by: Clive Chansa
Online shopping offers many benefits that you won’t find shopping in a brick and mortar store or by mail. The Internet is always open seven days a week and 24 hours a day. Internet-only deals and bargains can be numerous online. Shopping on the Internet is no less safe than shopping in a store or by mail. Keep the following tips in mind to help ensure that your online shopping experience is a safe one.
1. While Online Order Only On A Secure Server.
Use a secure browser and shop only at websites that offer encryption protection. A protected website will have one or more of these three features:
a) The small lock or key symbol at the bottom of your browser window;
b) An address that starts with https ("s" for "secure") instead of just http; and
c) A security warning box that pops up at the point of purchase.
Your browser should comply with industry security standards, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). These standards scramble the purchase information you send over the Internet, helping to secure your transaction.
2. Pay The Safest Way.
Use a credit card or Debit Card with a safe online shopping guarantee. Look for a card with specific guarantees, like 100% coverage for any losses due to fraud when shopping on the Internet. Many companies offer an online shopping guarantee that ensures you will not be held responsible for any unauthorized charges made online, and some cards may provide additional warranty, return and/or purchase protection benefits.
3. Protect Your Privacy.
Look for and read a website's privacy and security policy. Stay clear of a website that either doesn't have one or does not guarantee your personal information will not be sold. This policy should disclose what information is being collected on the Web site and how that information is being used.
4. Know Who You're Dealing With.
Research your merchant. Look at the ratings consumers give them and stay clear of websites that either aren't listed or receive poor marks. Shop with companies you know. Anyone can set up shop online under almost any name. If you’re not familiar with a merchant, ask for a paper catalogue or brochure to get a better idea of their merchandise and services. Also, determine the company’s refund and return policies before you place your order. These should be posted on the company’s Web site.
5. Keep A Record.
Print out a copy of your order and confirmation number for your records. Reputable merchants will usually send you an email confirming your order. However a hard copy is always good to have in case your order is lost, deleted or not delivered as promised.
6. Guard Your Online Password.
Keep your password(s) private. Be creative when you establish a password, and never share your website passwords with anyone. Write them down and store them in a safe place. Avoid using a telephone number, birth date or a portion of your Social Security number. Instead, use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols. Do not use the same username and password at every website. Should your personal information be compromised, a thief won't get very far if you use different passwords and usernames on different websites.
7. Track Your Purchases.
Use only one credit card to shop with online. This helps keep track of your online purchases during the holidays, and will make it easier to spot purchases that are fraudulent. Look for a card that allows you to review transactions online as well -- you'll be more likely to notice a problem early on.
8. Keep Personal Information Private.
Don't enter more information at a merchant website than is absolutely necessary. There is usually no reason why you should have to supply information such as birth dates or Social Security numbers when making a purchase. Fill in only the bare essentials necessary to make your purchase. If you have children, teach them to check with you before giving out personal – or family – information online.
Friday 1 August 2008
Shopping Search Engines, The Benefits and Explanations
by: Ispas Marin
The Shopping Search Engines are a new breed on the Internet market, they are a research tool for both consumers and retailers. Using a shopping search engine the consumer can search at once more than one merchants, products and look at the prices in only one place. The shopping search engine is a software that puts together a number of online stores. They sell the products from thousands of merchants through their interface. To get their products listed in the shopping search engines the retailers usually pay a per click fee and startup fee. In some cases the shopping search engines rate the quality of the merchants and promote them if the their ratings are high.If you would want to buy something you no longer need to go to regular search engine, search through the results and find the product on the retailers website. The shopping search engine will show you directly the merchant checkout page saving you money.Here are some of the benefits, listed:Consumer Benefits: Minimal click online shopping Multiple merchants in one place Multiple products in one place Merchant ratings Product ratings Prices include shipping and tax, if you fill in zip code box on screen Smart Buy is highlighted for you at Shopping.com - shows best rated merchant with cheapest price Saves consumer time and money, avoid long shopping lines and traffic during Christmas shopping season. Retailer Benefits:Retailers have a new online marketing and sales channel for their products If retailers have a good site conversion rate, likely to have good shopping search conversion rate Instead of delivering the consumer to the merchant's door, like regular search engines do, the shopping search engines deliver the consumer directly to the product, giving information about whatever price the product may have and if it's in stock or sold out. The consumer also provides information about which merchant offers the best deal and if the merchant is highly rated.Some of the online shopping search engines are: Shopping.com, Bizrate.com or Shopzilla.com,http://www.getinstant.info, Google's Froogle, Yahoo Shopping, Nextag.com and Pricegrabber.com.
The Shopping Search Engines are a new breed on the Internet market, they are a research tool for both consumers and retailers. Using a shopping search engine the consumer can search at once more than one merchants, products and look at the prices in only one place. The shopping search engine is a software that puts together a number of online stores. They sell the products from thousands of merchants through their interface. To get their products listed in the shopping search engines the retailers usually pay a per click fee and startup fee. In some cases the shopping search engines rate the quality of the merchants and promote them if the their ratings are high.If you would want to buy something you no longer need to go to regular search engine, search through the results and find the product on the retailers website. The shopping search engine will show you directly the merchant checkout page saving you money.Here are some of the benefits, listed:Consumer Benefits: Minimal click online shopping Multiple merchants in one place Multiple products in one place Merchant ratings Product ratings Prices include shipping and tax, if you fill in zip code box on screen Smart Buy is highlighted for you at Shopping.com - shows best rated merchant with cheapest price Saves consumer time and money, avoid long shopping lines and traffic during Christmas shopping season. Retailer Benefits:Retailers have a new online marketing and sales channel for their products If retailers have a good site conversion rate, likely to have good shopping search conversion rate Instead of delivering the consumer to the merchant's door, like regular search engines do, the shopping search engines deliver the consumer directly to the product, giving information about whatever price the product may have and if it's in stock or sold out. The consumer also provides information about which merchant offers the best deal and if the merchant is highly rated.Some of the online shopping search engines are: Shopping.com, Bizrate.com or Shopzilla.com,http://www.getinstant.info, Google's Froogle, Yahoo Shopping, Nextag.com and Pricegrabber.com.
Pros and Cons of Internet Shopping
by: Ken Austin
Online shopping has become a regular pastime of Americans. Not only is home shopping convenient for most people it also provides much more variety in a smaller amount of time than driving around town might produce. However, internet shopping has its pros and cons just as anything other advance of technology does. Online shoppers should be careful and aware that just because they feel anonymous while shopping, they may not always be.Pros of Discount Shopping Online and Other functions of Internet Shopping:1. Most people can generally find what they are looking for online just as easy if not easier than finding it at the local department store.2. Variety is more diverse since the market is global and not local.3. Prices are sometimes negotiable online since the products might be sold by individuals or auctions.4. Items are more generally lower priced due to the high percentage of auctions and discount sites.Cons of Discount Shopping Online and Other functions of Internet Shopping:1. Shipping costs occur 90% of the time, sometimes bringing the discounted price back up to the normal price of the same item found locally at a department store.2. Descriptions on bid sites and online auctions may not be accurate. Sometimes sellers will talk up their item in order to sell it. 3. Refunds are not as accessible and may not always be possible when conducting online shopping.4. Payment devices may not be secure, allowing access to more people than simply the seller, or abused access by the seller. Internet shopping can be very useful and very convenient, however the individual thinking about using a discount shopping online should carefully weigh the pros and cons before ruling out the local market. Common sense can save you a lot of money online, and when in doubt just log off and go the old fashion route of shopping locally.
Online shopping has become a regular pastime of Americans. Not only is home shopping convenient for most people it also provides much more variety in a smaller amount of time than driving around town might produce. However, internet shopping has its pros and cons just as anything other advance of technology does. Online shoppers should be careful and aware that just because they feel anonymous while shopping, they may not always be.Pros of Discount Shopping Online and Other functions of Internet Shopping:1. Most people can generally find what they are looking for online just as easy if not easier than finding it at the local department store.2. Variety is more diverse since the market is global and not local.3. Prices are sometimes negotiable online since the products might be sold by individuals or auctions.4. Items are more generally lower priced due to the high percentage of auctions and discount sites.Cons of Discount Shopping Online and Other functions of Internet Shopping:1. Shipping costs occur 90% of the time, sometimes bringing the discounted price back up to the normal price of the same item found locally at a department store.2. Descriptions on bid sites and online auctions may not be accurate. Sometimes sellers will talk up their item in order to sell it. 3. Refunds are not as accessible and may not always be possible when conducting online shopping.4. Payment devices may not be secure, allowing access to more people than simply the seller, or abused access by the seller. Internet shopping can be very useful and very convenient, however the individual thinking about using a discount shopping online should carefully weigh the pros and cons before ruling out the local market. Common sense can save you a lot of money online, and when in doubt just log off and go the old fashion route of shopping locally.
Create Worry-Free Sales With Secure Shopping Cart Software
by: Tia Rodriguez
Succeeding in business can be a hassle and a headache without the right tools. This is especially true when dealing with ecommerce. Regardless of the market, service, or goods being offered, the one tool that is essential to the success of every online ecommerce business is a reliable ecommerce shopping cart.The online shopping cart is your one stop container for placing and receiving orders online. A basic shopping cart will allow the customer to specify the quantity of the goods wanted, take the customer’s credit, billing, and shipping information, and actually allow the customer to place the order. However, a good shopping cart software solution will do all of this and so much more.Many ecommerce shopping cart solutions offer customizable templates and design tools for your shopping cart and sometimes even your website. There are also several web hosting shopping cart solutions that will not only handle the order placement and transactions, but also handle the hosting needs of your website.Other tools and features included in shopping cart software packages are affiliate system management programs, search engine optimization tools, and advanced shipping options. There are also several ecommerce providers that offer secure encrypted credit card processing along with other merchant account tools as a part of using their shopping cart solution for your ecommerce needs.Almost all reputable shopping cart software providers also offer full telephone, email and live internet chat support in case any questions may arise after purchasing their service. All of this is done to allow you to focus on growing your online business. By automating the backend of your website, you don’t have to worry about manually taking each order that comes in. Ecommerce shopping cart software handles all of this for you.Make your online business profitable, secure, and reliable with an affordable shopping cart software solution. It is one of the best investments you can make in the operational aspect of your ecommerce venture.
Succeeding in business can be a hassle and a headache without the right tools. This is especially true when dealing with ecommerce. Regardless of the market, service, or goods being offered, the one tool that is essential to the success of every online ecommerce business is a reliable ecommerce shopping cart.The online shopping cart is your one stop container for placing and receiving orders online. A basic shopping cart will allow the customer to specify the quantity of the goods wanted, take the customer’s credit, billing, and shipping information, and actually allow the customer to place the order. However, a good shopping cart software solution will do all of this and so much more.Many ecommerce shopping cart solutions offer customizable templates and design tools for your shopping cart and sometimes even your website. There are also several web hosting shopping cart solutions that will not only handle the order placement and transactions, but also handle the hosting needs of your website.Other tools and features included in shopping cart software packages are affiliate system management programs, search engine optimization tools, and advanced shipping options. There are also several ecommerce providers that offer secure encrypted credit card processing along with other merchant account tools as a part of using their shopping cart solution for your ecommerce needs.Almost all reputable shopping cart software providers also offer full telephone, email and live internet chat support in case any questions may arise after purchasing their service. All of this is done to allow you to focus on growing your online business. By automating the backend of your website, you don’t have to worry about manually taking each order that comes in. Ecommerce shopping cart software handles all of this for you.Make your online business profitable, secure, and reliable with an affordable shopping cart software solution. It is one of the best investments you can make in the operational aspect of your ecommerce venture.
"Cheap Retail - Best Bargains on the Net"
by: Bob Vu
Shopping on the Web has become easier to do over the past years. As more online stores open up every week, competition gets fierce. This causes merchants to resort to more competitive pricing. Whatever product you are looking for, there is usually hundreds to thousands of options of where to buy online. The great number of shoppers online has also spurred something called shopping directories, which let you search through different stores to find the product you need without having to visit multiple stores. While shopping online, you can also read multiple unbiased reviews from multiple consumers who have bought and used the products.Convienence and AvailabilityEvery week, a bunch of new online stores open. This makes shopping online easier than ever. The Internet has become a virtually endless resource for shoppers to find exactly what they need conveniently in the comfort of their own homes. More and more shoppers are deciding to buy online as opposed to going to the store. Many find this more convienent than having to drive to a store. It is also easier to browse different products between online stores for the best prices. Finding the product you're looking for requires almost no effort. Sometimes the product finds you, through advertisements.Cheaper PricesEvery week, fierce competitors lower prices on products, or resort to other tactics like promoting and marketing, and a wide range of other strategies to keep customers coming to their store. This makes it better for you, the shopper. Shoppers are also more likely to find better deals at online stores because they do not have to worry about having a physical shop and all the costs that come with it. This helps give online stores the ability to offer better prices yet still keep a reasonable profit margin.Shopping Directories make Online Shopping even more EfficientShopping directories have become a popular resource, as they let shoppers browse through multiple store products all from one site. This cuts down on even more time spent shopping through various stores by letting shoppers 1) search through multiple stores for an item and 2) search for multiple types of items from multiple stores. This makes online shopping much more efficient whether you are looking for only 1 type of item or multiple items from different categories. This is an advantage to the shoppers and online stores because it centralizes the process of shopping to make it easier for shoppers to find sellers that meet their needs, as well as helps sellers reach buyers outside of their site.Find out more about a product before you decide to buyThere is just a massive resource of reviews for all types of products online. You can read multiple reviews from other consumers who have bought a product to help aide you in deciding which product, brand, and/or variation of the product you wish to buy. Some online stores even give shoppers the ability to write reviews about a product after they have bought it to help inform future shoppers. This can help immensely when trying to choose the perfect product to fit your needs, as you see what other people have to say about their experiences with a product, as well as quality and value.Online Shopping has been a growing trend for yearsOver the past years, internet shopping has been growing at an incredible rate. We always hear about how much Internet Retail sales figures are multiplying every year. That is because online shopping has so many advantages and great deals that more and more people realize it and opt to buy certain products online where they see fit. With more online stores opening every week, more shopppers deciding to make purchases online, the competitive pricing between online stores, and vast resources to help people better shop like Shopping Directories and product reviews, its no wonder more and more people are making more purchases online.
Shopping on the Web has become easier to do over the past years. As more online stores open up every week, competition gets fierce. This causes merchants to resort to more competitive pricing. Whatever product you are looking for, there is usually hundreds to thousands of options of where to buy online. The great number of shoppers online has also spurred something called shopping directories, which let you search through different stores to find the product you need without having to visit multiple stores. While shopping online, you can also read multiple unbiased reviews from multiple consumers who have bought and used the products.Convienence and AvailabilityEvery week, a bunch of new online stores open. This makes shopping online easier than ever. The Internet has become a virtually endless resource for shoppers to find exactly what they need conveniently in the comfort of their own homes. More and more shoppers are deciding to buy online as opposed to going to the store. Many find this more convienent than having to drive to a store. It is also easier to browse different products between online stores for the best prices. Finding the product you're looking for requires almost no effort. Sometimes the product finds you, through advertisements.Cheaper PricesEvery week, fierce competitors lower prices on products, or resort to other tactics like promoting and marketing, and a wide range of other strategies to keep customers coming to their store. This makes it better for you, the shopper. Shoppers are also more likely to find better deals at online stores because they do not have to worry about having a physical shop and all the costs that come with it. This helps give online stores the ability to offer better prices yet still keep a reasonable profit margin.Shopping Directories make Online Shopping even more EfficientShopping directories have become a popular resource, as they let shoppers browse through multiple store products all from one site. This cuts down on even more time spent shopping through various stores by letting shoppers 1) search through multiple stores for an item and 2) search for multiple types of items from multiple stores. This makes online shopping much more efficient whether you are looking for only 1 type of item or multiple items from different categories. This is an advantage to the shoppers and online stores because it centralizes the process of shopping to make it easier for shoppers to find sellers that meet their needs, as well as helps sellers reach buyers outside of their site.Find out more about a product before you decide to buyThere is just a massive resource of reviews for all types of products online. You can read multiple reviews from other consumers who have bought a product to help aide you in deciding which product, brand, and/or variation of the product you wish to buy. Some online stores even give shoppers the ability to write reviews about a product after they have bought it to help inform future shoppers. This can help immensely when trying to choose the perfect product to fit your needs, as you see what other people have to say about their experiences with a product, as well as quality and value.Online Shopping has been a growing trend for yearsOver the past years, internet shopping has been growing at an incredible rate. We always hear about how much Internet Retail sales figures are multiplying every year. That is because online shopping has so many advantages and great deals that more and more people realize it and opt to buy certain products online where they see fit. With more online stores opening every week, more shopppers deciding to make purchases online, the competitive pricing between online stores, and vast resources to help people better shop like Shopping Directories and product reviews, its no wonder more and more people are making more purchases online.
The Trip Falls of Internet Shopping
by: Ken Austin
Shopping on the internet can be very convenient but also very disarming. Shoppers should be aware that although they feel anonymous they may not be. Common sense is a very important characteristic to keep in mind when conducting online shopping. To put your mind back into focus, try to follow some of the basic checklist trip falls.1. Watch your security. Users should always be sure that the site they are using is secure, but how do you know? A secure site should have a security certificate. Usually there is a link somewhere on the site that allows you to view the certificate. If you cannot find the certificate or you are still unsure about the privacy of the site, Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator have a built in feature that allows you to quickly check for site security and accuracy. In the lower right hand corner of both browsers is a padlock. When the padlock is opened the site is insecure or the certificate is out of date. When the padlock is closed the certificate is up to date and the site is recognized as secure. 2. Although, not despairing to your security, the issue of shipping is despairing to your wallet. Be aware of shipping costs, which occur 90 percent of the time. For example, on average, a CD cost between 1.80 to 2.00 to send through media mail. If you feel the shipping costs are outweighing the discounted price of the product then your best bet is to shop elsewhere or simply look locally for the product. 3. Comparison shop. You should always look locally first when shopping for expensive items. Some online merchants actually raise their prices hoping that you will not comparison shop and they will get the better price out of you. So when shopping online, be careful. Not everyone is honest and not all the deals are the best ones. Mostly the online shopping experience is a pleasant one but once and awhile there a few trip falls to beware of.
Shopping on the internet can be very convenient but also very disarming. Shoppers should be aware that although they feel anonymous they may not be. Common sense is a very important characteristic to keep in mind when conducting online shopping. To put your mind back into focus, try to follow some of the basic checklist trip falls.1. Watch your security. Users should always be sure that the site they are using is secure, but how do you know? A secure site should have a security certificate. Usually there is a link somewhere on the site that allows you to view the certificate. If you cannot find the certificate or you are still unsure about the privacy of the site, Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator have a built in feature that allows you to quickly check for site security and accuracy. In the lower right hand corner of both browsers is a padlock. When the padlock is opened the site is insecure or the certificate is out of date. When the padlock is closed the certificate is up to date and the site is recognized as secure. 2. Although, not despairing to your security, the issue of shipping is despairing to your wallet. Be aware of shipping costs, which occur 90 percent of the time. For example, on average, a CD cost between 1.80 to 2.00 to send through media mail. If you feel the shipping costs are outweighing the discounted price of the product then your best bet is to shop elsewhere or simply look locally for the product. 3. Comparison shop. You should always look locally first when shopping for expensive items. Some online merchants actually raise their prices hoping that you will not comparison shop and they will get the better price out of you. So when shopping online, be careful. Not everyone is honest and not all the deals are the best ones. Mostly the online shopping experience is a pleasant one but once and awhile there a few trip falls to beware of.
How to go about Online Shopping - For newbies
by: Paromita Chowdhury
How to go about online shopping:The idea of online shopping has created a major interest in net users. It is simply buying and paying through internet anytime anywhere. You can purchase almost anything online and need not bother anyone. You can purchase clothes, cars, computers, groceries, books, machineries etc. along with real estates. Generally, the transactions are done through credit cards only. However, there are some sites, which offer cash on delivery. Though online shopping is easier and cheaper as they often offer discounts, yet you could be in trouble at times. Have you ever thought of choosing a secured and safe site for your shopping?Are you sure your transaction is safe?Let us think about certain facts before going for online shopping:Are you using a secure browser?The browser you are using should abide by the industry security standards. There are Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Secure Electronic Transaction (SET). These systems encrypt the purchase information you send over the net. Safe sites show the symbol of an unbroken key, a picture of a closed lock or a web address started with https://. Along with that, most of the browsers also display a warning message before you click to send any information to a site. Go for Certificate check:It is also easy to verify a secure site with a “certificate”. Presently Verisign,Inc. is a provider of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). This company has formed long-term partnerships with a large no. of other companies. You can check out www.verisign.com for further information.Do not reveal your very personal information unless required:Always try not to send your password anywhere if you do not know the receiver. It’s even secured to use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols in your password instead of using birth dates, phone numbers etc.Always pay with a credit card or charge card:Online shopping is done by credit card or charge card in order to make the procedure easy. If you pay with a credit card or charge card, your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit Building Act. According to the law, consumers have every right to dispute the charges against certain situations. It is always better to invest small amount while buying online for the first time. Try them a couple of times and then go for more investments. Using one card only for online shopping will make your life much comfortable. Do not forget to keep hard copies of your purchase order and confirmation number.Think twice before filling up a form online:In maximum websites, you need to register yourself in order to buy things. This form is sometimes very risky as with just a click of your mouse all your information could be sent to anywhere. If you are sending any private information then it’s better to think twice. Generally the sites want to know whether you are new to online shopping or what kind of products you are interested in etc. but sometime they ask for your e-mail id, password, mailing address and phone number. Ask yourself before pouring out all such information:1)Are they at all required?2)Should I trust the owners of the site?3)What about the site’s privacy policy?4)Is it a secure site at all?5)What my friends/ relatives/ colleagues feel about this site?After giving yourself proper and satisfactory replies, you can go forward.Even after having a through knowledge about the site, if unfortunately you come across some problems there are agencies, which could help you.1)The Publication Analyzing Internet Information (PM 1789b)2)Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm.3)National Fraud Information Center at http://www.fraud.org.4)Call for Action, Inc. at http://www.callforaction.org/5)Consumer Information Center at http://www.pueble.gsa.gov/Shopping online is definitely enjoyable and interesting. Your online shops are open for 24 hours a day under any circumstances. It gives you the pleasure and comfort to buy with just a few clicks on your mouse. You can go for research before buying a product, such as can check out the price range, utility, others’ opinion and many more things. As everything has its good and bad sides, online shopping is not an exceptional case. Sometime you might have to pay more as the price includes shipping charges and other delivery options. Even it takes time to open up pages where you could be able to see the products. Along with all the pros and cons, online shopping is just “in”. Maximum people prefer getting things delivered at their doorstep even if they have to pay more. However, before ordering anything online, think and try these out. If you feel you are secured, go ahead and happy shopping!
How to go about online shopping:The idea of online shopping has created a major interest in net users. It is simply buying and paying through internet anytime anywhere. You can purchase almost anything online and need not bother anyone. You can purchase clothes, cars, computers, groceries, books, machineries etc. along with real estates. Generally, the transactions are done through credit cards only. However, there are some sites, which offer cash on delivery. Though online shopping is easier and cheaper as they often offer discounts, yet you could be in trouble at times. Have you ever thought of choosing a secured and safe site for your shopping?Are you sure your transaction is safe?Let us think about certain facts before going for online shopping:Are you using a secure browser?The browser you are using should abide by the industry security standards. There are Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Secure Electronic Transaction (SET). These systems encrypt the purchase information you send over the net. Safe sites show the symbol of an unbroken key, a picture of a closed lock or a web address started with https://. Along with that, most of the browsers also display a warning message before you click to send any information to a site. Go for Certificate check:It is also easy to verify a secure site with a “certificate”. Presently Verisign,Inc. is a provider of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). This company has formed long-term partnerships with a large no. of other companies. You can check out www.verisign.com for further information.Do not reveal your very personal information unless required:Always try not to send your password anywhere if you do not know the receiver. It’s even secured to use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols in your password instead of using birth dates, phone numbers etc.Always pay with a credit card or charge card:Online shopping is done by credit card or charge card in order to make the procedure easy. If you pay with a credit card or charge card, your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit Building Act. According to the law, consumers have every right to dispute the charges against certain situations. It is always better to invest small amount while buying online for the first time. Try them a couple of times and then go for more investments. Using one card only for online shopping will make your life much comfortable. Do not forget to keep hard copies of your purchase order and confirmation number.Think twice before filling up a form online:In maximum websites, you need to register yourself in order to buy things. This form is sometimes very risky as with just a click of your mouse all your information could be sent to anywhere. If you are sending any private information then it’s better to think twice. Generally the sites want to know whether you are new to online shopping or what kind of products you are interested in etc. but sometime they ask for your e-mail id, password, mailing address and phone number. Ask yourself before pouring out all such information:1)Are they at all required?2)Should I trust the owners of the site?3)What about the site’s privacy policy?4)Is it a secure site at all?5)What my friends/ relatives/ colleagues feel about this site?After giving yourself proper and satisfactory replies, you can go forward.Even after having a through knowledge about the site, if unfortunately you come across some problems there are agencies, which could help you.1)The Publication Analyzing Internet Information (PM 1789b)2)Federal Trade Commission at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm.3)National Fraud Information Center at http://www.fraud.org.4)Call for Action, Inc. at http://www.callforaction.org/5)Consumer Information Center at http://www.pueble.gsa.gov/Shopping online is definitely enjoyable and interesting. Your online shops are open for 24 hours a day under any circumstances. It gives you the pleasure and comfort to buy with just a few clicks on your mouse. You can go for research before buying a product, such as can check out the price range, utility, others’ opinion and many more things. As everything has its good and bad sides, online shopping is not an exceptional case. Sometime you might have to pay more as the price includes shipping charges and other delivery options. Even it takes time to open up pages where you could be able to see the products. Along with all the pros and cons, online shopping is just “in”. Maximum people prefer getting things delivered at their doorstep even if they have to pay more. However, before ordering anything online, think and try these out. If you feel you are secured, go ahead and happy shopping!
Buying E-books On E-bay: E-bay The One-stop E-book Shop
by: David Riewe
On September 1995, one of the most prestigious online shopping sites was founded. eBay is unique because it allows online shoppers, either as individuals or as a group, a wide variety of merchandise that they can buy, sell or trade within their community, their nation or even other with other countries. eBay's merchandise reaches to 44 million things on sale at any given time and is added with more than four million of other things to be sold everyday. Their categories include antiques, collectibles, photography, computers, art, toys, electronics, stamps, jewelry, magazines, comics, pottery, e-books and many more. Electronic books or more popularly known as e-Books are text materials designed to be portable. They are special books that uses a program that enable readers to read it through their hardware devices - like Personal Computers, laptops, palmtops and/or even mobile phones. They are so accessible and can be transferred from one computer to another using a network. Since e-Bay is one of the country's leading online shopping site, they also provide a selection on must have e-Books. Shopping for e-Books is fairly easy, but one must need some basic online shopping knowledge before they are able to do so. A great recommended book would be eBay Bargain Shopping for Dummies (can be found at eBay) by Marsha Collier. This book would help all online shoppers who to discover the treasure of eBay shopping. Her book spills the beans on how to outwit and outbid your competition - which is a good way to find discounts on all the items up for grabs. e-Books can be ordered online and delivered electronically to your computer (or mobile phone). This way, there is no shipping and tax expenses and you get your e-Book at a very low price. There are numerous sites that sell e-books in this manner On the other hand, Instant e-Books do not require additional software or other readers for customers to be able to immediately start reading their e-Books after installing it. And aside from that, there are many free e-Books and other articles written by "eBay gurus." With eBay, e-Books are just a click away. What could be greater news to all book lovers out there?
On September 1995, one of the most prestigious online shopping sites was founded. eBay is unique because it allows online shoppers, either as individuals or as a group, a wide variety of merchandise that they can buy, sell or trade within their community, their nation or even other with other countries. eBay's merchandise reaches to 44 million things on sale at any given time and is added with more than four million of other things to be sold everyday. Their categories include antiques, collectibles, photography, computers, art, toys, electronics, stamps, jewelry, magazines, comics, pottery, e-books and many more. Electronic books or more popularly known as e-Books are text materials designed to be portable. They are special books that uses a program that enable readers to read it through their hardware devices - like Personal Computers, laptops, palmtops and/or even mobile phones. They are so accessible and can be transferred from one computer to another using a network. Since e-Bay is one of the country's leading online shopping site, they also provide a selection on must have e-Books. Shopping for e-Books is fairly easy, but one must need some basic online shopping knowledge before they are able to do so. A great recommended book would be eBay Bargain Shopping for Dummies (can be found at eBay) by Marsha Collier. This book would help all online shoppers who to discover the treasure of eBay shopping. Her book spills the beans on how to outwit and outbid your competition - which is a good way to find discounts on all the items up for grabs. e-Books can be ordered online and delivered electronically to your computer (or mobile phone). This way, there is no shipping and tax expenses and you get your e-Book at a very low price. There are numerous sites that sell e-books in this manner On the other hand, Instant e-Books do not require additional software or other readers for customers to be able to immediately start reading their e-Books after installing it. And aside from that, there are many free e-Books and other articles written by "eBay gurus." With eBay, e-Books are just a click away. What could be greater news to all book lovers out there?
Ecommerce Hosting Considerations
by: Eric Lester
Website hosting can be a complex undertaking. Determining how much space you need, how much transfer, finding a reliable host, and getting everything online is no simple task. Add ecommerce to the mix and things become even more complex. This article will deal with some of those additional complications to finding a host for an online store. All of the same considerations to finding general hosting can be applied to ecommerce hosting, there are simply a few additional ones that need some attention.Basics- Disk Space and TransferThe core states of any kind of hosting, ecommerce or not, remain space and transfer, or traffic. Generally measured in monthly increments, your space and transfer will place a crucial role in determining just what size plan you need. Ecommerce sites will, generally speaking, require more space and transfer than an equivilant sized site without ecommerce. This is due to the presence of the shopping cart upon which the online storefront is based. Shopping cart programs are installed to the account on which they operate, requiring space, and their scripts for running the store will require additional transfer to handle customers as they browse, add items to their cart, and check out. Will there be a tremendous amount of extra transfer required by the cart? That depends on how many use the cart and on the cart itself. This is why its best to start small and having a clear upgrade path to handle future popularity.Prospective online merchants will generally have a good idea how many products they'll be selling initially. This will vary wildly from merchant to merchant, and many merchants don't put their entire stocks online. It is wise to start with a considered selection of products first, especially if you wish to initially keep your hosting plan small and upgrade as the store prospers. Those with a great deal of products need to be aware they will probably be facing a bigger monthly fee for a larger hosting plan. Once the decision is made regarding the products, attention can be turned to finding a suitable shopping cart program to contain them.Shopping CartThe choice of shopping cart can be a personal one. Those entirely new to ecommerce will probably not have any experience with any kind of shopping cart software. There are a number of popular choices, and most hosting companies will provide one, if not a variety, from which you can choose. It is important to find a shopping cart that suits the individual user, as attempting to change your shopping down the road can be a long process that will, most likely, bring your store down during a transitional period. Don't immediately jump at the first cart a host offers. Ask if they have demos and try them out. Be sure it's a program you can learn and use, as it is the primary way you'll be doing your online business. Even if you have a large business and have a design firm setting up the cart, a rudimentary knowledge of the cart's processes is highly recommended.Learn as much about your prospective shopping cart software as possible. Make sure it supports SSL, a common site security protocol that will help keep your customer's credit card numbers safe when ordering online. It will need to support your merchant account and payment gateway. In many cases a host might bundle these services, so compatibility isn't an issue. If you secured your merchant services separately from hosting, be sure they are compatible. Find out if the cart has a recommended maximum product limit and, of course, try not to exceed it. The store may slow down and perform poorly if there are too many products in it.Finally, make sure it will do everything you want it to do. Some merchants sell services and downloadable items that don't conform exactly to the order-product-ship-product flow. If your cart doesn't support these features by default, there may be 3rd party add-ons that will provide this functionality. Miva Merchant is one such shopping cart with a very active 3rd party developer community providing a wide range of add-ons, or "modules" to extend the feature set of the original program. The merchant will have to buy these add-ons and have them installed on their own initiative, though, and the hosting company will not be able to support them.Reliability and SupportPerhaps of greatest importance is reliability in your chosen host. Think in terms of a "brick and mortar" storefront. If someone locks the front door during business hours, then no customers can come in and nothing is sold. Similarly, if an online store is down at any hour, no customers can come in and nothing is sold. You want the most reliable hosting for such a mission-critical site. Never just take the word of a hosting company's site in regards to their uptime. Do research and look for customer reviews of your prospective host. Online merchants should always be willing to pay more for a reliable hosting company with good uptime and support. A good rule of thumb is to stay away from free or "bargain basement" hosts, since support and uptime are usually the first things to suffer with this kind of hosting.ConclusionsFinding the right ecommerce hosting company requires a few additional considerations. Decide on your products, your shopping cart, and then shop for your hosting company. You will need more space and transfer than an equivalent site, but start small with your product selection and you can still save money on your hosting. Find a shopping cart that's easy for you to use and understand, as switching at a later date can result in downtime and a lot of work transferring your products. Finally, make sure your host has solid uptime, as an online store that's down isn't generating any sales.
Website hosting can be a complex undertaking. Determining how much space you need, how much transfer, finding a reliable host, and getting everything online is no simple task. Add ecommerce to the mix and things become even more complex. This article will deal with some of those additional complications to finding a host for an online store. All of the same considerations to finding general hosting can be applied to ecommerce hosting, there are simply a few additional ones that need some attention.Basics- Disk Space and TransferThe core states of any kind of hosting, ecommerce or not, remain space and transfer, or traffic. Generally measured in monthly increments, your space and transfer will place a crucial role in determining just what size plan you need. Ecommerce sites will, generally speaking, require more space and transfer than an equivilant sized site without ecommerce. This is due to the presence of the shopping cart upon which the online storefront is based. Shopping cart programs are installed to the account on which they operate, requiring space, and their scripts for running the store will require additional transfer to handle customers as they browse, add items to their cart, and check out. Will there be a tremendous amount of extra transfer required by the cart? That depends on how many use the cart and on the cart itself. This is why its best to start small and having a clear upgrade path to handle future popularity.Prospective online merchants will generally have a good idea how many products they'll be selling initially. This will vary wildly from merchant to merchant, and many merchants don't put their entire stocks online. It is wise to start with a considered selection of products first, especially if you wish to initially keep your hosting plan small and upgrade as the store prospers. Those with a great deal of products need to be aware they will probably be facing a bigger monthly fee for a larger hosting plan. Once the decision is made regarding the products, attention can be turned to finding a suitable shopping cart program to contain them.Shopping CartThe choice of shopping cart can be a personal one. Those entirely new to ecommerce will probably not have any experience with any kind of shopping cart software. There are a number of popular choices, and most hosting companies will provide one, if not a variety, from which you can choose. It is important to find a shopping cart that suits the individual user, as attempting to change your shopping down the road can be a long process that will, most likely, bring your store down during a transitional period. Don't immediately jump at the first cart a host offers. Ask if they have demos and try them out. Be sure it's a program you can learn and use, as it is the primary way you'll be doing your online business. Even if you have a large business and have a design firm setting up the cart, a rudimentary knowledge of the cart's processes is highly recommended.Learn as much about your prospective shopping cart software as possible. Make sure it supports SSL, a common site security protocol that will help keep your customer's credit card numbers safe when ordering online. It will need to support your merchant account and payment gateway. In many cases a host might bundle these services, so compatibility isn't an issue. If you secured your merchant services separately from hosting, be sure they are compatible. Find out if the cart has a recommended maximum product limit and, of course, try not to exceed it. The store may slow down and perform poorly if there are too many products in it.Finally, make sure it will do everything you want it to do. Some merchants sell services and downloadable items that don't conform exactly to the order-product-ship-product flow. If your cart doesn't support these features by default, there may be 3rd party add-ons that will provide this functionality. Miva Merchant is one such shopping cart with a very active 3rd party developer community providing a wide range of add-ons, or "modules" to extend the feature set of the original program. The merchant will have to buy these add-ons and have them installed on their own initiative, though, and the hosting company will not be able to support them.Reliability and SupportPerhaps of greatest importance is reliability in your chosen host. Think in terms of a "brick and mortar" storefront. If someone locks the front door during business hours, then no customers can come in and nothing is sold. Similarly, if an online store is down at any hour, no customers can come in and nothing is sold. You want the most reliable hosting for such a mission-critical site. Never just take the word of a hosting company's site in regards to their uptime. Do research and look for customer reviews of your prospective host. Online merchants should always be willing to pay more for a reliable hosting company with good uptime and support. A good rule of thumb is to stay away from free or "bargain basement" hosts, since support and uptime are usually the first things to suffer with this kind of hosting.ConclusionsFinding the right ecommerce hosting company requires a few additional considerations. Decide on your products, your shopping cart, and then shop for your hosting company. You will need more space and transfer than an equivalent site, but start small with your product selection and you can still save money on your hosting. Find a shopping cart that's easy for you to use and understand, as switching at a later date can result in downtime and a lot of work transferring your products. Finally, make sure your host has solid uptime, as an online store that's down isn't generating any sales.
Five Excellent Reasons To Take Paid Surveys Today
by: Sam Parker
Most people know what consumer survey is but do they know they can get paid for answering opinion surveys? If by chance they participate in a paid survey and receive a paycheck in their mailbox, they are thrilled by their discovery. They understand that paid surveys are a great way to earn extra money at their spare time and they just regret they didn't start earlier... Today, at the Internet age, it is easier than ever to make extra cash with paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs. To help you have a clear picture of this opportunity, we have summarized here the main reasons why you should start taking paid surveys today. 1. Money Paid surveys are not new. Opinion research has been used for decades by marketers as a way to explore customer needs and every year companies and institutions spend billions of dollars on consumer research. The reason is simple: The better they understand us as consumers, the more money they can make. Because they need to know what consumers like and want, companies are willing to pay for our opinions. There are companies that will pay you up to: * $75 to take online surveys * $250 to participate in focus groups * $120 per hour to take phone surveys * $50 per assignment to participate in shopping surveys To dismiss any misunderstanding, we don't claim here that you will make $250 an hour all day and every day... But from experience we know that you can easily earn extra money every month, working at your spare time, with hundreds of online paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs that are sent directly to your email. From time to time you will also receive an invitation for a 1-2 hours focus group (a personal interview conducted among a small number of individuals) that can pay as high as $250 per session! To give you a rough estimate of the money you can earn with online surveys, focus groups and mystery shopping jobs, we can say that anyone who is actively registered with at least 300 top market research companies should have no trouble earning an extra $250-$500 per month working at it part-time. Top performers that stick with it for long and work full time can make up to $3000 per month! 2. You Make Your Opinion Counts * By answering the questions of legitimate survey researchers, you make your opinions known to the people who have the power to make the changes you want. * Your answers to survey questions influence many decisions that affect you as a consumer and a citizen. * Health care providers, government agencies, airlines, hotels, telecom companies and car dealerships are responding to your comments by improving their customer service. For all these reasons, your opinion is in high demand and you can make a difference when you participate in paid surveys. 3. It is Fun Participating in online paid surveys isn't a boring job requesting every day to complete a routine task. On the contrary, you will be involved in very diversified assignments dealing with new products you will test before they go on the market, new technologies that are still in R&D labs, original perspectives on existing products, new marketing concepts etc. You will be exposed to many topics you wouldn't have any idea about them otherwise and you will better understand what's going around you as a citizen and as a consumer. After taking many paid surveys, you will look at prices, brands, product design, customer service etc in a different way and you will enjoy your special view on all these matters. With focus groups, you will be invited to spend 1-2 hours with a small group of 6 to 12 people to discuss a product, a service, a brand or any other marketing concept. Participants can be paid up to $250 and the meeting is typically held in pleasant surroundings and refreshments are served. During this group session there is interplay of thoughts and ideas to get insights on attitudes and perceptions held by consumers. These discussions are very animated and very interesting. That's real fun and great money! Mystery shopping assignments are a special type of marketing research. You are paid to shop at the mall or to eat at restaurants! All you need to do is filling out a questionnaire on your customer experience. We all shop, and many of us enjoy shopping. But very rarely do we get paid for it! Mystery shopper jobs give us this opportunity: Earning extra income just for shopping and filling out a questionnaire! It's a fun job that pays real cash. You can earn money to shop in your favorite stores, to eat in your favorite restaurants, to drive a car, to see a movie at your local theater or to play golf! Beside money, online paid surveys, focus groups and mystery shopping jobs will bring a lot of fun in your life. 4. Cool Lifestyle * You can do it Full-Time or Part-Time. It's Your Choice! Paid surveys invitations and mystery shopping assignments are sent to you by email and you can take as many or as few as you want. You can do it full-time or part-time. You decide how much time you want to devote to paid surveys and shopping jobs and you can work whenever you'd like: morning, noon, night... midnight if you'd like. * You are Your Own Boss This kind of work is entirely voluntary and you have no boss looking at your performances all the day. It is all up to you if you want to participate in a survey or not. Nobody will try to force you to take a job if you don't want and if you need a day off, just take it! You are your own boss! You will manage your work as you wish and you will benefit of 100% of your efforts. * If you are a mom at home, you can schedule your work around your family's needs, spending more quality time with your loved ones. * If you are a student, you can answer surveys between lectures or before you do your homework. This is a great way to relax and have a little fun when you are tired of your college assignments. * If you are a senior citizen, paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs will fill your free time with interesting activities and they will supplement your retired pay. * If you decided to work from home, paid surveys and mystery shopping are just for you. You can work from the comfort of your home and you keep the flexibility to share your time as you want. * If you are a full time employee and need an additional income, you can fill out online surveys and shopping questionnaires during pauses at work, on the evening or on your weekend. All your family can take paid surveys too so all the surveys taken add up in a cumulated income. 5. It is easy to get started * No experience or special skills are required. No special background is needed to participate in consumer research. If you are a consumer, your opinion counts and you qualify to take paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs. Every consumer is welcome. * No special equipment is required Taking surveys for money requires no special equipment other than access to a computer and email. If you know how to access the Internet and your email, you're set. * Professional databases have made all the hard work for you Finding an excellent collection of legitimate and well-paid surveys isn’t an easy job. The most difficult part about making money with paid surveys is finding an extensive list of legitimate companies out of all the market research programs on the Internet. Some of these sites are scams - they don’t deliver their promises about cash and other incentives or they don’t keep your privacy and bombard you with unwanted advertising… The best way to avoid scams and to make the best of paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs is to join a professional database of paid opportunities that give you access to a wealth of legitimate opportunities. We recommend Maximum Paid Surveys as the most professional resource of paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs available today on the Internet. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, student, retired or just need some extra money, Maximum Paid Surveys will make it easy to get paid for your opinion.
Most people know what consumer survey is but do they know they can get paid for answering opinion surveys? If by chance they participate in a paid survey and receive a paycheck in their mailbox, they are thrilled by their discovery. They understand that paid surveys are a great way to earn extra money at their spare time and they just regret they didn't start earlier... Today, at the Internet age, it is easier than ever to make extra cash with paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs. To help you have a clear picture of this opportunity, we have summarized here the main reasons why you should start taking paid surveys today. 1. Money Paid surveys are not new. Opinion research has been used for decades by marketers as a way to explore customer needs and every year companies and institutions spend billions of dollars on consumer research. The reason is simple: The better they understand us as consumers, the more money they can make. Because they need to know what consumers like and want, companies are willing to pay for our opinions. There are companies that will pay you up to: * $75 to take online surveys * $250 to participate in focus groups * $120 per hour to take phone surveys * $50 per assignment to participate in shopping surveys To dismiss any misunderstanding, we don't claim here that you will make $250 an hour all day and every day... But from experience we know that you can easily earn extra money every month, working at your spare time, with hundreds of online paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs that are sent directly to your email. From time to time you will also receive an invitation for a 1-2 hours focus group (a personal interview conducted among a small number of individuals) that can pay as high as $250 per session! To give you a rough estimate of the money you can earn with online surveys, focus groups and mystery shopping jobs, we can say that anyone who is actively registered with at least 300 top market research companies should have no trouble earning an extra $250-$500 per month working at it part-time. Top performers that stick with it for long and work full time can make up to $3000 per month! 2. You Make Your Opinion Counts * By answering the questions of legitimate survey researchers, you make your opinions known to the people who have the power to make the changes you want. * Your answers to survey questions influence many decisions that affect you as a consumer and a citizen. * Health care providers, government agencies, airlines, hotels, telecom companies and car dealerships are responding to your comments by improving their customer service. For all these reasons, your opinion is in high demand and you can make a difference when you participate in paid surveys. 3. It is Fun Participating in online paid surveys isn't a boring job requesting every day to complete a routine task. On the contrary, you will be involved in very diversified assignments dealing with new products you will test before they go on the market, new technologies that are still in R&D labs, original perspectives on existing products, new marketing concepts etc. You will be exposed to many topics you wouldn't have any idea about them otherwise and you will better understand what's going around you as a citizen and as a consumer. After taking many paid surveys, you will look at prices, brands, product design, customer service etc in a different way and you will enjoy your special view on all these matters. With focus groups, you will be invited to spend 1-2 hours with a small group of 6 to 12 people to discuss a product, a service, a brand or any other marketing concept. Participants can be paid up to $250 and the meeting is typically held in pleasant surroundings and refreshments are served. During this group session there is interplay of thoughts and ideas to get insights on attitudes and perceptions held by consumers. These discussions are very animated and very interesting. That's real fun and great money! Mystery shopping assignments are a special type of marketing research. You are paid to shop at the mall or to eat at restaurants! All you need to do is filling out a questionnaire on your customer experience. We all shop, and many of us enjoy shopping. But very rarely do we get paid for it! Mystery shopper jobs give us this opportunity: Earning extra income just for shopping and filling out a questionnaire! It's a fun job that pays real cash. You can earn money to shop in your favorite stores, to eat in your favorite restaurants, to drive a car, to see a movie at your local theater or to play golf! Beside money, online paid surveys, focus groups and mystery shopping jobs will bring a lot of fun in your life. 4. Cool Lifestyle * You can do it Full-Time or Part-Time. It's Your Choice! Paid surveys invitations and mystery shopping assignments are sent to you by email and you can take as many or as few as you want. You can do it full-time or part-time. You decide how much time you want to devote to paid surveys and shopping jobs and you can work whenever you'd like: morning, noon, night... midnight if you'd like. * You are Your Own Boss This kind of work is entirely voluntary and you have no boss looking at your performances all the day. It is all up to you if you want to participate in a survey or not. Nobody will try to force you to take a job if you don't want and if you need a day off, just take it! You are your own boss! You will manage your work as you wish and you will benefit of 100% of your efforts. * If you are a mom at home, you can schedule your work around your family's needs, spending more quality time with your loved ones. * If you are a student, you can answer surveys between lectures or before you do your homework. This is a great way to relax and have a little fun when you are tired of your college assignments. * If you are a senior citizen, paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs will fill your free time with interesting activities and they will supplement your retired pay. * If you decided to work from home, paid surveys and mystery shopping are just for you. You can work from the comfort of your home and you keep the flexibility to share your time as you want. * If you are a full time employee and need an additional income, you can fill out online surveys and shopping questionnaires during pauses at work, on the evening or on your weekend. All your family can take paid surveys too so all the surveys taken add up in a cumulated income. 5. It is easy to get started * No experience or special skills are required. No special background is needed to participate in consumer research. If you are a consumer, your opinion counts and you qualify to take paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs. Every consumer is welcome. * No special equipment is required Taking surveys for money requires no special equipment other than access to a computer and email. If you know how to access the Internet and your email, you're set. * Professional databases have made all the hard work for you Finding an excellent collection of legitimate and well-paid surveys isn’t an easy job. The most difficult part about making money with paid surveys is finding an extensive list of legitimate companies out of all the market research programs on the Internet. Some of these sites are scams - they don’t deliver their promises about cash and other incentives or they don’t keep your privacy and bombard you with unwanted advertising… The best way to avoid scams and to make the best of paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs is to join a professional database of paid opportunities that give you access to a wealth of legitimate opportunities. We recommend Maximum Paid Surveys as the most professional resource of paid surveys and mystery shopping jobs available today on the Internet. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, student, retired or just need some extra money, Maximum Paid Surveys will make it easy to get paid for your opinion.
Products and Services That Can Be Bought Online
by: Ken Austin
It is easy to find almost everything you could want to buy online. The online shopping market is extremely diverse because it covers globally. The possibilities are endless and the discount internet stores are piling up as fast as the consumers are. Below are just a few categories of interest for the beginning online shopper.Many consumers are drawn to auctions and online sites that allow them to bid up to the price they are comfortable paying or a lower price for the item they wish to purchase. Some of the most popular online sites are as follows: 1. Ebay is perhaps the most popular online auction of its kind. Consumers can find things ranging from books, music, glassware, and clothing to DVDs, videos, software, game systems and even furniture or cars. 2. Amazon is perhaps the second biggest online store, hosting both auctions and simple online stores to sell its products. While Amazon offers all of the same products as eBay, its reputation lies mainly in book sand video entertainment, offering some of the lowest prices around when internet shopping. 3. While Walmart is an online store that offers most of its local products with the exception of food and chemicals, it also offers some internet service providers to people, both free and paid. They even offer questions about taxes at the beginning of the year, making this online store both consuming and informative.The possibilities for online services and products are endless. Whatever you are looking for is just a click away with seller’s ready right and left to assist you.
It is easy to find almost everything you could want to buy online. The online shopping market is extremely diverse because it covers globally. The possibilities are endless and the discount internet stores are piling up as fast as the consumers are. Below are just a few categories of interest for the beginning online shopper.Many consumers are drawn to auctions and online sites that allow them to bid up to the price they are comfortable paying or a lower price for the item they wish to purchase. Some of the most popular online sites are as follows: 1. Ebay is perhaps the most popular online auction of its kind. Consumers can find things ranging from books, music, glassware, and clothing to DVDs, videos, software, game systems and even furniture or cars. 2. Amazon is perhaps the second biggest online store, hosting both auctions and simple online stores to sell its products. While Amazon offers all of the same products as eBay, its reputation lies mainly in book sand video entertainment, offering some of the lowest prices around when internet shopping. 3. While Walmart is an online store that offers most of its local products with the exception of food and chemicals, it also offers some internet service providers to people, both free and paid. They even offer questions about taxes at the beginning of the year, making this online store both consuming and informative.The possibilities for online services and products are endless. Whatever you are looking for is just a click away with seller’s ready right and left to assist you.
Buying ink cartridges online
by: Tom
Thinking about buying printer ink cartridges online? Looking to save money by shopping on the internet for your printer supplies? Ths good news is that you can save money by purchasing your printer cartridges online. The first thing you will notice if you are new to shopping for printer supplies online is all the many choices you have. It can be very confusing. There are brand name oem cartridges, compatible and generic ink cartridges, remanufactured cartridges and even ink refill kits to refill cartridges. Generally, the cheapest choice are the compatible ink cartridges. These are made by many companies and are meant to be used with brand name printers. These are very popular with consumers. Many online printer supply stores sell them. You do have to be careful when purchasing them though because a poor quality cartridge will not make your printer happy. Brand name cartridges can also be found online. These are generally very high quality cartridges made by the manufacturer of the printer. These are more expensive than the compatible cartridges but you can often find great deals on them online. Other choices include remanufactured cartridges and refill kits. Remaunfactured cartridges are cartridges that have been cleaned and refilled. Ink refill kits are kits that contain all you need to refill your ink cartridges. These can save you a lot of money however you have to know what you are doing to avoid problems so they are not for everyone. When shopping online for printer supplies, consider buying from an online store that is well regarded by its customers. Make sure you get a money back guarantee on your cartridges. It might also be a good idea to buy a few items, this way you can save on shipping costs.
Thinking about buying printer ink cartridges online? Looking to save money by shopping on the internet for your printer supplies? Ths good news is that you can save money by purchasing your printer cartridges online. The first thing you will notice if you are new to shopping for printer supplies online is all the many choices you have. It can be very confusing. There are brand name oem cartridges, compatible and generic ink cartridges, remanufactured cartridges and even ink refill kits to refill cartridges. Generally, the cheapest choice are the compatible ink cartridges. These are made by many companies and are meant to be used with brand name printers. These are very popular with consumers. Many online printer supply stores sell them. You do have to be careful when purchasing them though because a poor quality cartridge will not make your printer happy. Brand name cartridges can also be found online. These are generally very high quality cartridges made by the manufacturer of the printer. These are more expensive than the compatible cartridges but you can often find great deals on them online. Other choices include remanufactured cartridges and refill kits. Remaunfactured cartridges are cartridges that have been cleaned and refilled. Ink refill kits are kits that contain all you need to refill your ink cartridges. These can save you a lot of money however you have to know what you are doing to avoid problems so they are not for everyone. When shopping online for printer supplies, consider buying from an online store that is well regarded by its customers. Make sure you get a money back guarantee on your cartridges. It might also be a good idea to buy a few items, this way you can save on shipping costs.
Is Your Website Credit Card Friendly?
by: Tim Knox
In my last column I discussed the process of credit card enabling your brick-and-mortar business. I pointed out that research has shown that accepting credit cards can help increase revenue and enhance cash flow. I also pointed out that you may have to look beyond your local bank for help in getting things set up. This week we will look at setting up an online payment system for your business website. If you think hooking up a brick-and-mortar location with a credit card system stymies most bankers, try asking them how to do it on your website.If you'll recall, the question that spurred this topic came from a lady who went to her local bank for help in setting up a credit card acceptance system for her business and her banker wasn't very knowledgeable on the subject. I pointed out that her banker's ignorance of the subject probably wasn't a reflection on his skills as a banker, but a reflection on the compartmentalization of the credit card aspect of banking.The fact is, most banks can provide you with the merchant account needed to accept credit card payments, but beyond that have little to do with the process. Even larger banks may only have a single person on staff who is tasked as the "credit card expert" and if that person ever goes on vacation, you're pretty much out of luck (voice of experience talking here, folks).I have helped many clients set up online credit card processing systems and more than once I've had to sit down with the bank issuing the merchant account and educate them on how online payment systems work. Don't believe me? This is a direct quote (here's the Bible, here's my hand) from the bank employee who was in charge of processing internet merchant account applications, "When someone pays online how do they swipe the credit card in their computer…"Much like a brick and mortar credit card processing system, you will need the following to accept credit cards on your website: (1) an electronic shopping cart system that allows the customer to select products and checkout when ready; (2) a payment gateway service to get approval or declination of the credit card; (3) a credit card processor who will process the transaction; and (4) an internet merchant account issued by an acquiring bank in which processed funds are deposited.We covered most of these elements last week. Here's a quick refresher for those who missed the basics, then we'll talk about a shopping cart system.Payment Gateway Service: The payment gateway service comes into play when a customer submits their credit card information to the webpage form. Think of the gateway service as the middleman in the process. The website's shopping cart checkout system electronically submits the credit card to the gateway service who then routes the information to the processor for approval. Depending on the reply from the processor, the gateway service will return an approval or declination for the purchase. This entire process takes just seconds to perform.Credit Card Processor: The credit card processor is an electronic data center that processes the credit card transactions coming from the gateway company, ensures that the charge is valid, then settles the funds in your merchant account.Internet Merchant Account: An Internet merchant account is a bank or financial institution account in which funds from online sales are deposited. Merchant accounts are usually issued by banks who are associated with the major credit card services like Visa and MasterCard. Be aware that many banks will not grant merchant accounts to Internet merchants as they are often categorized as "high risk ventures." This policy varies widely and in the end, the granting of the merchant account will come down to economics from the bank's point of view. If the bank sees even the smallest iota of risk, you will not be granted the account. Fortunately, the growth of online sales has given rise to an entire industry of merchant service bureaus that will grant you a merchant account and everything else you need to accept online payments. The fees are usually higher, but it's better than not having an online payment system at all.Shopping Cart System. To accept online payments you must have what's called a "shopping cart system" that allows your customer to choose and purchase products. Adding a shopping cart system to your website can be simple or complex, cheap or very expensive. It depends on the product you're selling and the options you wish to offer your customers. As in everything, you get what you pay for.A shopping cart system typically consists of three components: a product catalog, the shopping cart, and a checkout/payment system. The product catalog is your inventory component and displays the items you have for sale on the website. The checkout/payment system is the part of the program that allows your customers to "add this to my cart," and the checkout/ payment system is the component that allows the customer to checkout and pay for their purchase.There is a wide variety of shopping cart software on the market and the price is dependent on the features you want. Shopping cart systems range from simple HTML form insertions to full- blown catalog and inventory systems like those used by Amazon or Dell.You can spend from zero to tens of thousands of dollars. Some of them you can set up on your site yourself while others should be set up by someone who knows what they're doing.You can get a free Paypal.com shopping cart system which is the most simplistic in nature, but the easiest to implement. Using Paypal also alleviates the need for a bank merchant account because everything is handled by Paypal, for a fee of course. You insert HTML forms into your website code and when an item is purchased.There are also numerous online companies who will assist in the setup of your ecommerce / credit card system. These companies charge several hundred to several thousand dollars for their services, so it would be wise for you to have an idea of exactly what you need before calling them into play.Customer submits credit card. The site sends the transaction to the gateway. The gateway sends the info to the processor. The processor contacts the issuing bank of the customers credit card. The issuing bank returns the result of the processor. The processor routs the result to the gate. The gateway passes the result to the website. The website displays the result.One thing to remember when setting up an ecommerce system on your site is this: online it's all about security and privacy. Though online credit card processing has been around for years there are still many people who are uncomfortable giving their credit card number online. These are the same folks that do not hesitate to give their credit card number over the phone to a complete stranger or hand their credit card to a waiter who disappears with it for ten minutes. Online credit card processing is much less susceptible to fraud and abuse than either telephone processing or giving it to a waiter.Eighty-five percent of internet users surveys said that a lack of security made them uncomfortable sending credit card information over the Web.It's up to you to instill a sense of security and make the customer comfortable shoving their card into their computer.Here's to your success.
In my last column I discussed the process of credit card enabling your brick-and-mortar business. I pointed out that research has shown that accepting credit cards can help increase revenue and enhance cash flow. I also pointed out that you may have to look beyond your local bank for help in getting things set up. This week we will look at setting up an online payment system for your business website. If you think hooking up a brick-and-mortar location with a credit card system stymies most bankers, try asking them how to do it on your website.If you'll recall, the question that spurred this topic came from a lady who went to her local bank for help in setting up a credit card acceptance system for her business and her banker wasn't very knowledgeable on the subject. I pointed out that her banker's ignorance of the subject probably wasn't a reflection on his skills as a banker, but a reflection on the compartmentalization of the credit card aspect of banking.The fact is, most banks can provide you with the merchant account needed to accept credit card payments, but beyond that have little to do with the process. Even larger banks may only have a single person on staff who is tasked as the "credit card expert" and if that person ever goes on vacation, you're pretty much out of luck (voice of experience talking here, folks).I have helped many clients set up online credit card processing systems and more than once I've had to sit down with the bank issuing the merchant account and educate them on how online payment systems work. Don't believe me? This is a direct quote (here's the Bible, here's my hand) from the bank employee who was in charge of processing internet merchant account applications, "When someone pays online how do they swipe the credit card in their computer…"Much like a brick and mortar credit card processing system, you will need the following to accept credit cards on your website: (1) an electronic shopping cart system that allows the customer to select products and checkout when ready; (2) a payment gateway service to get approval or declination of the credit card; (3) a credit card processor who will process the transaction; and (4) an internet merchant account issued by an acquiring bank in which processed funds are deposited.We covered most of these elements last week. Here's a quick refresher for those who missed the basics, then we'll talk about a shopping cart system.Payment Gateway Service: The payment gateway service comes into play when a customer submits their credit card information to the webpage form. Think of the gateway service as the middleman in the process. The website's shopping cart checkout system electronically submits the credit card to the gateway service who then routes the information to the processor for approval. Depending on the reply from the processor, the gateway service will return an approval or declination for the purchase. This entire process takes just seconds to perform.Credit Card Processor: The credit card processor is an electronic data center that processes the credit card transactions coming from the gateway company, ensures that the charge is valid, then settles the funds in your merchant account.Internet Merchant Account: An Internet merchant account is a bank or financial institution account in which funds from online sales are deposited. Merchant accounts are usually issued by banks who are associated with the major credit card services like Visa and MasterCard. Be aware that many banks will not grant merchant accounts to Internet merchants as they are often categorized as "high risk ventures." This policy varies widely and in the end, the granting of the merchant account will come down to economics from the bank's point of view. If the bank sees even the smallest iota of risk, you will not be granted the account. Fortunately, the growth of online sales has given rise to an entire industry of merchant service bureaus that will grant you a merchant account and everything else you need to accept online payments. The fees are usually higher, but it's better than not having an online payment system at all.Shopping Cart System. To accept online payments you must have what's called a "shopping cart system" that allows your customer to choose and purchase products. Adding a shopping cart system to your website can be simple or complex, cheap or very expensive. It depends on the product you're selling and the options you wish to offer your customers. As in everything, you get what you pay for.A shopping cart system typically consists of three components: a product catalog, the shopping cart, and a checkout/payment system. The product catalog is your inventory component and displays the items you have for sale on the website. The checkout/payment system is the part of the program that allows your customers to "add this to my cart," and the checkout/ payment system is the component that allows the customer to checkout and pay for their purchase.There is a wide variety of shopping cart software on the market and the price is dependent on the features you want. Shopping cart systems range from simple HTML form insertions to full- blown catalog and inventory systems like those used by Amazon or Dell.You can spend from zero to tens of thousands of dollars. Some of them you can set up on your site yourself while others should be set up by someone who knows what they're doing.You can get a free Paypal.com shopping cart system which is the most simplistic in nature, but the easiest to implement. Using Paypal also alleviates the need for a bank merchant account because everything is handled by Paypal, for a fee of course. You insert HTML forms into your website code and when an item is purchased.There are also numerous online companies who will assist in the setup of your ecommerce / credit card system. These companies charge several hundred to several thousand dollars for their services, so it would be wise for you to have an idea of exactly what you need before calling them into play.Customer submits credit card. The site sends the transaction to the gateway. The gateway sends the info to the processor. The processor contacts the issuing bank of the customers credit card. The issuing bank returns the result of the processor. The processor routs the result to the gate. The gateway passes the result to the website. The website displays the result.One thing to remember when setting up an ecommerce system on your site is this: online it's all about security and privacy. Though online credit card processing has been around for years there are still many people who are uncomfortable giving their credit card number online. These are the same folks that do not hesitate to give their credit card number over the phone to a complete stranger or hand their credit card to a waiter who disappears with it for ten minutes. Online credit card processing is much less susceptible to fraud and abuse than either telephone processing or giving it to a waiter.Eighty-five percent of internet users surveys said that a lack of security made them uncomfortable sending credit card information over the Web.It's up to you to instill a sense of security and make the customer comfortable shoving their card into their computer.Here's to your success.
You may have found the latest and accurate help in relation to computer software
by: Tom
When you're trying to find top information about computer software, it will be intricate separating value-packed advice from unprofessional computer software suggestions and help so it's best to know how to moderate the information you are presented with. Software Computers at Shopping.com!Find, compare and buy Business and Productivity Software and other Computer Software products at Shopping.com. Read product reviews and compare prices with tax & shipping.Here are a few pieces of advice which we think you should use when you're searching for information about computer software. Understand that the recommendation we give is only applicable to internet advice about computer software. We don't really offer any direction or assistance if you are receiving information offline. IBM Software Development Platform: Software DevelopmentIBM Software Development Platform. Information and resources.A good hint to track when you are presented with information or advice on a computer software article is to find out who owns the site. Doing this could reveal the owners computer software identifications The easiest way to work out who is at the back of the computer software website is to look on the 'contact' page or 'about this site' information. Any worthwhile website providing information on computer software, will almost always provide an 'about' or 'contact' page which will record the site owner's contact details. The details should divulge some advice about the website owner's expertise. You can then arrive at a decision about the webmaster's depth of experience, to advise you on the topic of computer software.
When you're trying to find top information about computer software, it will be intricate separating value-packed advice from unprofessional computer software suggestions and help so it's best to know how to moderate the information you are presented with. Software Computers at Shopping.com!Find, compare and buy Business and Productivity Software and other Computer Software products at Shopping.com. Read product reviews and compare prices with tax & shipping.Here are a few pieces of advice which we think you should use when you're searching for information about computer software. Understand that the recommendation we give is only applicable to internet advice about computer software. We don't really offer any direction or assistance if you are receiving information offline. IBM Software Development Platform: Software DevelopmentIBM Software Development Platform. Information and resources.A good hint to track when you are presented with information or advice on a computer software article is to find out who owns the site. Doing this could reveal the owners computer software identifications The easiest way to work out who is at the back of the computer software website is to look on the 'contact' page or 'about this site' information. Any worthwhile website providing information on computer software, will almost always provide an 'about' or 'contact' page which will record the site owner's contact details. The details should divulge some advice about the website owner's expertise. You can then arrive at a decision about the webmaster's depth of experience, to advise you on the topic of computer software.
CGI Web Hosting - 3 Essential Scripts for your Business
by: John Michaels
If there's one thing that people love it is a web site that has plenty of automated features. Sites that are highly interactive tend to get the most traffic and generate the most business for the companies that run them. Automated features can also play a "behind the scenes" role, making your site easier to use, run smoothly and allow for things like online sales and password protection. There are many ways to get this type of automation into your site, but all involve either client side or server side scripting. Scripts are written in programming languages specially designed for the web, and there are several languages that are commonly used. Most client side scripts are written in Java which is still one of the best web programming languages around. Some functions of a web site must be completed via server side scripting, however, and the most commonly used languages for server side scripting are PHP, PERL, and CGI. PHP and PERL are newer languages and are gaining a lot of popularity, but there are still plenty of features that can be scripted in the granddaddy of web scripting languages, CGI.Shopping CartsNo online sales site would be complete without a functioning shopping cart and most of the best ones have been written in CGI script. CGI web hosting is great for shopping cart scripts because it interfaces well with most databases, including the popular MYSQL and MS Access databases, it can be utilized on Windows, UNIX, LINUX, and MACOS servers with equal ease, and can be easily configured for sales tax and shipping cost calculations. Some newer shopping cart scripts are being written in PHP and PERL, but most of the functioning carts on the web are in good old CGI web hosting scripts.Password ProtectionMany web sites require some sort of registration and entry of a password for the user to access the site's features. This is done for a number of reasons from simply a desire to track visitors for marketing purposes to allowing postings on message boards and ensuring that users have paid any required fees associated with use of the site. The automated registration process and user name/password issuance can be written with CGI scripts and many of them have been.Form ManagersHave you ever wondered how the forms you fill out online are handled? In most cases, they're handled by CGI web hosting. When a user fills in that form and hits the "submit" button, a CGI script takes over and sends the data in email or writes it to a database where it can be accessed later by the site's administrators.These are just a few of the uses for CGI scripts on today's web sites. There are literally hundreds of others and if there's something that can be done on a web site, it is something that can be done with CGI. PHP and PERL may be gaining a lot of popularity for various reasons, but CGI was with us first and it isn't going anywhere. As long as there are web sites, CGI web hosting will remain king.
If there's one thing that people love it is a web site that has plenty of automated features. Sites that are highly interactive tend to get the most traffic and generate the most business for the companies that run them. Automated features can also play a "behind the scenes" role, making your site easier to use, run smoothly and allow for things like online sales and password protection. There are many ways to get this type of automation into your site, but all involve either client side or server side scripting. Scripts are written in programming languages specially designed for the web, and there are several languages that are commonly used. Most client side scripts are written in Java which is still one of the best web programming languages around. Some functions of a web site must be completed via server side scripting, however, and the most commonly used languages for server side scripting are PHP, PERL, and CGI. PHP and PERL are newer languages and are gaining a lot of popularity, but there are still plenty of features that can be scripted in the granddaddy of web scripting languages, CGI.Shopping CartsNo online sales site would be complete without a functioning shopping cart and most of the best ones have been written in CGI script. CGI web hosting is great for shopping cart scripts because it interfaces well with most databases, including the popular MYSQL and MS Access databases, it can be utilized on Windows, UNIX, LINUX, and MACOS servers with equal ease, and can be easily configured for sales tax and shipping cost calculations. Some newer shopping cart scripts are being written in PHP and PERL, but most of the functioning carts on the web are in good old CGI web hosting scripts.Password ProtectionMany web sites require some sort of registration and entry of a password for the user to access the site's features. This is done for a number of reasons from simply a desire to track visitors for marketing purposes to allowing postings on message boards and ensuring that users have paid any required fees associated with use of the site. The automated registration process and user name/password issuance can be written with CGI scripts and many of them have been.Form ManagersHave you ever wondered how the forms you fill out online are handled? In most cases, they're handled by CGI web hosting. When a user fills in that form and hits the "submit" button, a CGI script takes over and sends the data in email or writes it to a database where it can be accessed later by the site's administrators.These are just a few of the uses for CGI scripts on today's web sites. There are literally hundreds of others and if there's something that can be done on a web site, it is something that can be done with CGI. PHP and PERL may be gaining a lot of popularity for various reasons, but CGI was with us first and it isn't going anywhere. As long as there are web sites, CGI web hosting will remain king.
3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer!
by: Kris Bickell
Looking to buy a new computer?Overwhelmed by all of the options available to you? Stressed by the high cost of computers today?For most people, buying a new computer does not have to be as stressful as buying a new car. Nor does it have to be as expensive. If you’re like most people, and you have a limited budget for buying a computer, then you need to try to get as much computer for your money as possible.Here are 3 simple ways anyone can save money when buying a new computer:1) Shop around for best deal.Sounds pretty obvious. But many people don’t realize they don’t need the fastest, most expensive computer with the most “extras”. In fact, if you are already using an older computer, even the least expensive new computer will be a big upgrade. If you don’t know a lot about computers, you can learn a lot by shopping around. Ask lots of questions, compare prices, compare features, then find the best price. Shop at your local electronics store, and look for the best deals online. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save by shopping around!2) Install your own “extras”Many computers you will find in a store have a lot of extra software already installed. While this is convenient, it is not always the best way for you to save money. Also, while many of these extras sound good, you don’t always need them. You can often find better deals by shopping around separately for your own software extras (such as a word processor, anti-virus, popup blocker, spyware removal, games, etc). And some of these you can get for free. So before you buy the “fully loaded” computer, ask yourself if you really need all the extras, then shop around to see if you can buy a scaled down computer - and get the extras yourself for much less!3) Don’t buy extended warrantyIf you are not a computer “techie”, the extended warranties offered by the computer retailers often sound like a good idea. After all, who wants to be bothered paying for service on a computer after you buy it. But keep in mind that most computers come with a warranty, and most computer problems will either happen at the beginning (when you still have the warranty in effect) or much later (when it might be cheaper to buy a new computer). Technology changes very quickly these days. So consider whether or not it’s worth the inflated price of the extended warranty. And, if you really feel you need the extended warranty, then ask to purchase it at a lower price. Not all retailers will negotiate on the warranty, but some will. And whether you buy the extended warranty or not, make sure you back up all your files periodically, just in case!If you have an unlimited budget, consider yourself lucky. And if you do business on the computer, make sure you get what you need, while trying to keep the price down. At any price, buying something that does not fit your needs is not a good deal.Hope you find these tips helpful, and happy computer shopping!
Looking to buy a new computer?Overwhelmed by all of the options available to you? Stressed by the high cost of computers today?For most people, buying a new computer does not have to be as stressful as buying a new car. Nor does it have to be as expensive. If you’re like most people, and you have a limited budget for buying a computer, then you need to try to get as much computer for your money as possible.Here are 3 simple ways anyone can save money when buying a new computer:1) Shop around for best deal.Sounds pretty obvious. But many people don’t realize they don’t need the fastest, most expensive computer with the most “extras”. In fact, if you are already using an older computer, even the least expensive new computer will be a big upgrade. If you don’t know a lot about computers, you can learn a lot by shopping around. Ask lots of questions, compare prices, compare features, then find the best price. Shop at your local electronics store, and look for the best deals online. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save by shopping around!2) Install your own “extras”Many computers you will find in a store have a lot of extra software already installed. While this is convenient, it is not always the best way for you to save money. Also, while many of these extras sound good, you don’t always need them. You can often find better deals by shopping around separately for your own software extras (such as a word processor, anti-virus, popup blocker, spyware removal, games, etc). And some of these you can get for free. So before you buy the “fully loaded” computer, ask yourself if you really need all the extras, then shop around to see if you can buy a scaled down computer - and get the extras yourself for much less!3) Don’t buy extended warrantyIf you are not a computer “techie”, the extended warranties offered by the computer retailers often sound like a good idea. After all, who wants to be bothered paying for service on a computer after you buy it. But keep in mind that most computers come with a warranty, and most computer problems will either happen at the beginning (when you still have the warranty in effect) or much later (when it might be cheaper to buy a new computer). Technology changes very quickly these days. So consider whether or not it’s worth the inflated price of the extended warranty. And, if you really feel you need the extended warranty, then ask to purchase it at a lower price. Not all retailers will negotiate on the warranty, but some will. And whether you buy the extended warranty or not, make sure you back up all your files periodically, just in case!If you have an unlimited budget, consider yourself lucky. And if you do business on the computer, make sure you get what you need, while trying to keep the price down. At any price, buying something that does not fit your needs is not a good deal.Hope you find these tips helpful, and happy computer shopping!
The Holy Grail That Online Advertisers, Merchants, Publishers And Shoppers Have Been Looking For!
by: Joseph Akintaju
For Online Publishers/RSS Feeds users - RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is a popular way for online users/publishers to pull news and information from across the web. RSS allows web sites to publish real time content to online users/shoppers easily and the trend is growing. Some site have taken advantage of this technology and created RSS/XML feeds using products data feeds from top online merchants/advertisers.Therefore, Publishers/RSS feeds users can grab any products feeds they want and provide their site visitors with top online stores most current information on hot and latest products, special sales/discounted items and coupon offers.Online Publishers can use these RSS/XML products feeds to enhance their site content. Latest products information from top online stores delivered via RSS/XML technology will offer publishers with relevant and dynamic content, making their site much more attractive to the search engines and online users.Top Search Engines [Google, Yahoo and MSN] have incorporated the RSS technology into their content and publishing strategies thereby offering real-time search results and information to their respective users who large percentage of are online shoppers.Products Feeds can either be distributed by Store/Merchant names or by product categories most suitable to individual publisher’s site content.For Online Advertiser - Using the RSS/XML technology, you will be able to reach much wider visitors/shoppers interested in your products. You will be able to speedily introduce and promote new products, special sales/discounted products and seasonal offers.Some website do offer the platform for you to submit your products data feeds which are converted to RSS/XML feeds to enable publishers wanting to use and take advantage of RSS/XML syndication technology on their site, publish and add dynamic relevant content for their sites.For Online Advertisers this is the best optimise marketing method/solution to reach across the web shoppers who are interested in your products real-time.
For Online Publishers/RSS Feeds users - RSS (Real Simple Syndication) is a popular way for online users/publishers to pull news and information from across the web. RSS allows web sites to publish real time content to online users/shoppers easily and the trend is growing. Some site have taken advantage of this technology and created RSS/XML feeds using products data feeds from top online merchants/advertisers.Therefore, Publishers/RSS feeds users can grab any products feeds they want and provide their site visitors with top online stores most current information on hot and latest products, special sales/discounted items and coupon offers.Online Publishers can use these RSS/XML products feeds to enhance their site content. Latest products information from top online stores delivered via RSS/XML technology will offer publishers with relevant and dynamic content, making their site much more attractive to the search engines and online users.Top Search Engines [Google, Yahoo and MSN] have incorporated the RSS technology into their content and publishing strategies thereby offering real-time search results and information to their respective users who large percentage of are online shoppers.Products Feeds can either be distributed by Store/Merchant names or by product categories most suitable to individual publisher’s site content.For Online Advertiser - Using the RSS/XML technology, you will be able to reach much wider visitors/shoppers interested in your products. You will be able to speedily introduce and promote new products, special sales/discounted products and seasonal offers.Some website do offer the platform for you to submit your products data feeds which are converted to RSS/XML feeds to enable publishers wanting to use and take advantage of RSS/XML syndication technology on their site, publish and add dynamic relevant content for their sites.For Online Advertisers this is the best optimise marketing method/solution to reach across the web shoppers who are interested in your products real-time.
Shopping from your cell phone with Froogle Wireless
by: Jakob Jelling
By Jakob Jellinghttp://www.sitetube.comMany surfers already know about Froogle, Google's shopping portal that is still in beta testing. Google has now expanded their Froogle service so that it is available on WML-enabled cellular phones. Most newer cell phones that can connect to the Internet have this capability. Users just need to enter wml.froogle.com in their cell phone browser, enter their product search terms, and scroll through results to find what they're looking for. The biggest advantage of this Froogle Wireless feature for consumers is the ability to comparison shop, no matter where they are. Most people who have shopped on the Internet know you can often find significantly lower prices online if you are willing to wait for shipment. The problem in the past was that it was difficult to comparison shop between virtual merchants and brick & mortar stores. As an example, when most of us are shopping at our local computer store, and notice they have blank CDs on sale, our first instinct is to stock up because the price looks so good by comparison to their regular price. But with an Internet-ready cell phone and Froogle Wireless, you would be able to search Froogle right from the store, and compare blank CD prices from online merchants with the sale price at the store. Taking into account shipping costs, whether you need the CDs immediately, and local sales taxes, you can then make an informed decision as to the true value of the sale price. Since Froogle and Froogle Wireless are both in beta testing, some nice-to-have features such as sorting by price aren't yet available. This can be a problem when using a slower connection over a cell phone, but keep an eye out for improvements - Froogle Wireless will likely help you save money in real-time very soon!
By Jakob Jellinghttp://www.sitetube.comMany surfers already know about Froogle, Google's shopping portal that is still in beta testing. Google has now expanded their Froogle service so that it is available on WML-enabled cellular phones. Most newer cell phones that can connect to the Internet have this capability. Users just need to enter wml.froogle.com in their cell phone browser, enter their product search terms, and scroll through results to find what they're looking for. The biggest advantage of this Froogle Wireless feature for consumers is the ability to comparison shop, no matter where they are. Most people who have shopped on the Internet know you can often find significantly lower prices online if you are willing to wait for shipment. The problem in the past was that it was difficult to comparison shop between virtual merchants and brick & mortar stores. As an example, when most of us are shopping at our local computer store, and notice they have blank CDs on sale, our first instinct is to stock up because the price looks so good by comparison to their regular price. But with an Internet-ready cell phone and Froogle Wireless, you would be able to search Froogle right from the store, and compare blank CD prices from online merchants with the sale price at the store. Taking into account shipping costs, whether you need the CDs immediately, and local sales taxes, you can then make an informed decision as to the true value of the sale price. Since Froogle and Froogle Wireless are both in beta testing, some nice-to-have features such as sorting by price aren't yet available. This can be a problem when using a slower connection over a cell phone, but keep an eye out for improvements - Froogle Wireless will likely help you save money in real-time very soon!
How To Accept Credit Cards Online
by: Jim Edwards
(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reservedhttp://www.thenetreporter.com=====================================Anyone with an online business, whether for auctions,services, or virtually any type of product, has asked thesame question at some time during their quest to createthe ultimate online business - "How do I accept creditcards?"Since over 90% of all transactions on the Internetinvolve customers paying by credit card, acceptingplastic money rates a must for almost any business. The problem for most small online business ownersinvolves the high cost of setting up and maintaining acredit card merchant account. With startup fees ranging from $200 to $500, minimummonthly fees of at least $40 to $50, plus per transactionfees and a percentage of sales, most people who want tosupplement their income online or test an idea can't riskthat kind of money.Add in credit checks, 48-month service contracts,expensive equipment purchases or leasing, financialstatements, and last 3 years' tax returns and most peoplethrow up their hands and give up before they even getstarted. Fortunately several companies responded to this problemwith unique solutions that enable smaller onlinemerchants to accept credit cards at a fraction of thosehigh startup costs with no long-term commitment, noequipment purchases, and zero minimum monthly fees.~ PayPal.com ~PayPal has gotten some negative press over the lastcouple of years, but that press has been mostlyundeserved. PayPal makes it easy for you to collect money for youronline sales, send money to merchants, bill peoplemonthly, collect dues and donations and integrate a freeshopping cart into your site. Of all the payment and money transfer services online,PayPal ranks as the absolute lowest in cost and theeasiest to set up. PayPal allows merchants to sell physical and downloadableproducts along with personal services.~ ClickBank.com ~For a $50 one-time fee ClickBank enables online ebook,software and other electronic information sellers to notonly accept credit cards, but provide instant delivery oftheir products to online purchasers. ClickBank allows any merchant to accept virtually everymajor credit card on the planet. The online merchant simply adds a purchase link to theirsite, the customer clicks the link, fills in theirpayment information and the credit card gets authorizedon the spot. Once the card gets approved ClickBank redirects the buyerto a page that enables them to download the ebook,software, or other product they have just purchased. ClickBank also operates a fully integrated affiliateprogram that automatically pays affiliates who sell yourproducts for you.ClickBank heavily restricts what merchants may sellthrough the service and does not allow the sale ofphysical goods.~ PaySystems.com ~Of the three, Paysystems behaves most like a traditionalcredit card merchant account. The service allows the merchant to integrate with anumber of third-party shopping carts as well as use thePaySystems shopping cart system. Merchants pay a small transaction fee and a percentage ofthe sale, but don't sign up for any long-term servicecontracts or equipment leases.
(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reservedhttp://www.thenetreporter.com=====================================Anyone with an online business, whether for auctions,services, or virtually any type of product, has asked thesame question at some time during their quest to createthe ultimate online business - "How do I accept creditcards?"Since over 90% of all transactions on the Internetinvolve customers paying by credit card, acceptingplastic money rates a must for almost any business. The problem for most small online business ownersinvolves the high cost of setting up and maintaining acredit card merchant account. With startup fees ranging from $200 to $500, minimummonthly fees of at least $40 to $50, plus per transactionfees and a percentage of sales, most people who want tosupplement their income online or test an idea can't riskthat kind of money.Add in credit checks, 48-month service contracts,expensive equipment purchases or leasing, financialstatements, and last 3 years' tax returns and most peoplethrow up their hands and give up before they even getstarted. Fortunately several companies responded to this problemwith unique solutions that enable smaller onlinemerchants to accept credit cards at a fraction of thosehigh startup costs with no long-term commitment, noequipment purchases, and zero minimum monthly fees.~ PayPal.com ~PayPal has gotten some negative press over the lastcouple of years, but that press has been mostlyundeserved. PayPal makes it easy for you to collect money for youronline sales, send money to merchants, bill peoplemonthly, collect dues and donations and integrate a freeshopping cart into your site. Of all the payment and money transfer services online,PayPal ranks as the absolute lowest in cost and theeasiest to set up. PayPal allows merchants to sell physical and downloadableproducts along with personal services.~ ClickBank.com ~For a $50 one-time fee ClickBank enables online ebook,software and other electronic information sellers to notonly accept credit cards, but provide instant delivery oftheir products to online purchasers. ClickBank allows any merchant to accept virtually everymajor credit card on the planet. The online merchant simply adds a purchase link to theirsite, the customer clicks the link, fills in theirpayment information and the credit card gets authorizedon the spot. Once the card gets approved ClickBank redirects the buyerto a page that enables them to download the ebook,software, or other product they have just purchased. ClickBank also operates a fully integrated affiliateprogram that automatically pays affiliates who sell yourproducts for you.ClickBank heavily restricts what merchants may sellthrough the service and does not allow the sale ofphysical goods.~ PaySystems.com ~Of the three, Paysystems behaves most like a traditionalcredit card merchant account. The service allows the merchant to integrate with anumber of third-party shopping carts as well as use thePaySystems shopping cart system. Merchants pay a small transaction fee and a percentage ofthe sale, but don't sign up for any long-term servicecontracts or equipment leases.
Google Catalogs - Old fashioned mail order meets high tech search
by: Jakob Jelling
By Jakob Jellinghttp://www.sitetube.comIn addition to Google's Froogle shopping service (still in beta), which features a searchable database of online merchants, Google is also beta-testing their Google Catalog service. Google Catalogs provides a searchable central repository of hundreds of mail-order catalogs. The service includes the full scanned contents of the catalogs, not just a photo and subscription information. And these aren't database entries, but real high-quality images of the catalog images themselves. When you are browsing Google Catalog search results, you will see user interface controls at the top and bottom of each page. These are reminiscent of Acrobat and many other browser plug-in controls or common Windows print preview controls, and you can page through each catalog, zoom in/out, switch between one, two, and thumbnail views, jump to a specific page, and search within the current catalog. As with other Google searches, an advanced search feature is also available. Available catalogs cover a full range of goods from business to consumer, from household names like Harriet Carter to obscure supply catalogs for specialty manufacturers. For easy online shopping, even the order forms, toll-free numbers, and vendor web sites are easily accessible. While beta testing, many of the catalogs are from one to three years old, but that's to be expected. When fully released, this service will almost surely feature not only current catalogs, but a lot more of them, as merchants become aware of the service.Google recommends using a broadband internet connection to search their Google Catalog service. This is because all search results include images of the catalog pages themselves, and download speed over dialup will be too slow for most users. Google states that they aren't associated with the catalog merchants in any way, and receive no compensation when you buy something from an included catalog.
By Jakob Jellinghttp://www.sitetube.comIn addition to Google's Froogle shopping service (still in beta), which features a searchable database of online merchants, Google is also beta-testing their Google Catalog service. Google Catalogs provides a searchable central repository of hundreds of mail-order catalogs. The service includes the full scanned contents of the catalogs, not just a photo and subscription information. And these aren't database entries, but real high-quality images of the catalog images themselves. When you are browsing Google Catalog search results, you will see user interface controls at the top and bottom of each page. These are reminiscent of Acrobat and many other browser plug-in controls or common Windows print preview controls, and you can page through each catalog, zoom in/out, switch between one, two, and thumbnail views, jump to a specific page, and search within the current catalog. As with other Google searches, an advanced search feature is also available. Available catalogs cover a full range of goods from business to consumer, from household names like Harriet Carter to obscure supply catalogs for specialty manufacturers. For easy online shopping, even the order forms, toll-free numbers, and vendor web sites are easily accessible. While beta testing, many of the catalogs are from one to three years old, but that's to be expected. When fully released, this service will almost surely feature not only current catalogs, but a lot more of them, as merchants become aware of the service.Google recommends using a broadband internet connection to search their Google Catalog service. This is because all search results include images of the catalog pages themselves, and download speed over dialup will be too slow for most users. Google states that they aren't associated with the catalog merchants in any way, and receive no compensation when you buy something from an included catalog.
5 Tips for Online Shopping
by: Melanie Breeze
Shopping online has become more and more popular in America as we are all looking to save a little time and money. E-commerce sales are growing at astronomical numbers ranging from 20-25% per year. And according to Forrester Research, 40% of households are using coupons in their web shopping. The huge increases are obvious: the online savings and discounts are impossible to match by traditional stores constrained by the overhead costs of employees, rent, and insurance. By using some of the tips and tricks mentioned below, you’ll be able to take further advantage of a new American pastime: saving with online shopping!Tip 1: Don’t buy Ebay. We all know online auctions seem like such a great deal, and it’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of auction. Thing is, auction sites like Ebay and Ubid have become saturated with buyers AND sellers, so virtually any discount found is quickly sought by re-distributors who then add their own markups to your purchase. The online marketplace has enough people out there that you can end up spending hundreds of extra dollars for the same things found in your local mall! Don’t let your emotions get involved – these are not the right places for the aware shopper.Tip 2: Never pay retail. Take this scenario: You find something you want to buy, maybe the latest craze or fad such as the Ipod. Should you really pay the price that Apple is offering? No! You can find many deals and coupons for the same purchase just by typing, for example, “ipod coupons” into Google. Spend a little time searching through the top ten to twenty results, you’re sure to find the same product for a significant discount. Sometimes, by filling out a survey or signing up for an email list, you’ll get additional savings and many times you can even get your product for free!Tip 3: Get over your instant gratification desire. Just admit it, buying something always gives you a good feeling and you can’t wait to take pleasure in that new purchase. Anything you’re buying at the mall for that same good feeling can usually be found for a huge discount online. You just have to be willing to wait for the short 2-5 days that it takes for shipping. It’s definitely worth the savings to able to control your emotions and hold off until it arrives via UPS!Tip 4: Watch out for excessive shipping charges. Many times retailers slash their costs to get the sale but then charge more for shipping. Make sure to check the final cost to ensure you didn’t receive any unwarranted charges. You should also find a free shipping deal at any of the online coupon sites. Sometimes the shipping can cost more than your purchase!Tip 5: Online coupons: Were you aware of online coupon websites that have discount and promotion codes to nearly all internet stores? These types of websites always have up to date discount offers arranged by category or store, so you can always find something on sale. It’s not only a way to get a good deal but you can also find some of the free shipping offers listed in tip 4. Just be careful to check for a coupon code before making any internet purchase. It’s a simple way to find extra savings.
Shopping online has become more and more popular in America as we are all looking to save a little time and money. E-commerce sales are growing at astronomical numbers ranging from 20-25% per year. And according to Forrester Research, 40% of households are using coupons in their web shopping. The huge increases are obvious: the online savings and discounts are impossible to match by traditional stores constrained by the overhead costs of employees, rent, and insurance. By using some of the tips and tricks mentioned below, you’ll be able to take further advantage of a new American pastime: saving with online shopping!Tip 1: Don’t buy Ebay. We all know online auctions seem like such a great deal, and it’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of auction. Thing is, auction sites like Ebay and Ubid have become saturated with buyers AND sellers, so virtually any discount found is quickly sought by re-distributors who then add their own markups to your purchase. The online marketplace has enough people out there that you can end up spending hundreds of extra dollars for the same things found in your local mall! Don’t let your emotions get involved – these are not the right places for the aware shopper.Tip 2: Never pay retail. Take this scenario: You find something you want to buy, maybe the latest craze or fad such as the Ipod. Should you really pay the price that Apple is offering? No! You can find many deals and coupons for the same purchase just by typing, for example, “ipod coupons” into Google. Spend a little time searching through the top ten to twenty results, you’re sure to find the same product for a significant discount. Sometimes, by filling out a survey or signing up for an email list, you’ll get additional savings and many times you can even get your product for free!Tip 3: Get over your instant gratification desire. Just admit it, buying something always gives you a good feeling and you can’t wait to take pleasure in that new purchase. Anything you’re buying at the mall for that same good feeling can usually be found for a huge discount online. You just have to be willing to wait for the short 2-5 days that it takes for shipping. It’s definitely worth the savings to able to control your emotions and hold off until it arrives via UPS!Tip 4: Watch out for excessive shipping charges. Many times retailers slash their costs to get the sale but then charge more for shipping. Make sure to check the final cost to ensure you didn’t receive any unwarranted charges. You should also find a free shipping deal at any of the online coupon sites. Sometimes the shipping can cost more than your purchase!Tip 5: Online coupons: Were you aware of online coupon websites that have discount and promotion codes to nearly all internet stores? These types of websites always have up to date discount offers arranged by category or store, so you can always find something on sale. It’s not only a way to get a good deal but you can also find some of the free shipping offers listed in tip 4. Just be careful to check for a coupon code before making any internet purchase. It’s a simple way to find extra savings.
Delete Cookies: New-Age Diet or Common Sense Internet Security?
by: Nick Smith
No, this article isn't about some new, lose-20-pounds-in-a-week, certified-by-some-tan-Southern-California-doctor diet. It's about cookies on your computer - what they are, why they are there, and what to do about them. Computer cookies actually have quite a bit in common with their baked counterparts - some are good, some are bad, and they have expiration dates. Cookies are small text files that a server places onto your hard drive whenever you access a given domain. Cookies typically contain information that the website uses to either customize the page you are viewing or otherwise make your web browsing experience more convenient and enjoyable. The information is stored on your hard drive and accessed whenever you go back to the website that originally gave you the cookie. They usually include an expiration date at which point they will be erased from your computer - it could be when you close your browser; or hours, days, months, or years after it is placed. Some don't expire at all. At the time of this writing I had a cookie stored on my computer that wasn't set to expire until Wednesday, February 25th, 2195 at 3:45:13 am - I deleted it. Before you run out to your browser's options and delete and block all cookies, let me mention a few common uses of cookies:* Cookies store information for 'shopping carts' at online stores. When you select an item and place it in the shopping cart, a cookie is created to remember the item and the price so that you can keep shopping. When you are done shopping you simply click the button to check out and the site accesses the information stored in the cookies to complete your order.* Cookies can be used to remember logins and passwords. While this initially sounds a little disheartening, the purpose is really to save you time. Sites will remember the information for you so you don't have to type it in each time you want to access information.* Cookies help websites customize their content and layout for you. If you are a diehard fan of the local college's basketball team, and you always access the stats and score from the game at a website, that site might use a cookie to send you straight to your team's page.* Cookies help identify whether you have already visited a site. They can also count how many times you have visited the site in a given period of time.* Cookies remember the last page or position you were on at the site. Like a virtual bookmark, this is especially helpful if you are reading online or accessing several pages of information.There are many other ways cookies can be used, and there is obvious potential for abuse. You probably wouldn't eat a cookie given to you by a complete stranger, especially if you didn't know what was in it. The same common-sense principle holds true while you're online, and exercising a little caution can save you from a lot of heartache later on. Blocking any and all cookies will guarantee no personal information is leaked through the cookies, but many sites will either not be able to or will choose not to interact with you. The trick, then, is to let the good cookies through while screening out the bad ones, not at all dissimilar to what you do when you hover over the cookie tray at a party - you take the ones you want and leave the rest behind. This can be accomplished in a few different ways.First, you can periodically delete all the cookies on your hard drive. This will systematically wipe out all unwanted cookies that have made their way to your computer. Unfortunately, it will also take care of all the good cookies too. If you only use the internet occasionally (i.e. a few minutes a week), this option might work for you.Second, you can try to go about it manually. Many browsers that allow you to block cookies also include a feature that allows you to include a list of sites from which you will allow cookies. The advantage of this method is it places virtually complete control over cookies into your hands, allowing only those that you want to be placed on your hard drive. The disadvantage is that it can become very burdensome (at times downright annoying) having to constantly update the list of allowed sites.Third, you can call in some third-party software to help out. The best programs will scan your computer to find all the cookies and put them into a table or list. This saves you the trouble of having to dig around your hard drive to find the files yourself (try looking for a folder named "Cookies"). Many programs will also indicate with some degree of confidence whether a given cookie is wanted or unwanted, and provide a convenient way to delete the ones that you decide you don't want.
No, this article isn't about some new, lose-20-pounds-in-a-week, certified-by-some-tan-Southern-California-doctor diet. It's about cookies on your computer - what they are, why they are there, and what to do about them. Computer cookies actually have quite a bit in common with their baked counterparts - some are good, some are bad, and they have expiration dates. Cookies are small text files that a server places onto your hard drive whenever you access a given domain. Cookies typically contain information that the website uses to either customize the page you are viewing or otherwise make your web browsing experience more convenient and enjoyable. The information is stored on your hard drive and accessed whenever you go back to the website that originally gave you the cookie. They usually include an expiration date at which point they will be erased from your computer - it could be when you close your browser; or hours, days, months, or years after it is placed. Some don't expire at all. At the time of this writing I had a cookie stored on my computer that wasn't set to expire until Wednesday, February 25th, 2195 at 3:45:13 am - I deleted it. Before you run out to your browser's options and delete and block all cookies, let me mention a few common uses of cookies:* Cookies store information for 'shopping carts' at online stores. When you select an item and place it in the shopping cart, a cookie is created to remember the item and the price so that you can keep shopping. When you are done shopping you simply click the button to check out and the site accesses the information stored in the cookies to complete your order.* Cookies can be used to remember logins and passwords. While this initially sounds a little disheartening, the purpose is really to save you time. Sites will remember the information for you so you don't have to type it in each time you want to access information.* Cookies help websites customize their content and layout for you. If you are a diehard fan of the local college's basketball team, and you always access the stats and score from the game at a website, that site might use a cookie to send you straight to your team's page.* Cookies help identify whether you have already visited a site. They can also count how many times you have visited the site in a given period of time.* Cookies remember the last page or position you were on at the site. Like a virtual bookmark, this is especially helpful if you are reading online or accessing several pages of information.There are many other ways cookies can be used, and there is obvious potential for abuse. You probably wouldn't eat a cookie given to you by a complete stranger, especially if you didn't know what was in it. The same common-sense principle holds true while you're online, and exercising a little caution can save you from a lot of heartache later on. Blocking any and all cookies will guarantee no personal information is leaked through the cookies, but many sites will either not be able to or will choose not to interact with you. The trick, then, is to let the good cookies through while screening out the bad ones, not at all dissimilar to what you do when you hover over the cookie tray at a party - you take the ones you want and leave the rest behind. This can be accomplished in a few different ways.First, you can periodically delete all the cookies on your hard drive. This will systematically wipe out all unwanted cookies that have made their way to your computer. Unfortunately, it will also take care of all the good cookies too. If you only use the internet occasionally (i.e. a few minutes a week), this option might work for you.Second, you can try to go about it manually. Many browsers that allow you to block cookies also include a feature that allows you to include a list of sites from which you will allow cookies. The advantage of this method is it places virtually complete control over cookies into your hands, allowing only those that you want to be placed on your hard drive. The disadvantage is that it can become very burdensome (at times downright annoying) having to constantly update the list of allowed sites.Third, you can call in some third-party software to help out. The best programs will scan your computer to find all the cookies and put them into a table or list. This saves you the trouble of having to dig around your hard drive to find the files yourself (try looking for a folder named "Cookies"). Many programs will also indicate with some degree of confidence whether a given cookie is wanted or unwanted, and provide a convenient way to delete the ones that you decide you don't want.
What Makes E-bay Stand Out For Buyers?
by: David Riewe
E-Bay is certainly a hit to the market especially for the buyers. The concept of online shopping or bidding for that matter do not appeal too much for buyers but the emergence of E-Bay made a difference to that. Both buyers and sellers are flocking in the site in order to conduct their business there. What is the real reason why E-Bay became a hit for buyers? Well, one of the reasons for the success is the concept that E-Bay had. Auctioning is a good way to bargain the products but at the same time still have a profitable business. The concept also of people from all over the world makes it more fun. Most buyers are also looking for a sweet deal in the internet because they originally have the original price in their hands. A good yet quality bargain for customers is important because they are looking for their money’s worth. Aside from that, E-Bay serves as an online mall or “internet shopping haven” for buyers that do not want to be bothered when it comes to hopping from shops to shops. E-Bay offers a variety of choices for their buyers which make it fun. The choices and alternatives that E-Bay offers attract customers who are always on the look out for something new and fresh. On the other hand, the transactions held in E-Bay are safer and secure if compared to other portals. In E-Bay, they guarantee the safety as well as the quality of products once a buyer has purchased it. When it comes to the design and lay-out, E-Bay keeps it simple and hassle-free which really is a priority for buyers that are not particularly technology sassy. The simple design that graces the computer screen is one of the reasons why people go to E-Bay and purchase what they want online. As others would say it, simplicity is the key and it is indeed a key to the success of E-Bay. Another factor which makes E-Bay click is the communication ability of the site. Both buyers and sellers have the chance to communicate openly with each other. Both parties could exchange views and opinions which could help both parties as well as E-Bay. E-Bay is viewed by buyers as a refreshing change against the tight grip of big companies towards buyers. In E-Bay there is freedom and choice in every transaction made.
E-Bay is certainly a hit to the market especially for the buyers. The concept of online shopping or bidding for that matter do not appeal too much for buyers but the emergence of E-Bay made a difference to that. Both buyers and sellers are flocking in the site in order to conduct their business there. What is the real reason why E-Bay became a hit for buyers? Well, one of the reasons for the success is the concept that E-Bay had. Auctioning is a good way to bargain the products but at the same time still have a profitable business. The concept also of people from all over the world makes it more fun. Most buyers are also looking for a sweet deal in the internet because they originally have the original price in their hands. A good yet quality bargain for customers is important because they are looking for their money’s worth. Aside from that, E-Bay serves as an online mall or “internet shopping haven” for buyers that do not want to be bothered when it comes to hopping from shops to shops. E-Bay offers a variety of choices for their buyers which make it fun. The choices and alternatives that E-Bay offers attract customers who are always on the look out for something new and fresh. On the other hand, the transactions held in E-Bay are safer and secure if compared to other portals. In E-Bay, they guarantee the safety as well as the quality of products once a buyer has purchased it. When it comes to the design and lay-out, E-Bay keeps it simple and hassle-free which really is a priority for buyers that are not particularly technology sassy. The simple design that graces the computer screen is one of the reasons why people go to E-Bay and purchase what they want online. As others would say it, simplicity is the key and it is indeed a key to the success of E-Bay. Another factor which makes E-Bay click is the communication ability of the site. Both buyers and sellers have the chance to communicate openly with each other. Both parties could exchange views and opinions which could help both parties as well as E-Bay. E-Bay is viewed by buyers as a refreshing change against the tight grip of big companies towards buyers. In E-Bay there is freedom and choice in every transaction made.
Top 3 Tips For Buying An LCD TV
by: Amy Metz
I want a larger screen and so do you. There is absolutely no reason for this wanting except for the feeling of power that a large screen gives you. I have no idea why it is, but we all seem to want a larger screen for our TVs these days. The question is, how to get a good deal on an LCD TV without paying a fortune. Let’s give you our top 3 tips on buying an LCD TV. 1)Don’t buy a used one if you don’t have to. The funny thing about these TVs is that their prices drop significantly every month and that if you just wait a little longer, the price you’ll pay for a new TV is probably not going to be too far off from the price that you are going to pay for a used one. A little patience might actually save you some dollars here. 2)Compare features, not just prices. One of our favorite places to go to compare prices on LCD Tvs is ConsumerReports.org. Consumer Reports was rating different items way before the internet even become popular. Remember buying your first real car? I do. And I went straight to Consumer Reports to find out that the Honda Accord was the car to buy (and still is according to CR). Shopping for a high end LCD Tv shouldn’t be any different than shopping for a new car. All the resources are at your disposal, so give it a try. I’m sure you can find some gems of information at CR regarding your LCD Tv purchase. 3)HD is coming, don’t miss out. High definition television has allegedly been “right around the corner” for years. Well, that time may finally have arrived. Some LCD Tvs come HD ready and some do not. Make sure your new LCD TV supports HD so that when it is finally popularized, you can watch the programs utilizing this latest technology. And by the way, why would someone want to buy an LCD TV over a “Plasma”. And what is a plasma? Are they different than LCDs? Basically yes. The big difference is that they use different technologies to deliver a picture. Both have pros and cons. However, both deliver a large screen experience to the user.
I want a larger screen and so do you. There is absolutely no reason for this wanting except for the feeling of power that a large screen gives you. I have no idea why it is, but we all seem to want a larger screen for our TVs these days. The question is, how to get a good deal on an LCD TV without paying a fortune. Let’s give you our top 3 tips on buying an LCD TV. 1)Don’t buy a used one if you don’t have to. The funny thing about these TVs is that their prices drop significantly every month and that if you just wait a little longer, the price you’ll pay for a new TV is probably not going to be too far off from the price that you are going to pay for a used one. A little patience might actually save you some dollars here. 2)Compare features, not just prices. One of our favorite places to go to compare prices on LCD Tvs is ConsumerReports.org. Consumer Reports was rating different items way before the internet even become popular. Remember buying your first real car? I do. And I went straight to Consumer Reports to find out that the Honda Accord was the car to buy (and still is according to CR). Shopping for a high end LCD Tv shouldn’t be any different than shopping for a new car. All the resources are at your disposal, so give it a try. I’m sure you can find some gems of information at CR regarding your LCD Tv purchase. 3)HD is coming, don’t miss out. High definition television has allegedly been “right around the corner” for years. Well, that time may finally have arrived. Some LCD Tvs come HD ready and some do not. Make sure your new LCD TV supports HD so that when it is finally popularized, you can watch the programs utilizing this latest technology. And by the way, why would someone want to buy an LCD TV over a “Plasma”. And what is a plasma? Are they different than LCDs? Basically yes. The big difference is that they use different technologies to deliver a picture. Both have pros and cons. However, both deliver a large screen experience to the user.
How to shop for products online and save at the same time!
by: Jonathan White
What’s one of the most annoying things that you find when shopping online?One of the most annoying things that I find when shopping online is that when I try to find a product, I have to go to a few sites before I find the product that I am looking for. Once I have found my chosen product, I then have problems comparing this merchants product against other merchants that sell the same product so that I can try to find the best deal for this individual product online.So if you are also having problems like this when you are also trying to find a product online, then I would personally recommend that you try using some sort of product price comparison search engine/directory. The reasons for this are because these product price comparison search engines/directories list a large amount of products from a large amount of top quality merchants.By using a product price comparison search engine/directory you can easily find and compare a product of your choice. You can do this by comparing the same product from individual merchants within the same product price comparison search engine/directory that sells the same product so that you can find the best price for your chosen product.For example, http://www.simplysearch4it.com offers a product price comparison directory that also includes search facilities so that you can narrow down your search for a product of your choice. This product price comparison directory can be found at http://products.simplysearch4it.com where it lists over 250,000 products and is still growing daily. You can easily find products from garden equipment to housing goods. Within most product price comparison search engines/directories you can also order your results by price so that you can rank the lower priced products first followed by the highest priced products last.As you can see, from using a product price comparison search engine/directory first, all you have to do is one search for the product that you want to buy and then you should receive a large number of results. Doing it this way is a lot quicker than going to individual merchants sites doing individual searches for the same product. If the product price comparison search engine/directory doesn’t list the product that you are looking for then you can always search through individual merchants sites after using a product price comparison search engine/directory.
What’s one of the most annoying things that you find when shopping online?One of the most annoying things that I find when shopping online is that when I try to find a product, I have to go to a few sites before I find the product that I am looking for. Once I have found my chosen product, I then have problems comparing this merchants product against other merchants that sell the same product so that I can try to find the best deal for this individual product online.So if you are also having problems like this when you are also trying to find a product online, then I would personally recommend that you try using some sort of product price comparison search engine/directory. The reasons for this are because these product price comparison search engines/directories list a large amount of products from a large amount of top quality merchants.By using a product price comparison search engine/directory you can easily find and compare a product of your choice. You can do this by comparing the same product from individual merchants within the same product price comparison search engine/directory that sells the same product so that you can find the best price for your chosen product.For example, http://www.simplysearch4it.com offers a product price comparison directory that also includes search facilities so that you can narrow down your search for a product of your choice. This product price comparison directory can be found at http://products.simplysearch4it.com where it lists over 250,000 products and is still growing daily. You can easily find products from garden equipment to housing goods. Within most product price comparison search engines/directories you can also order your results by price so that you can rank the lower priced products first followed by the highest priced products last.As you can see, from using a product price comparison search engine/directory first, all you have to do is one search for the product that you want to buy and then you should receive a large number of results. Doing it this way is a lot quicker than going to individual merchants sites doing individual searches for the same product. If the product price comparison search engine/directory doesn’t list the product that you are looking for then you can always search through individual merchants sites after using a product price comparison search engine/directory.
How To Tips On Buying On Ebay
by: David Riewe
Buying things on eBay can be a great alternative for out-door shopping. Shopping on eBay gives the buyers a convenient way of looking for the right stuffs or things that they need. However, it is a must for every eBay shopper to take note of these important reminders before buying on eBay so as to avoid scams and fraudulent activities.Here are some tips for the buyers:1. It is important to know the item first.The eBay management strongly suggests that a buyer should first read and understand carefully the item listing before proceeding to bidding. He or she must grasp the seller's shipping requirements and the fees that are attached to it.2. Buyer should be aware of the return and refund policy of eBay.Buyers should know this first before bidding so that there wouldn't be any problems when wishing to do a refund.3. The buyer should check first the seller's feedbacks before bidding.Checking on the seller's feedbacks will give the buyer an impression if the transaction is trustworthy or not.4. The buyer should choose a secured payment method.The only secured way to get through a transaction on eBay is to make sure that the mode of payment required by the seller is protected. This should be clear on the buyer so as to avoid imminent danger of fraud or scam.5. The buyer should use the "ask a seller questions" section.It doesn't hurt to ask. It is best for a buyer to use this section first before bidding on an item. After all, it really pays a buyer to ask and clarify things first before proceeding to the bidding activity.6. The buyer should know, by all means, the seller's contact details before sending the payment. This is one way of protecting one's money.7. The buyer should take extra precautions on most of the international item listings because this is where most fraudulent activities happen.8. The buyer should avoid any transaction that involves wire transfers as mode of payment. The eBay management does not approve it and will offer no protection in the event it is a fraud.9. The buyer should make a documentation of all the transactions and the items purchased on eBay. This will be very handy in case there is a discrepancy in the future.10. The buyer should be aware and get rid of spontaneous offers and counterfeit escrow services. The eBay management only allows protection for transactions made with eBay-approved escrow services.
Buying things on eBay can be a great alternative for out-door shopping. Shopping on eBay gives the buyers a convenient way of looking for the right stuffs or things that they need. However, it is a must for every eBay shopper to take note of these important reminders before buying on eBay so as to avoid scams and fraudulent activities.Here are some tips for the buyers:1. It is important to know the item first.The eBay management strongly suggests that a buyer should first read and understand carefully the item listing before proceeding to bidding. He or she must grasp the seller's shipping requirements and the fees that are attached to it.2. Buyer should be aware of the return and refund policy of eBay.Buyers should know this first before bidding so that there wouldn't be any problems when wishing to do a refund.3. The buyer should check first the seller's feedbacks before bidding.Checking on the seller's feedbacks will give the buyer an impression if the transaction is trustworthy or not.4. The buyer should choose a secured payment method.The only secured way to get through a transaction on eBay is to make sure that the mode of payment required by the seller is protected. This should be clear on the buyer so as to avoid imminent danger of fraud or scam.5. The buyer should use the "ask a seller questions" section.It doesn't hurt to ask. It is best for a buyer to use this section first before bidding on an item. After all, it really pays a buyer to ask and clarify things first before proceeding to the bidding activity.6. The buyer should know, by all means, the seller's contact details before sending the payment. This is one way of protecting one's money.7. The buyer should take extra precautions on most of the international item listings because this is where most fraudulent activities happen.8. The buyer should avoid any transaction that involves wire transfers as mode of payment. The eBay management does not approve it and will offer no protection in the event it is a fraud.9. The buyer should make a documentation of all the transactions and the items purchased on eBay. This will be very handy in case there is a discrepancy in the future.10. The buyer should be aware and get rid of spontaneous offers and counterfeit escrow services. The eBay management only allows protection for transactions made with eBay-approved escrow services.
Gas Prices Too High? Save on Everything Else
by: Gary Gray
As you know, gas prices are way up right now, and could hit all-time highs this summer. Since gas is a necessary commodity, the high prices may give us a good reason to complain. But instead of slamming your fist on the steering wheel the next time youfill up, try saving money in other ways to make up the difference.Now, I'm not talking about clipping newspaper coupons for your next visit to the grocery store (though that might be a good idea.) I'm talking about deals and discounts that are easy to find and easy to use--no cutting required.Coupon sites on the World Wide Web provide a very valuable and FREE resource that can save consumers a lot of money. A lot of people don't think about looking at coupon sites before they shop for something online, but if they do, they'll find special coupons, discounts, or promotions. And we're not talking 5% off at Harry's House of Hairpieces. We're talking about great discounts from retailers like Target, PetsMart, Buy.com, Overstock.com, Home Depot, and many more.Before you go shopping for a gift or something essential for yourself, I'd urge everyone to visit online coupon sites and see what you've been missing. Chances are, you'll find something that will save you a good amount of money on that purchase.So what kind of deals can you get? These sites offer discounts, coupons, and promotions from retailers in any category, such as pet supplies, jewelry, apparel, toys, books and magazines, flowers and gifts, home and garden, sports and recreation, shoes, luggage, office supplies, and more. Many of them also feature a search function where users can look for deals on specific items or from specific retailers.A lot of coupon-site promotions include free shipping, big "dollars-off" discounts on purchases from certain retailers or on certain items, and more. Many of the merchants featured on coupon sites provide "affiliate only" links to discounts, meaning shoppers would be unable to find those deals elsewhere. Some sites even offer a mailing list users can join to be notified of great deals when they come up.These sites are usually updated frequently, sometimes even hourly, meaning you can be sure to get that one day only or weekend special. So before you go to make your next purchase on anything, remember that coupons sites can ensure you have the best deal you can possibly get.
As you know, gas prices are way up right now, and could hit all-time highs this summer. Since gas is a necessary commodity, the high prices may give us a good reason to complain. But instead of slamming your fist on the steering wheel the next time youfill up, try saving money in other ways to make up the difference.Now, I'm not talking about clipping newspaper coupons for your next visit to the grocery store (though that might be a good idea.) I'm talking about deals and discounts that are easy to find and easy to use--no cutting required.Coupon sites on the World Wide Web provide a very valuable and FREE resource that can save consumers a lot of money. A lot of people don't think about looking at coupon sites before they shop for something online, but if they do, they'll find special coupons, discounts, or promotions. And we're not talking 5% off at Harry's House of Hairpieces. We're talking about great discounts from retailers like Target, PetsMart, Buy.com, Overstock.com, Home Depot, and many more.Before you go shopping for a gift or something essential for yourself, I'd urge everyone to visit online coupon sites and see what you've been missing. Chances are, you'll find something that will save you a good amount of money on that purchase.So what kind of deals can you get? These sites offer discounts, coupons, and promotions from retailers in any category, such as pet supplies, jewelry, apparel, toys, books and magazines, flowers and gifts, home and garden, sports and recreation, shoes, luggage, office supplies, and more. Many of them also feature a search function where users can look for deals on specific items or from specific retailers.A lot of coupon-site promotions include free shipping, big "dollars-off" discounts on purchases from certain retailers or on certain items, and more. Many of the merchants featured on coupon sites provide "affiliate only" links to discounts, meaning shoppers would be unable to find those deals elsewhere. Some sites even offer a mailing list users can join to be notified of great deals when they come up.These sites are usually updated frequently, sometimes even hourly, meaning you can be sure to get that one day only or weekend special. So before you go to make your next purchase on anything, remember that coupons sites can ensure you have the best deal you can possibly get.
Clueless About What You Can Buy On Ebay?
by: David Riewe
Being clueless on what items to buy on E-bay is a phase. In fact, it's the very first step to online shopping. With every new day, online shoppers conquer more E-bay buying techniques, and slowly lift off the novice's launch pad. From then on, online shoppers realize there's more they can buy on E-bay than meets the eye. Generally, E-bay is comprised of almost all the things a buyer would want and need under the sun. In fact, it seems that E-bay's selling almost everything. Because of its diversity in items being sold, E-bay categorized each item for easier search. Though, each listing varies from one country to another. Generally, online shoppers may choose to buy things under the category of antiques. These may include old-fashioned decors; house wares; vintage cars, clothing, and accessories; historic collector's item; and old postcards. Buyers may also deliberate on buying items classified under the automotive category. These may range from cars to accessories to almost insignificant extras like car stickers, car perfumes, and collectibles. Those who are looking for computer gadgets, electronic bolts, or printers may look at the Electronics and Computers category of E-bay. E-bay listings also have the basic necessities like clothes, shoes, and accessories. It also includes different kinds of jewelries like trinkets, charms, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, watches, and ornaments. Those who are looking for stamps and other collectables like postcards, old papers, even different kinds of minerals, rocks, and fossils will find E-bay a very lucrative place to do online shopping. E-bay also caters to people who are into sports. Buyers can find different sorts of sports gadgets, sports get-ups, and tools. Those who are hobbyists may also find practical tools for their respective hobbies like gardening tools, cross-stitching paraphernalia, cooking and baking utensils, or scrapbooks. Best of all, E-bay offers a great line of entertainment appliances and high-tech gadgets like mobile phones, mp3 players, pc tablets, PDAs, memory cards, flash cards, video cameras, digital cameras, audio recorders, sensors, and camcorders. Aside from these common items that reflect fads and fashions in today's contemporary society, e-bay has also that special section that consists of "everything else." These are the things that do not fall under the basic categories. These are ephemera, costumes, children's themed gift sets, party packages, mobile sim card, and mobile load, even a Google account. With these things, buyers can be assured of a wide array of things and gadgets that would serve them best provided that it does not fall under E-bay's prohibited list.
Being clueless on what items to buy on E-bay is a phase. In fact, it's the very first step to online shopping. With every new day, online shoppers conquer more E-bay buying techniques, and slowly lift off the novice's launch pad. From then on, online shoppers realize there's more they can buy on E-bay than meets the eye. Generally, E-bay is comprised of almost all the things a buyer would want and need under the sun. In fact, it seems that E-bay's selling almost everything. Because of its diversity in items being sold, E-bay categorized each item for easier search. Though, each listing varies from one country to another. Generally, online shoppers may choose to buy things under the category of antiques. These may include old-fashioned decors; house wares; vintage cars, clothing, and accessories; historic collector's item; and old postcards. Buyers may also deliberate on buying items classified under the automotive category. These may range from cars to accessories to almost insignificant extras like car stickers, car perfumes, and collectibles. Those who are looking for computer gadgets, electronic bolts, or printers may look at the Electronics and Computers category of E-bay. E-bay listings also have the basic necessities like clothes, shoes, and accessories. It also includes different kinds of jewelries like trinkets, charms, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, watches, and ornaments. Those who are looking for stamps and other collectables like postcards, old papers, even different kinds of minerals, rocks, and fossils will find E-bay a very lucrative place to do online shopping. E-bay also caters to people who are into sports. Buyers can find different sorts of sports gadgets, sports get-ups, and tools. Those who are hobbyists may also find practical tools for their respective hobbies like gardening tools, cross-stitching paraphernalia, cooking and baking utensils, or scrapbooks. Best of all, E-bay offers a great line of entertainment appliances and high-tech gadgets like mobile phones, mp3 players, pc tablets, PDAs, memory cards, flash cards, video cameras, digital cameras, audio recorders, sensors, and camcorders. Aside from these common items that reflect fads and fashions in today's contemporary society, e-bay has also that special section that consists of "everything else." These are the things that do not fall under the basic categories. These are ephemera, costumes, children's themed gift sets, party packages, mobile sim card, and mobile load, even a Google account. With these things, buyers can be assured of a wide array of things and gadgets that would serve them best provided that it does not fall under E-bay's prohibited list.
The development of Printer Ink Cartridges
by: Keith Kingston
With the introduction of the inkjet printer and printer ink cartridge in 1984, the task of printing your documents and changing printer ink cartridges became more convenient, reliable and cleaner than the previous methods of changing ribbons or inserting a toner cartridge. Prior to 1984, the ink delivery systems were not as dependable as they are now. The inkjet system replaced the old dot matrix method, which required changing a ribbon. It wasn’t long before the printer industry began conceptualizing a new ink delivery technique, including the drop on demand method. Several companies were the driving forces behind developing the inkjet technology, and by 1990 the method was widely accepted. Today it is the method of choice for printing requirements, and will print both black and white documents as well as color graphics and photos.The quality is excellent, thanks to the development of printer ink cartridges. It is possible to print on many different sizes and types of paper, fabric, film, etc. These printers are used in businesses, in schools and the homes of millions of people worldwide. Each printer uses a specific printer ink cartridge, most often one each of black and color. Each cartridge is given an identifying number and lists the model number of each printer in which it can be used. While each printer manufacturer recommends its own brand of printer ink cartridge, it is possible to refill the cartridge yourself, or purchase a refilled, remanufactured or a compatible cartridge.There are two types of refilled cartridges: You can do it yourself with a kit that allows you to refill your own cartridge. Refill kits are available at a very low price and are sometimes the choice of those who don’t mind doing the filling in order to save money. The other alternative is to buy a refilled cartridge from a manufacturer. This method involves drilling, filling and sealing an empty cartridge. A remanufactured cartridge is an original printer ink cartridge that has been taken apart and outfitted with ink and new parts if necessary. It is then inspected and tested before being placed in the marketplace to re-sell. The workmanship in these cartridges is usually guaranteed against defects during the life of the cartridge. The lifetime is generally the same as the original, they are safe to use in all printers, and the warranty on your printer will not be affected. The cost is lower than the original.Another kind of cartridge that has evolved in recent years is the “compatible” cartridge. Simply put, it is a cartridge that is built to the same specifications as those of the original manufacturer and is generally cheaper than the original. It is also guaranteed against defects during its lifetime.Inkjet printers using printer ink cartridges have a bright future ahead, thanks to their capability to produce high-quality printed material quickly and inexpensively. The manufacturer’s printer ink cartridge is one option, and the use of alternative printer ink cartridges is another option. When shopping for printer ink cartridges, always buy from a reputable dealer. A huge inventory of hundreds of types of cartridges can also be found by shopping on the Internet, which is a convenient, safe and reliable method of finding the best deals on printer ink cartridges.
With the introduction of the inkjet printer and printer ink cartridge in 1984, the task of printing your documents and changing printer ink cartridges became more convenient, reliable and cleaner than the previous methods of changing ribbons or inserting a toner cartridge. Prior to 1984, the ink delivery systems were not as dependable as they are now. The inkjet system replaced the old dot matrix method, which required changing a ribbon. It wasn’t long before the printer industry began conceptualizing a new ink delivery technique, including the drop on demand method. Several companies were the driving forces behind developing the inkjet technology, and by 1990 the method was widely accepted. Today it is the method of choice for printing requirements, and will print both black and white documents as well as color graphics and photos.The quality is excellent, thanks to the development of printer ink cartridges. It is possible to print on many different sizes and types of paper, fabric, film, etc. These printers are used in businesses, in schools and the homes of millions of people worldwide. Each printer uses a specific printer ink cartridge, most often one each of black and color. Each cartridge is given an identifying number and lists the model number of each printer in which it can be used. While each printer manufacturer recommends its own brand of printer ink cartridge, it is possible to refill the cartridge yourself, or purchase a refilled, remanufactured or a compatible cartridge.There are two types of refilled cartridges: You can do it yourself with a kit that allows you to refill your own cartridge. Refill kits are available at a very low price and are sometimes the choice of those who don’t mind doing the filling in order to save money. The other alternative is to buy a refilled cartridge from a manufacturer. This method involves drilling, filling and sealing an empty cartridge. A remanufactured cartridge is an original printer ink cartridge that has been taken apart and outfitted with ink and new parts if necessary. It is then inspected and tested before being placed in the marketplace to re-sell. The workmanship in these cartridges is usually guaranteed against defects during the life of the cartridge. The lifetime is generally the same as the original, they are safe to use in all printers, and the warranty on your printer will not be affected. The cost is lower than the original.Another kind of cartridge that has evolved in recent years is the “compatible” cartridge. Simply put, it is a cartridge that is built to the same specifications as those of the original manufacturer and is generally cheaper than the original. It is also guaranteed against defects during its lifetime.Inkjet printers using printer ink cartridges have a bright future ahead, thanks to their capability to produce high-quality printed material quickly and inexpensively. The manufacturer’s printer ink cartridge is one option, and the use of alternative printer ink cartridges is another option. When shopping for printer ink cartridges, always buy from a reputable dealer. A huge inventory of hundreds of types of cartridges can also be found by shopping on the Internet, which is a convenient, safe and reliable method of finding the best deals on printer ink cartridges.
Your Own Personal Online Shopper
by: Jim Edwards
© Jim Edwards - All Rights reservedhttp://www.thenetreporter.com-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Imagine you find yourself in the market to buy a new digitalcamera and, before you part with your money, you want tocomparison shop for the best price online. If you do a search for "digital camera" on Google.com, theWeb's top search engine, you'll get back over 7 million pageresults.Refine your search to a specific model, such as the HPPhotosmart 935, and you get back 137,000 page results. Nowdo a search on BestBuy.com, CircuitCity.com, and Amazon.comand you'll only find it listed one time, and on that site itcosts $60 more than I paid for it at Target. Even though the web makes it easy to search out the productswe want to buy, sometimes that mountain of information makesit almost impossible to find the best deal. To solve this problem there are "personal online shoppers"which help you seek, find, and comparison shop multipleoffers for just about any product you want to buy, online oroffline.An online personal shopper-type service enables you to logon to a single site, enter the product details you want tosearch, and then have the website give you back a list ofprices and places where you can purchase the item. The personal shopping assistant sites that rate the bestdon't accept commissions for the sale of items through theirservices because getting paid based on what the customerbuys would eliminate unbiased product comparisons. The best services make their money by selling targetedadvertising to merchants and only displaying products intheir search results based on price and features.~ MySimon.com ~MySimon.com ranks as one of the oldest personal shoppingassistants on the Internet. Highlights of the service include an extensive homepagedirectory to help you choose the correct product category tosearch and a database of millions of products. On the negative, MySimon.com does manipulate their merchantlistings pages based on how much money the advertiser paysto show up in the results.~ PriceScan.com ~Pricescan.com does not accept money from advertisers tomanipulate their search results, though they will showtargeted advertising on the search results pages. A very nice feature on this site involves the ability toenter features you want in a particular item (such as acomputer) and then search all makes, models, andmanufacturers matching those features. You'll find this especially valuable when comparing thingslike computers, which often carry many different variablesand configurations.~ Froogle.com ~Operated by Internet giant, Google.com, Froogle.com allowsyou to search for specific items you want to buy and thensort them by price. You can also specify a price range you're willing to pay forthe item and Froogle will only search for and display thoseitems that fall within the range. Froogle also clearly draws a line (literally) betweenunbiased search results on the left side of the page andadvertisers on the right. In the testing for this article, Froogle consistentlyreturned the highest quantity and most relevant searchresults for specific product names entered.
© Jim Edwards - All Rights reservedhttp://www.thenetreporter.com-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Imagine you find yourself in the market to buy a new digitalcamera and, before you part with your money, you want tocomparison shop for the best price online. If you do a search for "digital camera" on Google.com, theWeb's top search engine, you'll get back over 7 million pageresults.Refine your search to a specific model, such as the HPPhotosmart 935, and you get back 137,000 page results. Nowdo a search on BestBuy.com, CircuitCity.com, and Amazon.comand you'll only find it listed one time, and on that site itcosts $60 more than I paid for it at Target. Even though the web makes it easy to search out the productswe want to buy, sometimes that mountain of information makesit almost impossible to find the best deal. To solve this problem there are "personal online shoppers"which help you seek, find, and comparison shop multipleoffers for just about any product you want to buy, online oroffline.An online personal shopper-type service enables you to logon to a single site, enter the product details you want tosearch, and then have the website give you back a list ofprices and places where you can purchase the item. The personal shopping assistant sites that rate the bestdon't accept commissions for the sale of items through theirservices because getting paid based on what the customerbuys would eliminate unbiased product comparisons. The best services make their money by selling targetedadvertising to merchants and only displaying products intheir search results based on price and features.~ MySimon.com ~MySimon.com ranks as one of the oldest personal shoppingassistants on the Internet. Highlights of the service include an extensive homepagedirectory to help you choose the correct product category tosearch and a database of millions of products. On the negative, MySimon.com does manipulate their merchantlistings pages based on how much money the advertiser paysto show up in the results.~ PriceScan.com ~Pricescan.com does not accept money from advertisers tomanipulate their search results, though they will showtargeted advertising on the search results pages. A very nice feature on this site involves the ability toenter features you want in a particular item (such as acomputer) and then search all makes, models, andmanufacturers matching those features. You'll find this especially valuable when comparing thingslike computers, which often carry many different variablesand configurations.~ Froogle.com ~Operated by Internet giant, Google.com, Froogle.com allowsyou to search for specific items you want to buy and thensort them by price. You can also specify a price range you're willing to pay forthe item and Froogle will only search for and display thoseitems that fall within the range. Froogle also clearly draws a line (literally) betweenunbiased search results on the left side of the page andadvertisers on the right. In the testing for this article, Froogle consistentlyreturned the highest quantity and most relevant searchresults for specific product names entered.
Avoiding Fraud Through Safe Shopping
by: Jeff Mueller
Online fraud is an increasing problem that can be avoided. Every year more and more people shop online, and every year seems to bring more ways to trick unsuspecting buyers. This report was written to help protect you as a consumer.Following the guidelines set in this report will protect you from most types of online fraud, and help you recover in the event that you are taken advantage of.-------------------Before You Buy-------------------Before you buy anything online, review the store’s refund policy. Make sure they will accept returns on defective or wrong items. Also, see how long the return period is, usually, it is 30 days.Review the store’s privacy policy. You want to know that your information is being handled responsibly before giving it to anyone.-------------------During Check Out-------------------Plastic or plastic? During the checkout process you will be given a few payment options. Of these, you will probably see credit or charge cards. As you know, if someone accepts credit cards, they also accept debit cards. Debit cards are not the same when it comes to limiting your liability for fraudulent use. Debit cards are fine for most things, but not online purchasing.Credit or charge cards are the ideal way to pay online. If you pay by credit or charge card online, your transaction is protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Under this law, you have the right to dispute charges under certain circumstances and temporarily withhold payment while the creditor is investigating the disputed charges. In the event of unauthorized use of your credit or charge card, you generally would only be held liable for $50 worth of the charges.Some credit companies even offer an online shopping guarantee that ensures you will not be held responsible for any unauthorized charges made online, and some may provide additional warranty, return and/or purchase protection benefits.Double check everything. Make sure your billing, contact, and email addresses are correct and yours. You don’t want your purchases delivered to someone else.Always ensure that the checkout is being completed on a secure server. You can tell if a server is a secure server by the web address, it should begin with an https://. In addition, the bottom of your browser should contain a padlock image.-------------------After the purchase-------------------Always keep a record. You should receive a receipt or invoice after your payment. If you do not, politely request one from the vendor.Be sure to save this receipt, you will need it as a proof of purchase if the item is defective and needs to be returned, or was never received.-------------------Ongoing Precautions-------------------You should regularly check your credit card and bank statements for any unauthorized payments. If you notice anything that you did not authorize, be sure to notify your credit card company or bank immediately.Some malicious applications will rest on your computer, and send your private information to someone else. This is a common cause of identity theft. For this reasons, you should always run the latest version of your antivirus program with the most recently updated databases. You should also run spyware removal programs regularly.-------------------Conclusion-------------------Following the guidelines outlined in this report should lead to a satisfying online experience. The only identity theft victims are people that don’t know or follow safe shopping practices.
Online fraud is an increasing problem that can be avoided. Every year more and more people shop online, and every year seems to bring more ways to trick unsuspecting buyers. This report was written to help protect you as a consumer.Following the guidelines set in this report will protect you from most types of online fraud, and help you recover in the event that you are taken advantage of.-------------------Before You Buy-------------------Before you buy anything online, review the store’s refund policy. Make sure they will accept returns on defective or wrong items. Also, see how long the return period is, usually, it is 30 days.Review the store’s privacy policy. You want to know that your information is being handled responsibly before giving it to anyone.-------------------During Check Out-------------------Plastic or plastic? During the checkout process you will be given a few payment options. Of these, you will probably see credit or charge cards. As you know, if someone accepts credit cards, they also accept debit cards. Debit cards are not the same when it comes to limiting your liability for fraudulent use. Debit cards are fine for most things, but not online purchasing.Credit or charge cards are the ideal way to pay online. If you pay by credit or charge card online, your transaction is protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Under this law, you have the right to dispute charges under certain circumstances and temporarily withhold payment while the creditor is investigating the disputed charges. In the event of unauthorized use of your credit or charge card, you generally would only be held liable for $50 worth of the charges.Some credit companies even offer an online shopping guarantee that ensures you will not be held responsible for any unauthorized charges made online, and some may provide additional warranty, return and/or purchase protection benefits.Double check everything. Make sure your billing, contact, and email addresses are correct and yours. You don’t want your purchases delivered to someone else.Always ensure that the checkout is being completed on a secure server. You can tell if a server is a secure server by the web address, it should begin with an https://. In addition, the bottom of your browser should contain a padlock image.-------------------After the purchase-------------------Always keep a record. You should receive a receipt or invoice after your payment. If you do not, politely request one from the vendor.Be sure to save this receipt, you will need it as a proof of purchase if the item is defective and needs to be returned, or was never received.-------------------Ongoing Precautions-------------------You should regularly check your credit card and bank statements for any unauthorized payments. If you notice anything that you did not authorize, be sure to notify your credit card company or bank immediately.Some malicious applications will rest on your computer, and send your private information to someone else. This is a common cause of identity theft. For this reasons, you should always run the latest version of your antivirus program with the most recently updated databases. You should also run spyware removal programs regularly.-------------------Conclusion-------------------Following the guidelines outlined in this report should lead to a satisfying online experience. The only identity theft victims are people that don’t know or follow safe shopping practices.
The Five Steps of E-Commerce
by: Lois S.
You set up a retail business, you advertise in your local newspaper, you get customers coming into your store, and you receive payment at the cash register. Create an online store, and...how do you get customers? How do you receive payment? The concept is the same, but the steps are different.Step 1: Create your websiteIf you don’t have web design skills, you can hire a qualified web designer to create a website for you, or you can use an online site builder. Think of it as hiring an architect and an interior decorator compared to setting up shop in an existing store.Using a web designerWith the services of a web designer, you can have a unique website template and website customized to your specific needs. A web development team can also add features such as Flash headers or any programming needed for your site. If your company image is critical, a custom-designed site that conveys the right professional image is a must.Using an online site builderAn online site builder is the budget way to go. With site builder programs such as Site Studio, your website can be online within minutes. A step-by-step menu allows you to choose a layout and colors, and then add a site description, a logo, and content. Your template may not be unique, but your content will. Step 2: Set up an e-commerce storeYour customers will browse at your website, select some items, and then pay for them. When you set up an e-commerce shopping cart, you’re providing a way for your customers to bring their purchases to the cash register. The program you choose will allow you to enter your products in the database and allow shoppers to choose products when they click on “Add to cart” or something similar.Two well-known shopping carts, osCommerce and Miva Merchant, both allow you to do these tasks:Add, edit, and delete product categories and other informationSet tax rates and charge taxReceive payment via numerous online and offline payment processing methodsBill customersAnd much moreosCommerceosCommerce is an open source program. Store owners can set up their online stores using osCommerce with no costs involved. For small stores, it has all the features you need for an online store. Drawbacks of osCommerce are that customization is not easy, and online stores using osCommerce tend to look similar. Miva MerchantWhile Miva Merchant carries a price tag of $995, some web hosts offer Miva Merchant licenses with their hosting plans. If you choose Miva as your shopping cart, be sure to host your site with a host that provides Miva support. Its learning curve is steep, and it requires the support of people who know how to work with it.With the price and the steep learning curve, you get more features, and you can customize the program more. Add-in modules can be bought that perform a number of tasks. In addition, a strong support community is available in the Miva user group forums.Step 3: Get a merchant account and payment gatewayWhen customers arrive at the checkout counter, you need a way for their payments to be transferred from their credit card accounts to your bank account. The method you choose may depend on your sales volume.For high-volume sales, an e-commerce merchant account plus a payment gateway will meet your needs. A merchant account provider authorizes the transfer of payments to your account, and a payment gateway transfers the information from your customers’ financial institutions to yours. Most merchant accounts have setup fees, transaction fees, monthly fees, and statement fees. The transaction fees are less than what you’d pay using a third party credit card processor such as PayPal. With all the fees, however, the overall cost is typically lower only if your monthly sales volume is over about a thousand dollars.For medium and low volume sales, PayQuake and PayPal are viable options.PayQuakePayQuake offers three merchant account types to choose from. Although they all require payment gateways, the two smaller plans have no monthly minimums. You can upgrade to a higher or lower plan if your needs change.PayPalPayPal has become a household name. Customers can send payment through PayPal via credit card or via money that they transfer into their PayPal account. While the fees per transaction are higher than with merchant accounts, there are no setup or monthly fees, and you don’t need a payment gateway. You pay only when you have financial transactions.Fore more details about these options, see WebSite Source Hosting Solutions: E-Commerce. Step 4: Create a secure payment environmentA Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate enables you to receive credit card information securely from your customers. When a payment page is using SSL data to encrypt data, a small image of a lock appears at the bottom right of the screen. Some web hosts offer SSL certificates as part of their hosting packages. If your web host package doesn’t include SSL certificates, you can purchase one separately.With PayPal, no SSL certificate is required.Step 5: Generate trafficYour products are on display in your newly designed store, your shopping cart is set up and ready to use, and you have everything in place to be able to receive payments securely. Now all you need are customers.This is where marketing comes in. Submit your site to search engines.Advertise your site.Keep your company name in front of your customers with a regular email newsletter.Add more content to your website to keep it fresh.Monitor your website traffic to see where it’s coming from and how you can increase traffic for key content areas.For related information, see these pages:Do-It-Yourself Search Engine OptimizationPromote Your Domain
You set up a retail business, you advertise in your local newspaper, you get customers coming into your store, and you receive payment at the cash register. Create an online store, and...how do you get customers? How do you receive payment? The concept is the same, but the steps are different.Step 1: Create your websiteIf you don’t have web design skills, you can hire a qualified web designer to create a website for you, or you can use an online site builder. Think of it as hiring an architect and an interior decorator compared to setting up shop in an existing store.Using a web designerWith the services of a web designer, you can have a unique website template and website customized to your specific needs. A web development team can also add features such as Flash headers or any programming needed for your site. If your company image is critical, a custom-designed site that conveys the right professional image is a must.Using an online site builderAn online site builder is the budget way to go. With site builder programs such as Site Studio, your website can be online within minutes. A step-by-step menu allows you to choose a layout and colors, and then add a site description, a logo, and content. Your template may not be unique, but your content will. Step 2: Set up an e-commerce storeYour customers will browse at your website, select some items, and then pay for them. When you set up an e-commerce shopping cart, you’re providing a way for your customers to bring their purchases to the cash register. The program you choose will allow you to enter your products in the database and allow shoppers to choose products when they click on “Add to cart” or something similar.Two well-known shopping carts, osCommerce and Miva Merchant, both allow you to do these tasks:Add, edit, and delete product categories and other informationSet tax rates and charge taxReceive payment via numerous online and offline payment processing methodsBill customersAnd much moreosCommerceosCommerce is an open source program. Store owners can set up their online stores using osCommerce with no costs involved. For small stores, it has all the features you need for an online store. Drawbacks of osCommerce are that customization is not easy, and online stores using osCommerce tend to look similar. Miva MerchantWhile Miva Merchant carries a price tag of $995, some web hosts offer Miva Merchant licenses with their hosting plans. If you choose Miva as your shopping cart, be sure to host your site with a host that provides Miva support. Its learning curve is steep, and it requires the support of people who know how to work with it.With the price and the steep learning curve, you get more features, and you can customize the program more. Add-in modules can be bought that perform a number of tasks. In addition, a strong support community is available in the Miva user group forums.Step 3: Get a merchant account and payment gatewayWhen customers arrive at the checkout counter, you need a way for their payments to be transferred from their credit card accounts to your bank account. The method you choose may depend on your sales volume.For high-volume sales, an e-commerce merchant account plus a payment gateway will meet your needs. A merchant account provider authorizes the transfer of payments to your account, and a payment gateway transfers the information from your customers’ financial institutions to yours. Most merchant accounts have setup fees, transaction fees, monthly fees, and statement fees. The transaction fees are less than what you’d pay using a third party credit card processor such as PayPal. With all the fees, however, the overall cost is typically lower only if your monthly sales volume is over about a thousand dollars.For medium and low volume sales, PayQuake and PayPal are viable options.PayQuakePayQuake offers three merchant account types to choose from. Although they all require payment gateways, the two smaller plans have no monthly minimums. You can upgrade to a higher or lower plan if your needs change.PayPalPayPal has become a household name. Customers can send payment through PayPal via credit card or via money that they transfer into their PayPal account. While the fees per transaction are higher than with merchant accounts, there are no setup or monthly fees, and you don’t need a payment gateway. You pay only when you have financial transactions.Fore more details about these options, see WebSite Source Hosting Solutions: E-Commerce. Step 4: Create a secure payment environmentA Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate enables you to receive credit card information securely from your customers. When a payment page is using SSL data to encrypt data, a small image of a lock appears at the bottom right of the screen. Some web hosts offer SSL certificates as part of their hosting packages. If your web host package doesn’t include SSL certificates, you can purchase one separately.With PayPal, no SSL certificate is required.Step 5: Generate trafficYour products are on display in your newly designed store, your shopping cart is set up and ready to use, and you have everything in place to be able to receive payments securely. Now all you need are customers.This is where marketing comes in. Submit your site to search engines.Advertise your site.Keep your company name in front of your customers with a regular email newsletter.Add more content to your website to keep it fresh.Monitor your website traffic to see where it’s coming from and how you can increase traffic for key content areas.For related information, see these pages:Do-It-Yourself Search Engine OptimizationPromote Your Domain
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