Not all online retailers are the same. Yes you may be able to get a great deal on an item, but if it never ships then it’s not a great deal.

I am the queen of shopping around to get the best deal and figuring out if the total price including shipping is less than a place that offers free shipping. I ordered a memory chip for my camera a few months ago at a great price but no where on the site did it say that the company only accepted COD from non businesses. The site seemed to have a meltdown when you tried to enter a CC#. The customer service was no help. While it was a pain to get a money order the price was definitely worth it and I did let the company know that they should let people know beforehand that consumers could only pay by COD, no credit cards at all. The price was worth it because it was about half the price I could get the item anywhere else.

Then there are so-called electronics stores online that try to give you the bait and switch and tell you that the item you ordered was really a used or refurbished item for the price you wanted. Or you will have to order extra accessories. I ordered a camera for a gift and the salesperson called and said that I needed to get extra things that didn’t come with it. I had printed out the page that said the camera was new and what the price was. When I told him that I wanted the camera at the price I had paid online and that I would call the credit card company he changed his tune.

If I had done a little more digging I could have saved myself some of the hassles. In both cases things worked out. In the latter it was because I was informed and would not let the salesman pressure me into ordering accessories that I didn’t need. He was trying to “upsell” additional items that already came with the camera.

Not all online retailers are ethical. Unfortunately during the holiday season when people are trying to buy gifts for their loved ones they can get taken advantage of. If you only deal with retailers who have a good reputation (even the big companies make mistakes) and will work to satisfy reasonable demands. Before you make a purchase search for reviews of the company on the internet.

If you find that there are too many bad reviews that do not have to do with the speed of shipping but deal with the merchandise quality itself or price gouging then pay a little extra and go with another company. Even some of the larger merchants have people who dislike them. I have used all three of the major booksellers and have not had a problem with them. I have had items monogrammed incorrectly and returned them so when I say reasonable demands I know that I am talking about.

Read the fine print before you check out, as much as you can. Some unscrupulous companies will not list all of their terms where you can find them easily.

Don’t push your luck when shopping and saving this season; a few strokes on the keyboard can save you headaches.