Shopping Tip List: Find and read the privacy policy. Read the privacy policy carefully to find out what information the seller is gathering from you, how the information will be used, and how you can stop the process. If a site does not have a privacy policy posted, you may not want to do business with that site. If it does have a privacy policy, there will probably be a link to it from the seller s home page, or it could be included with the Legal Terms.
Online Shopping Tips: Lowest shipping charges: While shopping online, you do have to pay shipping charges on most sites which are calculated after you checkout. It would be prudent to check the shipping charges before you enter your credit card number on the seller s website. Some sites have lower shipping charges than others. Another factor which influences shipping charges is distance. Some sellers offer flat shipping fees no matter where you are located. But some of them may offer distance based shipping. For example if you are located on the east coast and the seller is on the west coast, you may incur higher shipping charges.
Online Shopping Tips: Avoid Taxes: According to the law, you can only be charged sales tax if the seller or the chain of stores is located in the same State as you. It would help if you can find a seller located in a different state to avoid these extra charges.
Holiday Shopping on a Budget: Tips from the Federal Trade Commission: Shop around. A sale price isn t always the best price. Some merchants may offer a sale price on the item you want for a limited time; other merchants may offer items at a discount everyday.