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Jacqueline Lynn started to write a book about how to sell on eBay, but a successful eBay seller she interviewed suggested she instead write about how to buy online. "There are already plenty of online sellers out there," he said. "We need more customers."
Indeed, there don't seem to be many books available about online buying. Lynn's "Online Shopper's Survival Guide" (Entrepreneur Press, 2006) contains a lot of helpful info and much common sense to boot. Although veteran online users may skip over the first chapter that covers the evolution of Internet shopping, Chapter 2 does contain nuggets those people probably haven't thought of, such as checking to see if a company lists a street address and telephone number, as well as e-contact info, before buying. I found the list of consumer feedback and review sites helpful; although I knew about planetfeedback.com and epinions.com, there were several I hadn't heard of, such as ripoff.com, epubliceye.com, and consummerreview.com.
Another useful list in the book includes one of 11 online coupon sites I didn't know about. (I don't use coupons much online or offline, but I know there are thrifty souls out there who will want to dig into these sources and save as much money as they can).
Lynn makes the case for paying with credit cards so you get their extra layer of protection, and does a good job of explaining the "Do you have to pay sales tax?" question, which I think often confuses many online shoppers.
There is a lot of good, common-sense advice about what types of items it makes sense to buy online vs. offline - some examples include getting older software programs on the cheap if you don't necessarily want to upgrade to the latest and greatest, or buying a refurbished printer instead of a new one. But sometimes, she says, it pays to actually show up in a brick-and-mortar store.
Lynn does mention several of the major online auction sites in addition to eBay. It would have been interesting to see a bit more comparing them and the scope of things available on them.
In terms of transaction problems such as late shipping and defective or not-as-represented items, Lynn clearly explains what reasonable expectations and responsibilities are for both buyer and seller. She also knows when to mention legal recourse or relevant legislation that helps buyers, such as the Fair Credit Billing Act, which limits a consumer's liability to $50 in cases such as overcharges or failures to post return credits. She also clearly lays out the steps to take to follow up when different problems occur.
There is also much solid advice in the book about avoiding scams and fraud, and Lynn also covers online escrow services for bigger-ticket purchases. She discusses various types of email scams and emphasizes the importance of minimizing the amount of information you give to online sellers.
I like that Lynn devotes entire chapters to buying a car, real estate, and travel services online, and for each there are resources given to research your purchase. In fact, throughout the book, Lynn mentions relevant websites, in addition to cautionary notes about online safety and applicable legal issues. These urls are listed in a handy 20-page Appendix - "Online Shopping Resources."
In sum, I think the Online Shopper's Survival Guide is a valuable resource that will pay for itself many times over, and in a world where clicks are definitely gaining on bricks, many of us need this book even if we don't know it.
The Online Shopper's Survival Guide is available on Amazon:
http://digbig.com/4qftx
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