This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Elon chapter.
So I’ll admit it, I am addicted to online shopping. I check my favorite clothing websites weekly and always tell myself, “I absolutely need that tank top that everyone has from Tobi.” But at the same time, I get nervous that someday my online shopping career will end drastically because my credit card will land in the wrong hands.
So the question is, how do you know if the website is safe to shop on? We all love those amazing Australian and international websites with the best colors and styles, but are they actually trustworthy? Saboskirt, Esther, ASOS, the list goes on. Everyone clicks on these websites and takes the risk of buying items overseas.
My best advice to you all is to create a PayPal. Most international websites offer “checking out with PayPal,” which is the best option to play it safe in the online world. According to PayPal.com, “PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online, via a mobile device and in store. The service gives people simpler ways to send money without sharing financial information and with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts, credit cards or promotional financing.”
Aside from using PayPal, use your head. If a website seems sketchy, then it probably is sketchy. You will not find real Louboutins online for less than 1,000 dollars if they are real, and you will not find real Tory Burch boots online from a website that is not in English.
Aside from using your head, have fun and find those secret online stores that no one knows about!