originally posted on www.stopthinksocial.com on December 6th 2010

I would describe myself as a relatively early adopter when it comes to shopping online.  Back in 1999 I was buying products regularly from sources such as eBay and Amazon at a time when there was still a lot of uncertainty about the future of online retail.  Fast forward 11 years, and there has been a massive shift.  In fact a recent report by Ofcom, shows that Britons spend on average £172 a month while shopping online.

However, shopping online is still a place where you need to tread carefully.  The reality of this was brought home in a recent article from the New York Times, titled “A Bully Finds a Pulpit on the Web”.  This article tells the story of a lady in New York who this year fell victim to a unscrupulous seller of eye glasses, whom she came across following a search on Google.  It is an excellent article and well worth the read.  I’ve extrapolated the excellent visual summary that the New York Time’s article used to describe the events:

One of the really worrying aspects of this story was how the online retailer was exploiting Google’s search rankings to draw in customers.  The more people complained online about him, the higher ranking his website got.  Of course if people entered the name of the company into Google they would have immediately seen details of the negative feedback people were leaving.  BUT the fact is that most potential buyers do not search by company name, but by brand names, and in this specific case designer eye glasses like “Lafont” and “Ciba Vision” would have been entered as the search criteria.

This is a worrying practice and should heed as a warning to people - always thoroughly research who you are buying from when online.  If you are looking for a specific product to buy, and a Google Search returns a number of companies to potentially buy from, make sure that you thoroughly research the said companies.  In the example given above, a quick search against the company name would have highlighted the negativity surrounding this particular buyer.

Another tip that I would recommend to those who do (or want to) buy online, is to utilise your Social Network to gather feedback.  So for example if you are looking to buy a pair of eye glasses online, why don’t you start by asking people in your Facebook or Twitter networks to see if they have any recommendations of reputable online places to shop at.

So what is your experience of shopping online.  Have you fallen victim to a dishonest seller?  Do you utilise your social networks before making a purchase decision?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.