# buying online?

Category: Let's talk

## Post 1 by irish girl 1215 (Zone BBS Addict) on Tuesday, 04-Dec-2012 14:48:40

Hi all,
This is a stupid question... but do people here use Amazon or any of those sites for buying gifts etc.?
I'm just asking because, you know, you hear all these stories about how people get ripped off buying online... but so many people seem to use Amazon, so can they all be ripped off?
I've found the perfect present for my little cousin that I can't find in any shop no matter where I go, and would love to get it for her - but don't want to give my credit card details to some stranger halfway across the world!
thanks a million!
:)

## Post 2 by chelslicious (like it or not, I'm gonna say what I mean. all the time.) on Tuesday, 04-Dec-2012 16:30:40

yes, buying things on Amazon is legit. however, you can get ripped off anywhere in life, not only online. you just have to be careful, and pay attention to the sites you buy from/information that is or isn't provided.

## Post 3 by OceanDream (An Ocean of Thoughts) on Tuesday, 04-Dec-2012 17:10:06

I buy from Amazon so often that I rarely ever give a second thought to it anymore. you're no more or less likely to be ripped off there than you are any store in person. You can usually return your purchass if you're not satisfied, and you can always contact customer service if you have any questions or concerns.

## Post 4 by Runner229 (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 04-Dec-2012 17:25:20

Exactly, Chelsea and Jess. No need to be afraid of being ripped off, rather be mindful and careful. Pay attention to how things are worded, and what information you are asked for. I also buy things online, and up to this point I haven't had any problems.

## Post 5 by TechnologyUser2012 (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 05-Dec-2012 9:59:31

I agree with all that's been said. Good luck :)

## Post 6 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Wednesday, 05-Dec-2012 15:23:47

I used to use Amazon a lot, though not so much anymore these days. Of course that has more to do with finances since while I have occasionally gotten a defective product (usually no more serious than a TV show season with two or more duplicate disks and that only happened once), when I called Customer Support they were usually extremely polite and helpful. Fortunately I've rarely had to call them.

## Post 7 by Sword of Sapphire (Whether you agree with my opinion or not, you're still gonna read it!) on Wednesday, 05-Dec-2012 17:32:25

I love shopping online! I do it quite frequently, and I recently purchased all but one of my Christmas gifts for people online. I have received defective products or the wrong products from Amazon before, but sellers have no problem taking returns, giving refunds or sending the correct product, or sending an even better model depending on the circumstance.
Just check pricing, product descriptions, and customer reviews.

## Post 8 by OceanDream (An Ocean of Thoughts) on Wednesday, 05-Dec-2012 19:40:32

Good point. the customer reviews are usually really helpful. of course, like anything, you always have a person or two who seems to think that because the product didn't live up to their hopes, it's only worth one star. But they are usually shot down pretty quickly by the more honest reviewers. it's really easy to spot the complainers, because they usually only have comments about how the product isn't even good enough for their trash can, or something similar like that. Lol. the other thing I like about the amazon reviewing system is that you can see how many people found each review helpful. Kind of like reviewing the review.

## Post 9 by GreenTurtle (Music is life. Love. Vitality.) on Thursday, 06-Dec-2012 1:06:10

Yep, Amazon is one of the most legit sites you can buy from. I did have an issue once where I received a defective product, but the seller was more than happy to refund me for it.

## Post 10 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Thursday, 06-Dec-2012 18:40:35

I agree with the tips stated in the above posts. I've also bought several products online, including from Amazon, Future Aids, and Groupon. All these places were positive experiences for me, and places I would definitely buy from again when I can. Something I like about all 3 is that they let you know when they have shipped your products, and Future Aids and I think Amazon even lets you know when you can expect to receive them. So far, I've always received the products much sooner than the date they put.
I've only had what I would say is one negative experience with a place, but then, I think it was only because I was so used to how Amazon and Future Aids work. This other place I bought from had sent a receipt but there was nothing mentioned about when I might receive what I had purchased from that place, and it took a little over a month until I received it. but since I was used to being informed of when to expect the product, I had begun to worry that something had happened or that I might not get it. But I did end up receiving what I had bought after all.

## Post 11 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Friday, 07-Dec-2012 23:33:22

I just got a new router and a CD from amazon without a problem.

## Post 12 by irish girl 1215 (Zone BBS Addict) on Saturday, 08-Dec-2012 9:03:28

wow, thanks everyone!!
Took the 'plunge' the other day and bought the books for my cousin - they arrived within 2 days, even wrapped up with a bow! This could catch on... I hate wrapping stuff!
thanks again :)

## Post 13 by forereel (Just posting.) on Saturday, 08-Dec-2012 9:52:32

Also. I don't know where you live, however, your bank, or credit card company has protection built in to your card.
If you get something, or don't receive something as you were suppose to, and that charge goes through your credit card, you have the ability to go directly to your bank or card provider and they'll get your money back, and cover the bad seller.
This is so here in America, and was put in to place to make people more confortable buying online.
Amazon, and any main brand store is 100% safe to buy from online. I say 100%, due to if you do get ripped off the card or bank covers you. It does take some dealing, but any legit store is not going to want that hassle.
Smaller shops are a bit more tricky, so if in doubt use Paypal. www.paypal.com
aPay Pal is the best way to buy things from places you aren't sure of, because they don't get your credit card info at all. You need to have a bank or credit card to connect it, but once you've got it connected use it whenever you can, even on legit sites.

## Post 14 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Saturday, 08-Dec-2012 10:20:32

I agree. I love the Amazon reviewing system and indeed have quite a collection of reviews up there myself. I've occasionally had products arrive a week or so later than the expected date, but thankfully they were still in fine condition and worked flawlessly. I also love how they let ou know when the product has shipped. I also like how when they ship via UPS (usually when a package is too big to just be pupped into your mailbox, you can track the progress of your order.

## Post 15 by changedheart421 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Saturday, 08-Dec-2012 11:20:37

I buy from amazon.com as well. Love it and I have always had great customer service from sellers.

## Post 16 by irish girl 1215 (Zone BBS Addict) on Tuesday, 11-Dec-2012 4:05:53

thanks a million all! Just bought two other small presents from Amazon, and had a problem so rang customer service (my own fault, I forgot to check the box for giftwrap). they were great!

## Post 17 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Tuesday, 11-Dec-2012 18:24:29

They usually are. I remember four years ago when my mom got her and my dad a Nintendo Wii. She ordered it from Amazon and it came. Well my mother had never actualy seen the console for herself and so she didn't know what to expect. Well she ordered one of the bundle packs, the Wii Fit one as I recall. I don't know what prompted her to do this but she opened the box to see what all was included (fortunately my dad wasn't around at the time), but because she'dever seen the actual Wii console she didn't know what to look for and, not seeing anything that to her mind looked like an actual console, she wrote Amazon customer service to say they'd forgotten to include the Wii itself in the box with the controls and things. Well as a sort of last ditch effort she called me out to the living room since I was visiting at the time. She showed it to me and, lie her I at first thought it was some sort of zip drive or tape recorder like what some old computers used for storage. In fact I seem to recall we had one such machine whenI was very small. Well it wasn't until I started playing with the various little flaps on the sides and uncovered some of the different ports for connecting things like Game Cube controllers that we both realized that the Wii had beenthere all along. And when my mom wrote back tot he guy from Amazon he was really good about the misunderstanding. But from what I heard he was prepared to ship out a replacement at no additional charge if we hadn't found the thing.

## Post 18 by write away (The Zone's Blunt Object) on Wednesday, 12-Dec-2012 2:35:24

Just to add to the rest of the posts, payPal is great; Only two mistakes, Wayne.
You don't need to connect your PayPal to a card or bank. not necessarily. You can still use it without that if you sell something via payPal or have money sent from somewhere else into your PayPal account.
Also, because Amazon is a competitor of EBay, you can't use PayPal with them. IF I'm wrong about this, please someone correct me. But the only way you can use PayPal with amazon is if you have a debet or credit card from PayPal. Many places still don't have a way to paywith PayPal, though the majority do, I believe.

## Post 19 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 12-Dec-2012 9:15:39

Yes, other sources can be used to fund PayPal, but if you aren't selling stuff, or having someone put the money there, how do you get it setup?
I've not tried to do it any other way except from my bank account, because I only wanted it for better protection when shopping online, specially with odd places.
When getting these bargain items, such as USB drives, or HDMI cables, or whatever from what I call off brand places, they usually except PayPal, so that is what I use.
I don't know about Amazon, I'm going to look, because I'm interested too, but with Amazon, there's no worry anyhow. Even here Amazon gets good ratings. Lol

## Post 20 by irish girl 1215 (Zone BBS Addict) on Wednesday, 23-Jan-2013 18:13:54

Brian, that's brilliant!! Sounds exactly like something my Mum would do! Have to say, I'm now slightly addicted to amazon... damn!

## Post 21 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 23-Jan-2013 22:08:27

Hahahaha, yep, it's addictive! lol
Glad you had a great experience.
Welcome to the club!

## Post 22 by rat (star trek rules!) on Sunday, 03-Feb-2013 23:43:26

i use amazon a lot myself, and if you use it a lot the amazon prime is really your best friend. Sure it's 80 or so bucks a year but that gives you free 2 day shipping on almost any item, and $3.99 per item 1 day shipping if it's prime eligible. Pays for itself in a hurry

## Post 23 by Runner229 (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 12-Feb-2013 16:17:30

I just signed up for Amazon and debated whether or not to sign up for Amazon Prime. I might next month.
Here's a ridiculous, yet funny story about online buying. I heard from a friend there were these guys who planned to set someone up by saying they had remains of Big Foot. This guy claimed to be a professional big foot hunter, and offered the guys something like $30,000 for the remains. Well, turns out the remains were nothing more than a gorilla suit filled with rotten meat. So, the moral of that story is don't try to buy something you know is unrealistic.

## Post 24 by forereel (Just posting.) on Tuesday, 12-Feb-2013 18:28:12

I am also getting hooked on EBay. I've gotten 4 items and they've been exactly as suggested and even better.
I buy the ones with the buyers protection, and that comes from PayPal.