mew

I need some advice on buying off the net. Ive just recently got a credit card, and dont want to risk giving out my number to just any old website. Ive never shopped online but Im dying to get some old vids i cant find anywhere else but Amazon.com,.Im confused about that site. Is it used stuff people are selling from themselves or amazon buys it off them and sells it to other ppl? I dont want to risk not getting a product like so many horror stories I heard about ebay. Help-Im confused.

mrquackers

I used to have a phobia about buying online - so used a seldom used credit card, so I'd know real fast if someone stole the number and started running up charges. So far, I've had no problems in over five years.

Amazon.com transactions are about as safe as you can get. They sell some used stuff, but mostly it's firsthand. If it's used, they clearly state so.

If you're nervous, I'd suggest just buying one of the films you want and see if the experience is a good one, then proceed.

Good luck!

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Double D

Amazon sells new stuff.
However, they allow people who do not work for Amazon to sell their goods on the site. Sometimes these goods are brand new, sometimes used.
They are clearly labelled as such, and you as the buyer leave feedback about your level of satisfaction with the purchase.
If you wish to buy a used book for example, your should check out the seller's feedback comments left by previous buyers. You'll get a fair indication of the quality of that seller.
I deal with Amazon a lot, have so for several years. Never have had a problem. I would say they are among the most secure Web sites you could deal with.

cowlick

If you're doing any credit cards over the net stuff, be sure the site is secured with https.

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The_Dude

my parents have the phobia real bad, but i convince them sometimes!!

i'm sure the card has the non-liable thing where you dont get charged if somebody else steals the info or something.

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Redlemon

Many credit cards will allow you to create "one-time" charge numbers through a form on their website. I haven't tried it, personally, but by definition it can't be stolen.

Also, if the website seems iffy, I'll check them out under bbb.org (the Better Business Bureau). Try entering their website address or phone number, and see if there are any complaints.

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Cynthetiq

bizrate.com has a reputable site ranking business that do online sales.

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mew

Hey,
Thanks a lot guys, that really answers a lot of questions, and Awsome ideas. Ill check them all out. Since youve mentioned it The dude, my credit card co. does have this deal with insurance with net shopping gone wrong. Thanks all!Here goes to my first net shopping...*pray*

Halx

I limit my shopping to Yahoo shops (linked directly from yahoo's shopping site) and Amazon. I've also used newegg.com for computer parts, but only after I had heard several good reviews. Gotta be careful with my information.

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i_t_man

Just to follow up on this. Even if you do buy something used from a seller on Amazon, you're using Amazon's payment infrastructure so you're still protected.

mew

Oh? So they basically reinburse me somehow right? sweet..

theinfamous

with amazon you're pretty much safe...i wouldn't worry

Koosh

As long as the site is secured with SSL, your transaction data would be encrypted. If you are purchasing from a larger net retailer such as Amazon, Yahoo, etc, your information is pretty safe. If you are purchasing from a smaller merchant, you may want to discuss with them whether they store your card number. The greater danger lies with smaller merchants having their databases hacked into.

Regardless, you are always protected by the credit card companies. If any transactions are on your statement that you did not authorize, you may dispute the charges and have them reversed.

sambocom

If you are truly worried, get an amex BLUE card. For online transactions, you can get a different credit card number everytime. This means even if your number is stolen, it can only be used for this one transaction so it doesn't matter.

The main thing is to look over your statements. Check out the strange charges!

Plan9Senior

I stick with Amazon and have never had a problem with them.

mew

I always check my statements, and keep my spending to a minimum, which has done for me well so far. I was actually looking into the Amex blue when I was creditcard shopping, but it ended up being an american co. , and me being Canadian kinda sucked. But anyways, my co. does have net securities and insurance.

meff

I buy most stuff off the net with a prepaid MasterCard, keeps my bank account safe and a nice piece of mind. The MoneyBox'es around here will deal you out one for 10 bucks, not too bad. I don't know if other places do this, but it's a nice thing for net shopping.

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Johnny Rotten

If you have a Visa card (check card or debit) then you can enable a password protection:
http://www.visa.com/verified

Mastercard has a zero liability program when certain conditions apply:
http://www.mastercard.com/general/zero_liability.html

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lady

I don't buy anything via the internet.

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Jesus Pimp

Also resellerratings.com is good..

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Averett

While youre at it, I saw some cute boots on jcrew.com that I want

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ratbastid

Generally speaking, somebody with an Amazon zShop is going to be fairly reputable. I manage an e-commerce development company, so my clients are those small e-commerce merchants that y'all are afraid of.

I promise, there's nothing sketchy going on at any of MY clients' sites! Even so, many of them keep Amazon stores or Yahoo stores in addition to their own sites, just because the name association and appearance of security and reputability is so valuable.

Lyaec123

Amazon is very safe, plus if you are using a CC you should be protected through that CC company's fraud protection services. Depending on the card I think you can be completely free to go if someoen else uses your card for something that you didn't buy, but I think this completely depends on the card and what status you ahve with them.

mew

Thanks guys. JonnyRotten, I went to that website to get extra protection for my credit card, but its only offered to the states. And my card is not valid for that kinda protection. I dunno.

But to update you all, I went ahead and went to Amazon.com and .ca and got the movies I wanted. Though the .com site sent me reciepts and notified me of my purchase, but .ca site didnt. Is it because it wasnt sent out yet??:P Its so hard to purchase things without handling them or seeing them in person. Virtual mumbo crap is so confusing for the techno illiterate.

meff

Despite everyone's 'credit cards work!' and 'they're safe!' .. Until someone cracks into the server and cracks your numbers. Since credit cards are just a bunch of numbers in specific places, its much easier to break into than a random letter/number random length key, which they should've done in the first place. What sucks more is if you order out a pizza or whatnot here they actually *carbon copy* your cc and give you the reciept.. I have no shredder so I just flush it down the toilet, who knows what they do with it

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mew

That is a scary thought..but then again i never buy pizza with credit cards..just for groceries n gas mostly..Is that still ok?

Koosh

Credit cards are very safe. You just have to remember, if any purchase is made without your authorization, just dispute it with your credit card company. Every statement has a form for this on the back. Once you dispute the transaction, the charge(s) are removed from your account. Hassle, yes. Safe, yes.

mew

Thanks Koosh Your a real sweetheart!

Kyo

While Amazon.com itself is essentially flawless in its selling prowess and integrity, its "Used&New" section is inhabited by all manners of independant stores and auctioners. While most of them are reputable, none of them are quite as risk-free as Amazon itself - you can view seller ratings. Anything under 4 or 4.5 stars (if you're marginally paranoid) isn't worth your time or money.

One option I've heard of, but don't know enough about to verify, is to use a debit/cash card. Supposedly, there is no line of credit, so there isn't any way to spend more money than is in your account. If you create a separate account and only deposit enough money to buy what you want at the time, you will at least protect yourself from having the number stolen and used to ring up thousands of dollars of purchases in your name.

There is, unfortunately, little you can do to prevent the seller from simply not sending you the item. This rarely happens with large retailers, since even a few cases of that would cause a severe dip in business and reputation. Most online retailers will also reimburse you, no questions asked, if it is the first few times you claim to never have recieved what you paid for.

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mew

Woohoo~!Im so Excited! I got my first 2 movies outof 6 from Amazon.com! The first one is used and it blipped a few times at the beginning, but Im just glad to have it..I love my movies! But what really pisses me off is that .com is sending them seperately which costs me more $. I specifically asked for them to ship them all together. ARG!!!