Online Shopping: Still Safe

With the revelation from the BBC that 11 people in the USA have been charged with stealing 40 million credit and debit card numbers (yes I really said 40 million!), we have to again ask ourselves the question Is shopping on the web safe?

Well the answer is of course not simple - but broadly speaking it depends on the How and the Where.

In fact these card numbers were actually stolen by good old fashioned breaking and entering - all be it of the electronic form - but still they drove to the offices of the retailers in question.

Our advice has always been to use a credit card because that gives you legal protection in case anything goes wrong - your bank has to help you in other words.

But of course by the time you call your bank it is already too late.

Best off doing what I do:

• Use sites that have been recommended to you
• Use sites that have been verified by companies like Shopsafe.co.uk or Mcafeesecure.com
• If in real doubt use PayPal to pay

Yes thats right PayPal isn't only the preserve of Ebay - register your credit or debit card with PayPal and when you purchase online they don't send your card details to the shop - they sort it all out for you.

That way your card number does not wind up on anyone else's computer - so they can't get stolen.

Crucial Tip: Never, ever, EVER respond to an email a bank or PayPal send you asking you to update your account - its someone pretending to be them and they are bad people.

So come on, the waters warm - lets get shopping

Shopsafe now lists 4000 shops

We reached a milestone today at Shopsafe.co.uk when we added the 4000th shop to the site.

When we started Shopsafe in 1999 I don't think we would have thought that 10 years later there would be over 4000 safe shopping sites in the UK. It's a testament to the thriving e-commerce industry in this country, and the growing number of people shopping on the Internet.

With 4000 shops listed you can choose from household names, high street chains or speciality web only shops. We've checked them all!

Christmas gets earlier every year

I almost have to pinch myself writing this. Summer hasn't really started and yet today Hamleys have released their Christmas Toy predictions. I mean the kids haven't even broken up for their holidays yet!

Hamleys really is the king of the Toy Shops and so I feel compelled to sit up and listen when they speak - and they do have a cracking selection.

So if you really are against the sound of Jingle Bells in July (and who can blame you!) why not kick off your flip flops and get inspired for a birthday instead.

Here is my pick of their predictions:

• Dance With Me Teletubbies
• Dalek Voice Changer
• Leather Rubik Cube (its all about retro didn't you know)
• High School Musical Fashion Dolls
• Black and White Zebra
• Biscuit the Dog (thank goodness robots don't eat)
• Gnome Bowling

You heard it hear first - ho, ho, ho!

Satisfaction with delivery from online shopping websites improves

IMRG, the e-retail industry voice, have just published a major review of UK online shopping delivery.

Their report says that shopper satisfaction with home delivery has improved significantly to 81.1%. This is similar to our recent survey. Shopsafe.co.uk users were asked if they were satisfied with delivery and 8/10 of those surveyed were satisfied with delivery. That is a big increase on 3 years ago when the figure was just 6/10.

Our online shopping complaint resolution service has also seen a reduction in complaints about delivery. Probably for these reasons:

• Retailers have better websites
• Retailers are offering more choice about delivery times and dates
• Couriers are getting better

Its good to know that one of online shoppings traditional weaknesses is finally put to bed.

Shop online - its cheaper than driving

Years ago, when I had to sell the idea of shopping online to my parents on a lazy Sunday afternoon, all they said was it would never take off. My stock response was "course it will - its all about convenience and speed".

But what does that mean? - is that really all that shopping online has to offer?

It means different things to different people - to me it means that driving to buy a new high chair this weekend, an 80 mile round trip, would cost more in petrol than the postage John Lewis would charge me.

I don't know what the tipping point is, but for me it is here - shop online - it is cheaper than driving, it is greener and far more convenient.

So at least now I have a new answer.

Next time my parents ask me i'll say "it is cheaper than driving".