Buying toys online can be a great way to save money and also buy toys that may not be available in your local stores. But the question is – is it safe? You don’t want to get caught by online retailers who don’t send your product but take your money or even worse sell your credit card information.
We’ve written a short guide for those consumers wanting to buy toys and really any products online and want to know how they protect themselves.
The first thing to look for when buying toys online is site security. Look for SSL Certificates on the site to make sure that your payment details are protected by Secure Socket Layer technology which is the highest security level available. Sometimes online retailers don’t make it easy to find the SSL Certificate, so have a good look in the Frequently Asked Questions or use their Search function. If you still can’t find it – don’t share your credit card details.
The second thing to look for when buying online is a phone number. Sure, every website has a contact us page, but if they don’t want to share their phone number something is not right. The safest websites are those that display their phone number on every page – you may never need to use it, but if something goes wrong you know they will be at the end of the phone. Retailers who are easy to reach will stand by their products and service.
Another important factor especially when buying toys is to make sure you are buying well know brands that have been safety tested. Whilst there are some great generic toy brands out there, the problem with buying them online is you can’t see them or feel them and you generally don’t know how safe they are for your child. So stick with brands you know and trust.
The final factor is of course price, if you’re buying online you should be saving money – so shop around and use those Contact Us page to get yourself a better deal. Most online retailers are happy to price match.
Last but not least – remember if a website looks dubious, doesn’t have a lot of product information or just gives you a feeling like it’s been thrown together in a day – buyer beware. Most serious online retailers put enormous amounts of time and effort into their websites and back it up with excellent service, but if someone can’t be bothered to put effort into their “shop front” then generally their products and service are below par as well.
Remember, online toy shopping is great fun, convenient and can save you time and money – so enjoy!
