How to Avoid Online Shopping Scams

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Here at to-buy.co.uk we aim to offer all the advice you need to shop on line in safety.   We’ve touched on the subject before, check out our guide to shopping online safely here. However in this article we want to focus specifically on scam websites that are set up by criminals to either take your money, take your credit card details, your identity or perhaps all of the above!

Fortunately there are some straight forward precautions you can take to avoid falling victim to this type of online fraud!  Through education and basic checks you can massively reduce the risk of every falling victim to one of these fake website scams.  Shopping online is something that we can all do regularly with minimal risk, so read on and learn how to protect yourself!  By the end of this article you will know how to spot a genuine website!

How can I tell if a Website is Genuine?

Follow these simple steps to avoid becoming a victim of fraudulent websites, the following steps will help you to tell the dodgy websites apart from the the genuine ones:

  • Look for contact details on the site.  Legitimate UK businesses will happily display contact details in the form of a phone number and address.  If you want to be sure, get in touch!
  • If the company claims to be a registered UK company, you can verify this by checking their details at Company House.  All limited companies are required to be registered here.
  • Look up the website details using a site such as whois – this can tell you who registered the domain, although the name recorded maybe the name of a Internet Company rather than the business involved.  However it can still be useful to look at the date of registration.  If the company claims to have been online for years, yet only registered the domain last Thursday you might want to investigate further!
  • Buying from branded well known sites is often thought to be much safer, but how can you tell if the site is who it claims to be?  This is why a not very well known system of certification was introduced.  Your browser will let you view the certificate information which will in turn give you a strong indication that the site you are connected to is the one you think it is.  For example, if you wanted to check that you are on the genuine Paypal site, you would see this when using Firefox:
Paypal Certified

Paypal Certified

  • And finally, when you are sending your credit card details out over the Internet, check that the page you are on begins with https. This means that the connection is encrypted and therefore it is much harder for anyone to intercept and get hold of your personal information.   Your browser will often depict this by showing a closed padlock symbol at the bottom right of the screen.

Give Small Businesses a Chance

We here at to-buy.co.uk believe in giving the many small business run here in the UK over the Internet a chance.  We all love and use [redirect=amazon]Amazon[/redirect] regularly, but there are 1000s of legitimate online businesses out there run by individuals right here in the UK.

We would like you to consider buying from these shops where you can and give them your support, a more diversified Internet leads to a healthy competitive shopping experience for all.

How to use Affiliate Sites

A final note on this topic, please don’t confuse scam sites with informative affiliate sites that have been setup to aid your buying decisions.   Many amateur websites, just like this one, exist to drive traffic to online merchants.  These sites do not sell anything directly and so there is no risk in taking advantage of them to help decide what to buy!

The sites can take a wide variety of forms:

These sites make money by taking a small commission of any sales that are made once you are on the shop’s site.  They have nothing to do with the sale process but, hopefully, provide you with extra information and help.

And remember, this site contains many reviews of stores and helpful buying hints to keep you safe!  Good luck and happy shopping!

How to Improve Your Credit Rating

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Availability of credit can vary massively depending on the current financial climate, but when you need to borrow money, you’ll want to know that your credit score will be sufficient to let you.  There are many things that can affect your credit score in a positive or negative way and we run through some of the key points to watch out for.

Your credit rating comes into play whenever you try to borrow money, whether it is for a mortgage, overdraft, loan or a credit card it is always good to think about how you can improve your credit rating to make sure you can get access to money when you really need it.

Whenever you take out a loan companies will score you using a variety of different methods to determine how likely you are to repay the money.  The better your score the more likely they are to want to lend you money and may even give you a better rate.  Read on to see our Online Shopping Guide tips to keeping your credit history under control!

Things to do to improve your credit rating:

  • Sign up to the electoral roll: If you don’t make sure you are on the official governement electoral register then your chances of ever scoring credit is approaching zero.  You are obliged to register anyway so make sure you do!
  • Correct errors: Lenders should add a notice of correction to your file if you spot anything that is genuinly incorrect recorded against you.
  • Check registered addresses on your file: Find out your credit rating and check that all the accounts have up to date correct addresses.  Even basic errors can lead to problems when processing applications.
  • Remove links to ex-partners: It is possible that an ex-partners bad credit rating can affect your own, if this is the case then contact credit agencies and notify them that you are nolonger associated.
  • Cancel your old unused cards: Having access to credit already may harm your chances of getting access to more.  This is undesirable especially when looking to replace existing cards with better rates.
  • Rebuild your credit rating: You can begin to rebuild a poor credit rating by demonstrating you are a borrower who can be trusted.  This can take some time so it is worth starting before you really need that credit.  Take out an expensive credit card but use for small purchases only, making sure you pay of the balance in full each month.  Over time this will help to repair a poor credit history enabling you to get better rates for when you really need it.

Things to Avoid if you want Keep your Credit Rating High:

  • Always keep up to date with repayments: Missing a repayment will always look bad on your record.  If possible pay off the balance of credit cards in full, or at least pay over and above the minimum payment.
  • Avoid making multiple applications all at once: Applying for credit, whether for a mobile phone, or credit card, will leave a note on your credit file.  If multiple applications for many products show up this can have an impact on future references.
  • Avoid linked products: If one partner in a relationship has bad credit it will help if you keep things separate to avoid one partner damaging the other’s credit rating.  This will apply to joint products such as bank accounts.
  • Don’t reapply after being rejected: Credit rejections get recorded on your file and the more of these that get flagged up the more likely you are to be rejected again from future applications.  So if you do find that you are rejected

Buy Euros Online

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The Internet is used to buy and a whole load of goods and foreign currency is no exception.  Many people are simply not aware that they can buy currency online and often at a rate much more favourable than high street competitors. This page is a quick yet comprehensive guide to ordering money on the Internet.

And of course, the advantage of buying your Euros on the web is that you can shop around and make sure you get a great rate, thus ensuring you have more cash in your pocket and get maximum enjoyment when on holiday!  Our Online Shopping Guide to buying Euro’s online follows below.

How Can I Buy Euros Online?

It really is very easy to do!

  • First of all, check out a couple of sites, we list some suggestions below including some sites that we have used ourselves and some recommendations from our readers.
  • Investigate the rates.  You will find that online exchange rates are above the headline market currency rates listed on financial websites, but this is because these companies build in a small margin so that they can make a profit from the transaction.  However the rates that you will see are usually better than high street stores.
  • Place your order.  In some cases the cash will then be delivered to you, in other you will be required to pick up the money yourself.

Online Currency Exchange Sites

Here are some suggestions for you to check out:

Note:  Foreign exchange outlets are poorly regulated so take care and read through sites carefully, we cannot help if any problems occur.  Make sure you understand the site fully and take the time to go through the details of your transaction.

Online Currency Buying Help

  • When is the best time to buy Euros online? Don’t leave it to the last minute.  Ordering and delivery can take some time  depending on the store that you use, so investigate well in advance of your travel date. The later you leave it the less choice you will eventually have.
  • How can I get the Best Exchange Rate? If you do start investigating the best rates early on then you can track fluctuations in the market rate.  If it looks like prices have peaked you might be able to wait and see if prices move in your favour.  Of course, no one knows which way the markets will move next so monitor movements carefully!
  • Is it worth Shopping around? Absolutely!  Rates can vary widely between different stores, by shopping online you can quickly and easily check a variety of outlets from the comfort of your own desk!
  • Where is the best place to buy Euros? Online, on the High Street or at the Airport? Buying online will normally give you the best rate and will allow you to shop around easily. High street shops might be able to give you a good rate but you will have less choice, try to avoid buying at the last minute as airport rates are the least likely to be favourable!
  • Can I Really get a Commission Free Deal? Yes and No.  Yes, many services will not charge a fixed fee, but they will build a profit into the transaction through the difference in the exchange rate they get and the one they offer you.  They buy low, and sell high!
  • Where is the Best Place to Sell Left Over Holiday Money? Again, shop around.  It is no different to buying currency in the first place.

Buy PC Online

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So, you want to buy a PC online?  Buying a computer over the Internet might seem like a difficult thing to do, but actually it is very straight forward and easier than ever before.  By shopping online you will have access to a wide range of products and deals.

In this post we guide you through how to purchase a computer over the web, we suggest some of the well known and trusted stores that you might want to investigate and help you look for the right computer specifications to ensure your new PC will do what you need!

What Type of PC do I Need?

There are several types of computer that you will want to consider, below we go through the advantages of each type of computer:

  • Desktop PC – this is the traditional computer that you will be familiar with, it will come with a tower case that will fit under your desk, a monitor, keyboard, mouse and perhaps other peripherals such as a printer, webcam or scanner.  The desktop PC is a must if you are looking for a fully comprehensive family computer that will meet a wide range of needs from watching videos to playing the latest games.
  • Nettop – this is a new breed of personal computer, they are normally low cost, low powered and don’t take up much space in your home.  These are a great choice if money is a factor and you are only looking for something to check emails and browse the web.
  • Laptop – this will be an all in one unit that comprises a screen, keyboard and everything else in one package.  Laptops have the advantage of being easy to put away, a great choice if you find space is a premium in your home.  But be careful, a large full spec laptop might not be as portable as you think, some of them can way many kilos and will not be easy to take around with you on long journeys, their battery life may also be limited.
  • Netbook – the new kid on the block, these have only really taken off in recent times and provide a small, ultra portable computing package at a low cost.  However the cheaper models may not have the processing power of more grown up laptops.  On the plus side they are very easy to carry around!

So that gives you a brief overview of the pros and cons of desktops, laptops and netbooks.  Next we will look at each class in a little more detail and will point you towards the right site to make the right purchase.

Check here for more information regarding the best electronic retailors.



The Best Ebay Alternatives

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eBay is by far the best well known and most popular auction website on the whole wide Internet!  However recently many different parties have been critical of their business processes and more and more users are looking for alternative auction sites to sell their wares.  On this page we run through the Online Shopping Guide‘s best ebay alternatives for selling your goods.

Oneway

This clean and uncluttered site currently offers up several hundred thousand listings and is growing in popularity.  Listings are free with fees based on the final value, ranging from 5% for sales up to £100 and 2% plus a fixed charge for items over a £1000.   If you sign up, mention us as your referrer by entering our nick “tobuy”.

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Bonanzle

Bonanzle veers away from the traditional auction site format and instead encourages negotiation between the seller and buyer.  The site is aimed at the small to medium sized traders which is great if you are looking for a more personal touch.  Some of the larger sites are now dominated by professional sellers.  Continuing this idea, Bonanzle provides a range of facilities to enable real time communication with other users on the site.

Listings are free and can include 4 pictures with the sale, a tiered commission is then paid when the item sells through PayPal, Google Checkout or with Money Orders.

Visit

eBid

eBid is the second largest auction site and has a couple of million listings at the time of writing.  The basic account is free but only lets you list one item at a time – no problem if you are a buyer!  Sellers looking to put more items up will need to subscriber to a Seller+ account which can be a monthly £7 or a one of lifetime fee of £50.  Once paid up listings are then free, although there is a final value commission charge of 3%.

Visit

What are your favourite alternative auction sites?


The Best Computer Shops

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Welcome to our round up of the best computer shops online.  With profit margins very tight in this industry and IT fans naturally being being big Internet users, online computer retailers have always been ahead of the game with some of the most up to date and sophisticated eshops out there.

This highly competative sector also means that there is fierce rivalry and competition for customers.  This is good news for us, the consumer, as it means there are plenty of deals and cheap computers to be bought all over the Internet!

So if you are looking for the best place to buy a PC online, then you have come to the right page.  Below we outline our favourite shops and highlight some of the pros and cons of using these stores to buy your PC from the Internet.

Read on to find the best online computer shops:

Dabs.com

Dabs grow up through the 1990s and became very successful thanks to the company embracing revolutionary digital sales processes.  If, like me, you have watched ecommerce evolve over the years you will appreciate that this online IT store paved the way in many respects over the last two decades.  Back in 2006 Dabs.com became a wholly owned subsidiary of BT, and reports over 5000 customer orders per day!

Dabs have a fantastic range of products, accessories, components, refills and anything else IT related you could imagine – competitively priced.

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Dixons.com

The Dixons, Currys, PC World group, as one might expect, all have an online presence. It won’t matter a great deal which of the brands you buy from as ultimately they are owned by the same parent company – DSG.  In our experience prices and offers across the three are very similar.

In general Dixons serves a different audience to specialist retailers such as Dabs.com, this store is a good choice for you if you are a less confident buyer and prefer the store to pick out some prospective products from you to chose from.  You will typically get more support and hand holding during the decision process.

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Pixmania.com

Pixmania is an international giant based in France and is  now operating in 26 different countries around the world! Although essentially an online retailer the company operates 16 show rooms across Europe.

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Overclockers.co.uk

Overclockers.co.uk is an independentcomputer store that specialises in quality components.  The store has proved a popular destination for PC building enthusiasts who like to piece together high end components and discuss the outcome in the popular site forum.  They do of course sell complete systems featuring a variety of specifications.

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eBuyer.com

eBuyer.com is another large reseller of branded computer components and electronic products. Based in Yorkshire, 300 employees serve over 100,000 products to a registered user base of 3,000,000!

Visit

Amazon.co.uk

Having grown up as one of the leading book retailers the online shopping giant Amazon is not best known for being a place to buy computers.  However in this day and age the store sells a vast range of products and has actually recently prospered thanks to the increasing diversity into electronic goods.

Amazon offers an amazing range of PC products at great prices, so whether you are looking for a PC accessory of a full powered desktop then you will be able to find it here.  However last time we looked at the PC range we did find the choice almost overwhelming – sometimes it is nice to have some top products picked out for you so that you can trust their recommendations.  But if you have a positive idea of what sort of computer you would like to buy then Amazon is a store you will be familiar with already.

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If you are looking for information regarding buying a computer then check here: Buy PC Online

Know Your Online Buying Rights

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Shopping online is a fantastic way of researching products and finding the cheapest deals available when making those difficult buying decisions.  But you may be put off by unfamiliar websites and a whole new set of rules to follow.  But don’t worry!  At to-buy.co.uk we share all the information you need to buy online in confidence.  Read on to find out what consumer rights apply when buying from the Internet.

Distance selling covers both goods and also services sold without face to face contact and includes any transactions made online, through digital TV, mail order, or over the phone.

What are My Rights When I buy Online?

  • You have the same protection you would have if buying from a normal shop

    Shopping on the Internet works exactly the same as it does when you walk into a store and exchange cash for a new purchase.  All of the same rules apply throughout the whole year.  The one thing to make sure of is that you are buying from a UK company.  You will not have the same protection if buying from abroad – this doesn’t mean to say you should not buy from foreign Internet websites but make sure you understand that you won’t have the same protection.

  • Online purchases can be cancelled within seven days

Thanks to the distance selling act you have the right to cancel your order within seven days of your goods being delivered, or in the case of ordering a service, you can cancel a contract in the same period.

But note there are some exceptions:

  • Goods that have been customised for you specifically
  • Perishable products such as  flowers or fresh foods
  • Software, audio or video if unsealed
  • Betting, gaming and lotteries
  • Newspapers and magazines

You must also take care of the goods while you’ve got them as you have to send them back in reasonable condition.

So you actually have more protection when buying online than shopping in store  as you can return something just because you decide you don’t actually want it.

  • If your order fails to arrive

    Again the Distance Selling Regulations offers you protection if something you order online isn’t delivered in time.  If the seller fails to deliver by an agreed time you have the right to a full refund, if no time was agreed then delivery should be within 30 days.

  • Buy with a Credit Card

    Buying online using a credit card gives you an extra level of protection as the credit card company will be jointly liable for the transaction.  If something does go wrong you can get in touch with your card supplier and seek help from them.

Shop Online Safely

So actually when buying online in the UK you have a great deal of protection, at least as much as one could reasonably expect from our Internet stores.  Many thousands of people purchase goods without any problems every day so in the majority of cases you will experience no problems.  However if you are unlucky or perhaps you just want to change your mind then, with a couple of exceptions,  you have the right to send back your goods and get a refund.

In addition to the exceptions mentioned above, note that with auctions and private sellers the general rule is ‘buyer beware’.  So you will not have the same rights when buying using online auction sites such as ebay.

Buy Music Online

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Listen to the Music you Love

Listen to the Music you Love

Records, cassette players, and even compact discs no seem all but a distant memory as we enter the second decade of the 21st century – these days we are just as likely to buy music online.  It is now possible to access all of your favourite artists from the comfort of your living room and with a few clicks of a mouse you can hear almost any tune you like.

The page features a beginners guide to downloading music, if you are new to obtaining your favourite tracks in this way  or just looking for some tips on how to get the best online music into your album collection then this tutorial should give you some helpful advice to get you on the way!

Introduction To Digital Music

Not that long ago, PCs struggled to play back music files, they were big and bulky, computers had a hard time storing them and processing them.  Fortunately this all changed when computer processors became fast enough to pack up these large files into much smaller ones – they were compressed into easy manageable units that could be created, shared and downloaded easily.

MP3 Music Files

This ground breaking compressed format has now entered the English language and you’ll know it as the “MP3″ file.  Although other compression formats are available, the MP3 is still the most commonly used throughout the world.

The MP3 files have some distinct advantages:

  • Large music files that used to fill an entire compact disc could now be shrunk down and stored in much smaller spaces.  Typically you can store ten times more music once converted to an MP3 file
  • These files are then much easier to transfer across the Internet.  Before high speed broadband became common place, this was critical for transmitting music between location online
  • The quality of the files is relatively high, the majority of home consumers have been happy to listen to their music in this format.  MP3 music is often described as “near CD” quality – the reality is that this is plenty good enough for most of us!

Online Music Stores

There are now many places to buy music online. Before you start adding to your collection there are a few things you need to check.

  • We strongly recommend looking for a service that provides DRM (digital rights management) free music, usually an MP3 file.  This means that once you have bought the music download you can listen to it freely and move it to a new computer or music player when you come to upgrade your hardware.

A good starting point is the Amazon MP3 music service, good prices, DRM free files, easy to use and a trusted brand – you’ll probably already have an account meaning you can try to  get hold of your favourite tracks immediately:

We will be looking at other online music stores in the future, check back to find out about the best places to buy music online.

How to Shop Online Safely

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We guide you through what you need to know to shop online safely.  Millions of people buy and sell goods over the Internet every day without any problems.  Unfortuntely not every transaction will go smoothly and some will find their goods aren’t what they expect, or they don’t turn up or worse still, they fall victim to Credit Card fraud.  However there are a number of steps you can take to minimise the risk and ensure that your transaction goes smoothly.

The to-buy.co.uk guide to secure  shopping online will help you to buy safely.

Buying Online Safely

The following tips give you some pointers to ensure a safe online shopping experience:

  1. Buy from recognised stores.  There are many unscrupulous retailers who are able to set up dummy shop sites very quickly.  More often than not they will be offering you goods at prices that are far too good to be true .  Well the old adage is worth remembering – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!
  2. If you need to buy from a store you haven’t heard of before, that’s OK, I am all for giving small businesses a break and have had many great dealings with smaller sites.  However there are a few things you can do to check out the shop first:
    • Check out their contact details.  A legitimate business will provide an address and contact telephone number.  Why not give them a ring if you have doubts.  
    • Try typing their name into a search engine, or check out a consumer forum.  What do other people say about the company?  Note that you should always take consumer reviews with a pinch of salt, if you search long enough you will always find one or two negative comments.  So look at the bigger picture.
    • Research the site, you can look up who and when the site was setup through a “whois” lookup.  If the store is claiming to be British but hosted in China or Russia you might want to investigate further.  If the store claims to have been online for 10 years but the domain was registered two weeks ago then you should again be very cautious!
  3. Use complex passwords.  Security experts are rarely suprised when password leaks show how poorly selected passwords are. Pick a random combination of numbers, letters and symbols. 

 

What else can you do to protect yourself when shopping online?

So above we talk about the online buying process, but here are some more general tips to keep secure:

  • Make sure your PC is secure and your anti-virus software is up to date.  Criminals are continuously trying to find ways to capture personal information from our computers.  It is therefore critical that your operating system is kept patched and up to date, and you have comprehensive security software installed.  
  • Don’t just rely on anti-virus software.  New viruses are being released all the time so you need to be careful when browsing the Internet.  This doesn’t have to be restrictive, simply stick to known sites and be very careful when downloading anything, even if it appears to be sent from a friend.
  • Buy with a Credit Card.   Under UK law the Credit Card company has certain responsabilities and can help resolve issues where goods have not turned up or are not as described.  
  • Use a Credit Card that provides Identity Fraud protection.  I don’t want to add to the scaremongering out there but sadly Identity Thefy does happen.  Talk to your card provider in advance to see what they might do in this situation, some come with better protection than others and it is better to know where you stand before it happens.  

 

Unfortunately there will always be a small risk to buying online but this advice will go some way to minimising this.  We also recommend speaking to your retailer or card provider for further information.

Internet Shopping Guide

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New to Internet Shopping or just looking for some tips on the best stores to buy from, to-buy.co.uk can answer all your questions!  With 1000′s of people turning to us every day for tips on everything  from the best online shopping sites to how to stay safe when buying you’ll want to book mark us today.

How to buy online

Here at to-buy.co.uk we aim to provide the ultimate guide to shopping online.  This includes a range of hints and tips to make sure your online purchase goes as smoothly as possible.  We offer the important information on Internet buying and link out to the top resources out on the World Wide Web.  If you don’t find it on the site we’ll be able to point you to a site that can help!  Consider this your one stop shopping hub.

Explore our resources

Store Guides

  • Looking to buy MP3′s online?  Check out out Buy Music Online guide.
  • Our Top Online Shops guide