How to Know if a Website is Safe to Buy From?

By Julii Swindells 27 Aug 2013 | Comment
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Believe it or not, all these years after the explosive growth of WWW commerce, there's still no definitive way to tell if a website is legit or might be scamming. Here we look at the important checks that you should make before handing over personal or financial information; however, a safe payment method is probably the most important feature.

Look for online reviews of the same service. Type " Business-name review " into a search engine.

Look for a contact phone number & don't be afraid to phone & check. A valid looking street address is a good idea to check on, too.

Often you can Find out some info about where they are based using the WhoIs website. Ideally, the business website should be based in same country as you.

If VAT-registered and based in the UK they should be registered with companies house; search their database here, or do a search right here:
(Note that this only searches for UK companies; multinationals won't show up.)

Make sure they have a secure connection (padlock icon) somewhere in your web browser's address bar. This padlock is only available if the company has been verified as safe by a 3rd party, and must be present when you go to put your credit card details in.

Do Pay with a credit card - but ONLY if you see the padlock!

We have similar concerns over Merkostore (mobile phones) & decided not to buy because they don't have secure connection on payment page.

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