There are millions of scammers on the net and thousands of phishing websites out to steal some money from you. Because of that many people who want to do some shopping online may choose to buy only from sites like Amazon but that forces them to miss out on great deals on other sites. So . . . . . . how does one tell that a shopping site they've found [using a search engine] is legit?
Definitely look up reviews on the internet but not from just any source. Try to use sources that are legit (not something like Xtorereviews.com to check out reviews from Xtore, know what I mean?) Also, if the store doesn't have any reviews online, I'd stay away from it. IF it has reviews, check if those reviewers have links to other areas online in their profiles. I'm not too trusting so I'll shop online from reputable stores but if I find a "new" one, I'll triple check. Plus, do price comparisons anyway.
Besides reviews I always check how they accept payment and where they ship from. There are the usual you can check the company address and website details and how long they have been registered. Check the phone number is legitimate and how genuine the reviews are. It's a lot of work, but if a company has no social media then that's a red flag already or if they prevent people posting or messaging them.
Personally I only tend to buy from the most popular websites, ones that have been around for years and you know you can trust them. Occasionally I'll look at a site that's been recommended but I wouldnt be spending a lot there until I'm sure its trustworthy. I guess that's why a lot is smaller stores and sites go out of business so quickly, not only because they can't compete, but because it takes time to build up a reputation.
If it's too hard to believe it's probably fake! Best bet is to put the URL into Google with the work 'Review' after and it should come up with site reviews from customers. If it doesn't come up with anything stay clear for your own sake! I've been on quite a few sites that I thought look pretty legit but never heard of before and after a quick search I backed straight out! Don't even think you're safe if they say they offer Paypal payment, they're sneaky!
Check the reviews and frequency of shopping, also paypal payment method will protect your payments. Scammers are every where we just have to exercise vigilance and awareness
Aside from reviews, I think a little bit of common sense, and internet savvyness should be your best friends. There are certain elements that should appear as big red flags when you suspect a site of being fake or not legit. One of them being the language; if they are using way too many exclamation marks and very poor grammar, it's most likely that you shouldn't trust them with your money. Another giveaway is usually the poor quality of their website, whether that be poor content, poor colour choices etc. This is a bit more subjective than the last one but by looking around at the well established sites, you should get an idea of some of the things that websites should and shouldn't have. Lastly, I would say is the website having dodgy, and "too good to be true" deals. Because as you should know by now, most of the time when someone is offering something that seems unbelievably cheap (relatively for that industry/product), then it's probably too good to be true.
Look up reviews of their past customers online (be careful, however, as those can be fabricated by them of competitors). Check if they offer PayPal as a payment option. PayPal tends to ban websites from which they receive too much complaints, and scam website will not use PayPal if they have been forced to give too many refunds from the platform.
There's lots of great information here already, y'all are some savvy shoppers! In addition to the above suggestions, I also tend to look for badges such as BBB (Better Business Bureau), and I'll follow through and check out the site on the actual BBB website. I also verify that the address is https, not just http, so I know it's secure. I mainly use PayPal when shopping online, because I've never had an issue with them, and it's a layer of protection between the seller and me. I have had a few issues with buying and selling online over the years, and PayPal has always made the situation right, even when someone claimed they didn't receive a package I'd shipped them. Fortunately, I had delivery confirmation, but PayPal still followed through with an investigation, although it didn't last very long.
To avoid phishing, or being a victim of phishing, I always check out the URL address of websites, before entering my details into them. if it differs from the legit one, or looks even slightly fishy to me, I will move on. Also, I will read the About Us section of websites too, and if there are any typos, or the writing doesn't seem like it is written in good english, I know that the website is not trust-worthy.
Online reviews of the website are my number one way of checking out a site to make sure it is not a scam. Make sure that you check out reviews independent from the site you want to purchase from, because some people can pay for reviews or post fake ones. Scamreport.org is a good site to research an online store you wish to purchase from. Another thing to check out is their BBB rating.
The way that I find out is by researching reviews. Most legit websites will have a lot of reviews from people that have purchased their products. Also, I google the website and see what other people have to say about it. If the website does not have any customer reviews, avoid that site.
I think a tell tale sign is how long a site as been running for. A site that's been around a while will have reviews and customer comments and feed back to look at. Payment options also is a big give away as well I think, if they have multiple payment options this is also a sign that the site is a trusted seller. If people are still unsure though I think a little common sense is called for, if a deal looks too good to be true it probably is.
I always check for reviews, though you sometimes need a bit more than that. Sometimes you just need to be sensible though. Don't buy into extremely unrealistic pricing. Sometimes it really is too good to be true.
I think before you invest your money on a site or buy things/stuffs online, you've got to do a bit of research first. And if you've read good reviews/comments about this particular website, then I think they're legit. Also, if the site looks kind of organized and the prices of the items are just fine, not too expensive and not too cheap, I think it's a real one.
I always read reams of reviews, and now because I know even those can be fake; I mainly read the negative ones. I usually stay away from obscure sites with no reviews, especially if they haven't been in operation for long. I check to see here they're based too. I tend to keep to UK/US/Canada ONLY, that's where I feel safest. Not to say I won't get scammed there, but I feel safer that way. I try to keep to well known sites that people on different forums have shopped with. If a site doesn't take credit cards and/or Paypal, I don't want to know, especially those that insist on Western Union. A long time ago, I was also told that if their url begins https, it's a good sign; I don't know how true that is though.
I'd look up some reviews first and I'd make sure that the people reviewing did actually get their product. I'm very skeptical about reviews sometimes being paid and especially so if it is on their own site. Also more often than not you could tell to some degree whether or not the review is organic and made by someone who actually got a product rather than just being paid to put some fake reviews.
I always go with reviews and word of mouth. If someone on my Facebook page has used the site, and is willing to vouche for them, then there is no question... I wouldn't hesitate to shop through them. If I can't find anyone who has used the site, or reviews that have some positive AND some negative, I won't go near it.
