Once upon a time the thought of making a large purchase over the internet was unimaginable. Why would anyone put themselves at risk? But today you can even buy a car online, without talking to a single salesman. Yet some people are still wary of ordering furniture online due to the increase in online shopping scams.
Informed shoppers are able to avoid such scams; learn how to protect your personal information while shopping for a chest of drawers or other furniture online.
Look for legitimate retailers and brands
Sometimes you can tell right away that a site doesn’t offer high quality furniture. When you browse the discount chest of drawers catalog, look for popular brands and those that have become household names. Look for differences in logo, spelling, and other brand or retailer identifying information.
Don’t forget to check for a valid SSL certificate. This certificate shows that the website is secure, and it is safe for you to enter your personal information on the site. This is easily noticeable, indicated by a padlock symbol and “https:” on the address bar.
Scammers often attempt to look like a legitimate furniture store to steal your information, so if anything looks off make sure you’re on the site you intended.
You should also check the reviews of both the online furniture store and the brands they offer. Legitimate review sites will have a blend of low, mid, and high ratings. Particularly look for any signs of payment or account issues.
Look for partnership with a trustworthy payment processor
Any reputable online furniture store is going to have a merchant account from a reputable bank or payment processor. They should be able to accept almost any type of credit card through a secure payment processing platform. Large furniture sites may process payments on their own without involving a third party, but they will be verified by Visa, Mastercard, and others.
You should be able to easily see what your payment options are and what platform will be collecting credit and account information. If you are ever concerned that someone may be collecting your credit card information fraudulently, you can check with the credit card company to see if the furniture retailer is able to legitimately process credit cards.
Read privacy policies carefully
If you have never read a privacy policy before agreeing to it, you are among just 31% failing to do so. Yet even among those who read privacy policies, few do so for every website or with every update. But when you are trusting a website with a large purchase like bedroom furniture, you should read everything related to the terms and policies of the ecommerce furniture store to ensure your personal data will be secure.
Don’t forget to check the privacy policies for any third-party that will be involved in the collection or processing of your personal information as well. That includes the privacy policies of the furniture store, the payment processor, and any other associated information. You should also check the policies of your credit card for protections in case of fraudulent activity.
