Shopping online is certainly not a new concept. Consumers around the world are enjoying the convenience of purchasing whatever they want and need from the comfort of their home, office, or even on the go. Along with its increasing popularity, online shopping also managed to get a bit of a reputation. There have been numerous instances of theft and fraud which has tarnished the reputation of many online vendors. Thankfully, as a shopper, there are ways of protecting yourself.
 
When shopping for hampers online, you will need to start by looking for a reputable vendor. Run a search for gift baskets and hampers before looking into the reputation of the vendors that catch your eye. Check online review websites and discussion forums as well as social media. When reading these reviews, make sure that you keep an open mind. It’s not possible to make all of your clients happy but, what really matters is how you handle complaints. Read the complaints as well as the responses from the vendor in order to gauge just how serious they really are.
 
Once you have narrowed down your options, it’s time to read the terms and conditions of the website. Make sure that they have strict policies in place to protect your personal data and ensure privacy. While they might store certain data, you should ensure that your payment details are never stored on their system. In other words, even if you create an account on that website, they should only store information like your name, delivery address, contact details, email address, and so on. Your credit card number and other payment details should never be stored by the website. Your billing address might be saved for convenience when you create an account, but this will in no way affect your privacy or security.
 
Secure payment is essential for all online vendors and stores. This means that your payment does not go directly through their website. Instead, your payment is processed by a secure portal designed to maintain confidentiality. The secure payment method should be openly advertised on the website. You should also see confirmation of this in the website privacy policy or terms and conditions. The vendor should provide a link to the secure payment method website. This allows the consumer to verify the validity of this payment method. It’s important to note that secure payment providers are offering a service to vendors. As such, they charge the vendor a fee. This fee needs to be paid on a regular basis in order for payment protection to continue.