Tech Talk

Shopping on the internet can be convenient and a great way to save some money. Follow these tips and your online shopping experience should be smooth sailing.

Your credit card is probably the safest form of payment. If your credit card information is stolen, most major credit card companies will not make you pay for any fraudulent charges. Check your credit card company’s website for the fine print. Using a credit card also gives you more options for recourse should a dispute arise between you and the seller, and many cards offer automatic extended warranty protection and insurance.

Paypal is the dominant form of payment on eBay and is very popular among online merchants. Paypal is a company owned by eBay that allows users to transfer money amongst themselves. Basically, the system allows you to charge your credit card or withdraw money from your bank account and send it to another Paypal user. Paypal takes a cut and then the receiver can transfer the funds into his or her bank account. Paypal is supposed to offer all sorts of protection to its users, but there are at least three fairly large websites dedicated to Paypal horror stories. I’ve never had any problems with the service.

Whenever you are entering any sensitive information such as a credit card number, you should look for a closed lock or unbroken key near the bottom of your browser window. This means the information being sent is encrypted and it would be difficult for someone to make sense of it if they intercepted it. Also, if the page is secure, the address should start with “https” rather than “http”. An open lock or a broken key means that the information is not being securely transmitted.

You should review a seller’s legal terms to make sure that you’re clear on shipping, returns, refunds, liability and warranty. It’s in your best interest to investigate the website’s privacy policy while you’re at it. It explains what information about you is gathered, how it’s used and shared, and whether you can opt out.

I generally only keep a printout of the order summary or receipt in case of dispute. If you really want to be sure, you can print out the seller’s name, postal address, telephone number, legal terms, the product description and any correspondence.

Visa offers Verified by Visa, which associates your credit card with a password you need to enter when you make an online purchase at participating sites. The presence of this option on a merchant’s site is a positive indicator.

VeriSign is a company that certifies the safety of websites. You should see the VeriSign logo displayed prominently on participating merchants’ websites. If you click the logo it should open a new window detailing the identity and security of the website.

The best way to figure out if a site is trustworthy is to use common sense. Are there any broken links? Does the website look unprofessional? These are signs of a fraudulent business. Websites that offer reviews of sellers, like epinions.com and bizrate.com, are also useful in identifying frauds. And as always, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Duties can make the deals you find on the internet a lot less appealing. Many large couriers are notorious for overcharging on duties and taxes. If you’re importing an item worth around $30-40, you could end up paying more for courier fees than the product itself.

We have a free trade agreement with the United States, so you don’t have to pay duties on most goods imported from and made in the United States. Goods that are made in other countries but imported from the United States are still subject to duties. In Quebec, you’ll have to pay 15% total GST and PST on almost all goods imported. You’ll also have to pay a $5-8 handling fee to Canada Post.

Goods valued at under $20 are exempt from taxes and duties. Goods labelled as gifts and worth less than $60 are also exempt. For gifts worth more than $60, you pay duties and taxes on the difference. Some goods, notably tobacco and alcohol, do not qualify for either exemption.

It’s now safe for you to shop in your underwear.at home.

Link O’ the Week: The Legend of BloodNinja
adamchance.com/funny.htm
The funniest thing on the internet.seriously.

Webcomic O’ the Week: Chugworth Academy by Dave Cheung & Jamal Joseph Junior
chugworth.com
Beautifully illustrated, devilishly hilarious and original.

Free Application O’ the Week: Microsoft AntiSpyware
microsoft.com
Microsoft’s entry into the anti-spyware market offers decent protection with both conventional and real-time scanning. Some of the advanced tools like the ‘Tracks Eraser’ and ‘System Explorers’ are also convenient.

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