Convenience Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and many consumers have Internet access both at work and at home. A visit to a conventional retail store requires travel and must take place during business hours.

Searching or browsing an online catalog can be faster than browsing the aisles of a physical store. Consumers with dial-up Internet connections rather than broadband have much longer load times for content-rich web sites and have a considerably slower online shopping experience.

Some consumers prefer interacting with people rather than computers (and vice versa), sometimes because they find computers hard to use. Not all online retailers have succeeded in making their sites easy to use or reliable.

In most cases, merchandise must be shipped to the consumer, introducing a significant delay and potentially uncertainty about whether or not the item was actually in stock at the time of purchase. Bricks and clicks stores offer the ability to buy online but pick up in a nearby store. Many stores give the consumer the delivery company's tracking number for their package when shipped, so they can check its status online and know exactly when it will arrive. For efficiency reasons, online stores generally do not ship products immediately upon receiving an order. Orders are only filled during warehouse operating hours, and there may be a delay of anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to a few weeks before in-stock items are actually packaged and shipped. Many retailers inform customers how long they can expect to wait before receiving a package, and whether or not they generally have a fulfillment backlog. A quick response time is sometimes an important factor in consumers' choice of merchant. A weakness of online shopping is that, even if a purchase can be made 24 hours a day, the customer must often be at home during normal business hours to accept the delivery. For many professionals this can be difficult, and absence at the time of delivery can result in delays, or in some cases, return of the item to the retailer. Automated delivery booths, such as DHL's Packstation, have tried to address this problem.

In the event of a problem with the item - it is not what the consumer ordered, or it is not what they expected - consumers are concerned with the ease with which they can return an item for the correct one or for a refund. Consumers may need to contact the retailer, visit the post office and pay return shipping, and then wait for a replacement or refund. Some online companies have more generous return policies to compensate for the traditional advantage of physical stores. For example, the online shoe retailer Zappos.com includes labels for free return shipping, and does not charge a restocking fee, even for returns which are not the result of merchant error. (Note: In the United Kingdom, Online shops are prohibited from charging a restocking fee if the consumer cancels their order in accordance with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Act 2000.)

Information and reviews Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos, and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturer's packaging will be available for direct inspection (which might involve a test drive, fitting, or other experimentation).

Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations, or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice, or how-to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy.

Some stores even allow customers to comment or rate their items. There are also dedicated review sites that host user reviews for different products.

In a conventional retail store, clerks are generally available to answer questions. Some online stores have real-time chat features, but most rely on e-mail or phone calls to handle customer questions.

Price and selection

One advantage of shopping online is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services with many different vendors (though some local search engines do exist to help consumers locate products for sale in nearby stores). Search engines and online price comparison services can be used to look up sellers of a particular product or service.

Shoppers find a greater selection online in certain market segments (for example, computers and consumer electronics) and in some cases lower prices. This is due to a relaxation of certain constraints, such as the size of a "brick-and-mortar" store, lower stocking costs (or none, if drop shipping is used), and lower staffing overhead.

Shipping costs (if applicable) reduce the price advantage of online merchandise, though depending on the jurisdiction, a lack of sales tax may compensate for this.

Shipping a small number of items, especially from another country, is much more expensive than making the larger shipments bricks-and-mortar retailers order. Some retailers (especially those selling small, high-value items like electronics) offer free shipping on sufficiently large orders.
 
 

If you’ve ever shopped for a homeowner’s policy, you probably had to disclose whether you owned a Rottweiler, Pit Bull, Doberman, Chow, or German Shepard. (Sometimes even Dalmatians make the list.)

If you do own one of the above breeds, you are probably paying a higher premium than your Chihuahua-owning neighbor.

You’re not the only one who thinks this practice is unfair. Dog advocates label this “breed discrimination” and they’re lobbying every state legislature in the union in hopes of stopping it. Deeds not breeds, they say, should determine rates.

But insurers have good reason to be skittish about dogs. According to the Insurance Information Institute, they paid over $317 million in dog bite-related claims in 2005. The III says dog bites totaled about 10 percent of all homeowner liability claims that year.

While advocacy groups can sympathize with insurers, organizations like the Humane Society and the American Kennel Club believe breed-specific rate setting is a misguided and ineffective attempt to remedy the costs of dog aggression. All breeds bite, they say. The best way to reduce dog-bite liability claims is to encourage and reward responsible dog ownership.

And they have persuaded a few state legislatures with their arguments. Some states have already banned breed-specific rate setting, and others are crafting bans as we speak. Legislatures are putting more emphasis, in the form of both carrots and sticks, on dog owner responsibility.

The American Kennel Club thinks dogs can be an asset to insurers, not just a liability. The group says a dog may serve as “a natural alarm system whose bark may deter intruders and prevent potential theft.”

And the good news is that if your pooch takes a bite out of a burglar, you’re not liable for any injury. All you need to do is make sure Fluffy can distinguish between the bad guys and the good guys.

 
 

E-commerce has come of age, but if you’re like a lot of people, you still get a little squeamish about typing your credit card or social security number into a form on a web site.

The good news is that shopping online is safe—if you exercise caution. This means going online with protection and using only the services that pass your trust test.

Going online with protection means having current anti-virus and firewall software installed on your computer. Anything less and you’re putting yourself at risk. Also, if you have a wireless connection at home—or use one elsewhere—check out this article on wireless safety.

There are several criteria for determining the trustworthiness of a site. The most important of which is the initial sniff test. Because let’s face it: some sites just smell phishy (we’ll get to phishing in a bit). Maybe it’s the cheesy blinking graphics. Maybe it’s because they sell other stuff you don’t want to be associated with. Maybe you can’t quite tell exactly why you don’t trust a site. Go with your gut—it’s pretty savvy.

A more objective (but not necessarily better) criterion is the privacy policy. What does it say? What do they plan on doing with your personal information? Privacy policies are usually somewhat opaque, since they’re written by lawyerly types. But if you can’t cut through a privacy policy’s legalese to find a clear answer to your questions, don’t trust it. It may be totally benign, but you don’t know that. Best bet is to keep moving.

In order to stay safe online, here are some other tips for the taking:

Look for Ss. If the site address has an ‘https://’ in the address, that means it works with your web browser to scramble your information, keeping it safe from any third-party onlookers. If there is just ‘http://,’ any information you give is susceptible to interception. Another ‘s’ to look out for is SSL, which stands for secure socket layer. SSL is a method of securing information, and it’s an industry standard. Look for mention of SSL in the site’s privacy policy or elsewhere.

Choose login and password info carefully. Buying something online usually requires setting up an account with a login name and password. Remember, your password should not be a variation on your name or your pet’s. Or your street or hometown. Pick a password that you will remember but not something that someone could easily guess. Try to use upper and lower case letters, as well as symbols and numbers.

Always pay with a credit card. According to the FTC, by paying with a credit card, your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Cash and check payments don’t come with similar protections, leaving you with little recourse if you don’t get what you paid for.

Never give personal information over e-mail. Information sent via e-mail is not encrypted like information entered into a form on a secure web site. If you’re ever asked to give personal information via e-mail, the chances are good that you’re the target of a ‘phishing’ operation, in which a fraudster is pretending to be a trusted company.

Keep meticulous records. If, despite your efforts to be careful, you are the victim of fraud or theft, the paper trail will be invaluable in sorting out the aftermath. Be sure to report any mishaps with the Federal Trade Commission and/or your state’s attorney general.

Look for independent approval. There are some organizations that will vouch for the security and/or trustworthiness of a site. While there are very few standards on the web, organizations like the Better Business Bureau, VeriSign and TrustE have emerged as reliable indicators.

Know who you’re buying from. Do some research before your buy if you’re unfamiliar with the company.

Lastly, since the internet landscape changes so quickly, it’s wise to regularly check in with trusted sources to be sure you’re current in your precautionary steps. The FTC operates an excellent site called On Guard Online, which is updated regularly with articles and video tutorials.

Links:
http://www.ftc.gov/onlineshopping/
http://onguardonline.gov/tutorials/index.html

 
 

Many people lament the purchase of auto insurance. So we’re here to make it less painful. Check out these six money-saving tips and take the sting out of buying insurance.

#1 Raise your deductible. It’s a gamble, sure. You’ll be responsible for a larger amount of the bill should you get into an accident. However, this is a guaranteed way to lower your annual insurance costs.

#2 Shop around. Staying with the same insurance company year after year may not be in your best interest. You can cancel or change your policy at any time—you don’t need to wait for the policy to expire. So shop your insurance every six months and compare prices to ensure you are getting the best deal.

#3 Remove unneeded extras. Although knowing you have towing and rental car coverage may help you sleep at night, those add-ons are rarely used and not necessarily worth the cost. You pay between $10 and $30 a year over the life of your policy to cover towing. And in the unlikely situation that you need a tow, you’ll pay about $100. Likewise, a small economy car costs $20-$25 a day to rent and car rental tacks on another $20-$40 to your insurance bill each year. So you can sleep well knowing that you saved yourself some money.

#4 Protect your credit. More insurers have begun using credit-based insurance scores to determine what you pay for your policy. So paying the water bill on time will actually keep your insurance costs down.

#5 Research discounts. Cars with safety and anti-theft devices cost less to insure. You can also knock off a few bucks if you insure your car and home with the same company. People who abstain from alcohol, get good grades in school or take a driver education course are also rewarded with lower premiums.

#6 Get informed. The easiest way to save on any insurance is to research before you buy. And get recommendations from family and friends.

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