the most popular.

Visit Ebay to see for yourself.

Cars

Many Americans are using the Internet for research when shopping for a new or even used cars. Many sites will even sell the car if you are willing to buy it without taking the time to test drive it. I know that I obtained a better deal on my new Dodge Ram since I had already visited the Dodge Web site, some dealership sites, as well as Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds to find the invoice prices.

Online Grocers

Online grocers haven't infiltrated the Berks County area yet (although NetGrocer.com ships anywhere via FedEx). When they do, I'll be the first to sign up! You order your groceries online, and they are delivered to your doorstep. Only a the big cities have this service so far but customer satisfaction is pretty decent and improving. For example, Webvan gives free shipping on orders of $50 or more and guarantees delivery within a 30 minute window of time. See their Web sites to learn more: netgrocer.com, peapod.com, NetGrocer.com, HomeGrocer.com, Webvan, groceryworks.com, FOODFARE, Electrolley, Bruno Brothers, & YourGrocer.com.

Miscellaneous

Don't forget to visit my Practical Reasons to Use the Internet Web page at http://www.minich.com/interneteducation/beginner/practical.htm . I constantly update it with links to great deals on the Internet including lowermybills.com, free long distance through the Internet, how to surf the Web for free, etc.

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