Should I .... or should I not?? Advantages and disadvantages of shopping in Internet

As globalized as the world is today Internet has become a tool we've been "forced" to use. A part of its many qualities is the choice to buy products or services online and with this comes a series of benefits and risks in this transaction.

The main advantage of shopping in Internet is the nonexistence of physical limits; no matter where you are or how many miles are between you and your product, all you have to do is surf the web and you'll find it. For example, if you want to buy something that is not manufactured in your own country you can get it delivered right to your home in a couple of weeks.

Another advantage of shopping online is that it is extremely easy to do; you don't require being an expert in computers or anything like that. By just entering some information on the web page you'll be done and most pages help the user step by step making the process very clear. For example, step 1: choose your product, step 2: payment options, step 3: additional information, step 4: confirmation.

Of course nothing is 100% reliable and Internet is no exception; shopping online as said above implies giving away personal information and a disadvantage of it is that by doing so, you take the risk of knowing that someone you don't quite know or have ever seen, for that matter, can use it for whatever he/she/they wants/want. You can be charged for something you haven't bought or you might even be involved in identity theft.

Another disadvantage is that in order to buy online you need to have a credit card, which becomes a barrier for people who prefer good old cash (ok, probably not the majority) and for underage people who don't even have a bank account. In addition to it buying with a credit card might be complicated if a mistake is made with the purchase, because canceling it might take longer than an average transaction. I remember buying a plane ticket with my dad's credit card a few months ago but as I waited in the Airport my flight got cancelled due to bad weather. I called the Airline to change the flight and they told me that it wouldn't be a problem. It turns out that checking online it said that an extra ticket had been purchased while on the phone they kept assuring me that it hadn't. Eventually that was solved but I was really worried at the time.

I think shopping in Internet is an excellent idea and the fact that more people do it everyday is an accurate reflection of the direction consumers are taking. My recommendation would be to loose fear of online purchases, but at the same time to be as informed as possible of whom you’re dealing with. Internet is the window to the rest of the world but it you're not careful the world you’re entering can be disappointing.

Vale