Just a few years ago, nobody did their shopping online. Well, some people did, but most people wouldn’t trust their credit cards to an online vendor. Nowadays, it’s still a burgeoning marketplace, but the internet is the way million of people shop everyday.
What was completely unthinkable just a few years ago is almost the norm now: Millions of products bought and sold over the internet almost every day. Delivery is a cinch, and so is payment. And many many people are making lots of money on all sides. It represents a real revolution in the way merchandising is done. In fact, some people are calling it a new industrial revolution.
New sites seem to be popping up everyday, selling or buying almost any good or service you could conceive of. And as some sites go down, even more seem to rise up to replace them. Despite the dot com bust of a decade or more ago, the market is growing like never before.
The online marketplace is really the buyer’s paradise, as e-commerce sites all vie for the most consumers. Competition traditionally drives the price of similar goods and services down, while websites try to differentiate themselves by providing the best service.
Lots of people are still scared to jump on board the e-commerce bandwagon, though. The fear is that malicious sites or other actors could misappropriate credit card numbers or bank account information. That can lead to fraud or even ID theft.
On the flip side, many professionals indicate that such instances of fraud and theft are remarkably unusual, despite the frequent media depictions of them. They say it is relatively simple to avoid these kinds of criminal activity by simply guarding your own financial data in the same way you would in the real world. Tips include only shopping at sites that you know and trust, and taking advantage of well-regarded encryption technologies.
If you are worried about the potential for tracking your purchases, they not to worry there either. Credit card statements do indicate what shopping you have done, but not what you have actually bought.
With all the safeguards in place in the online marketplace, you shouldn’t feel too resistant to the appeal of online shopping, especially with all the benefits and ease that it offers.
Read more of this author’s tips on subjects including food safety thermometer and meat saws.
