Like smoking, gambling and chocolate, online shopping can become addictive. Before your computer chews up your credit card, follow these basic shopping tips to avoid being scammed, phished and out-of-pocket.

Tip 1: Find a reputable online retailer
It’s always good to be familiar with the name or reputation of any company you’re dealing with. Buying from local websites is always better because they are just a phone call away and you don’t have to pay expensive shipping costs and import fees. However, if you are looking for something that can only be found in the US, go for big name sites with worldwide credibility. Amazon.com, for example, ships to SA, although there are bans on certain items. But you’ll have to wait up to a month or two to receive your purchases, and customs duties can add a lot to the cost.

If you’re looking for CDs, DVDs, electronics, books, wine, flowers, and other gifts, Kalahari.net is a good local online shopping provider. Kalahari also has a comprehensive academic book selection and a gift-wrapping service.

Retailers like Pick n Pay and Woolworths also offer online shopping. While shopping online may seem way cooler than waiting in line and looking for parking, neither Woolworths nor Pick n Pay guarantee same day deliveries and they don’t deliver to all suburbs.

Pick n Pay charges R55 to have groceries delivered to your door, they don’t deliver on Sundays, or after 19h00 during the week and 17h00 on Saturdays. Woolworths delivers on Sundays until 12h00 and costs are between R40-R65, depending on your chosen delivery time slot. Both merchants have extensive online catalogues, but not all products are available for online shopping.

Tip 2: Protect your privacy
Before submitting your private details, check the website’s privacy policy and read the terms and conditions. Make sure your details will not be sold or shared with other retailers. When submitting your personal details, it’s always good to carefully inspect the address bar, if you see “HTTPS” rather than just the normal “HTTP”; you know your details are secure. HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and is used for payment transactions on the World Wide Web.

If you’re still unsure, contact the retailer directly and chat through your concerns. It’s best to be safe, you don’t want your credit card details landing in the wrong hands.

Tip 3: Check the Details
Check for expected delivery dates, shipping and handling fees, warranties, return policies, and other important information. Look for an email address to write to (or a phone number to call) if you have a question, a problem, or if you need help. There’s nothing worse than paying for a broken camera, or the wrong DVD. Make sure you can return goods at full refund. Also be aware that when ordering something from the US for example, you will pay shipping and handling costs of between $9 and $39, as well as customs duties when you collect your purchase.

Tip 4: Payments
Kalahari.net, Woolworths and Pick n Pay all allow for debit as well as credit card payments. Ensure the website you are using is secure before you enter your credit or debit card details. Look for a SSL or TLS certificate – a commonly-used protocol for managing the security of message transmissions on the Internet, which means that no-one can eavesdrop or spy on your details. Commonly used certificates are Thawte, VeriSign and DigiCert. These certificates will often appear near the bottom of the site, and look like buttons or badges.

Tip 5: Don’t get carried away!
It’s easy to get finger frenzy online and overspend, especially when prices for overseas items look so affordable. But remember that shipping cost and customs duties add to the overall cost; weigh up your options and make sure you know what you’ll really be paying.

Where to shop
- www.kalahari.net has an extensive online shopping catalogue, but they are best known for their wide variety of books and CDs. They also do great gift packages and you can order flowers and bouquets through NetFlorist directly from their site.

- For electronics, DVDs, and CDs try www.digiplanet.co.za

- www.ganics.co.za delivers fresh, organic vegetables right to your doorstep and will recycle your waste paper, magazines and newspapers free of charge.

- For groceries, www.picknpay.co.za or www.net-a-porter.com is a high-end online fashion retailer, where you may find designer labels not usually available in SA.