The major benefits of making online purchases include price, selection, and convenience. Discounts in the neighborhood of 20 to 30% are common on hardware and software items and some deals I have found included a free anti-virus application and 100 CDRs free, a digital video camra for $40 with an accessory kit, and more. Many prices include rebates, but that is little effort to save a lot of money. Combine this with the savings in gas and your time, and even after paying shipping charges you can still come out way ahead on the bottom line.

   Of course, the scales have to balance out, and for the wonderful discount prices you have to pay in another way. Many of the mail order firms offer these discounts by keeping a minimum of office staff, There is sometimes not even someone there to take your order, and if you have a problem getting a live person on the phone can sometimes be difficult (some online sellers do not even staff phone lines at all). It is often a toll call as well, so you can end up paying toll charges while you wait on hold. I have heard stories of 45 minute waits. It is often a matter of dealing with the manufacturer for warranty service, or in the worst case, "you bought it- you keep it. Some firms charge a 15% re-stocking fee for returns of non-defective merchandise. This can rapidly cancel out any savings you may have seen from the original purchase price if you need to return goods. Although most of the firms will take back defective merchandise for the first 30 days, all warranties beyond that usually have to be processed through the manufacturer's warranty.

   Still, with all the perceived problems, shopping online is easy and no more risky than going into a store, if you use a little common sense. I have assembled the following hints and tips to help make your online shopping experience pleasant and safe.This is not a complete list by any means, but can help you get started dealing safely online:

   1) Know who you are dealing with. I like to look for websites that post a street address, hours of operation, and phone numbers for contact if there is a problem. With that information you can contact the BBB in their city to see if there is any information on how they do business if you wish. i feel that if they are upfornt about who they really are, they are more likely to be honest and straightforward after the sale.

   2) Check with other people on this company's reputation. A good place to go is Usenet (the newsgroups). Find a related discussion area and ask if anyone has dealt with them before. Take a look at the "Reseller Ratings" website as well as BizRate.com for detailed information on the experiences others have had with particular resellers. A company I thought could be trusted recently folded, and I found out about the problems by checking with those sites.

   3) When in doubt, call them on the phone and see how they deal with you. I have read many reports of people being treated as an annoyance and not as valued customers. This can be a big clue on how you will be treated if you have a problem after the sale.

   4) A deal that seems too good to be true probably is. There are establishments that advertise some amazingly low prices. When you call you find that if you want the original retail package including all the cables, warranty cards, and manuals, that there is an extra charge. Some have reported that they say they just want the basic deal as advertised and the salesperson hangs up on them. Beware of this bait-and-switch type of deal- it's not only immoral to do business that way, but as far as I know it is also illegal. At a time when the Nikon CP900 was selling for around $735 to $800 most everywhere there were sites advertising it for $685-695. Some who tried to get this very low price were treated as described as above.

   5) Be sure that the price you are getting is the bottom line. There are some firms that have delivered goods and the purchaser finds a "$40 processing fee" added to the order. The dependable websites have an online form that shows the EXACT price that your credit card will be charged including shipping charges to your address. Be wary of lines like "estimated shipping charges."

   6) When you are ordering and the final form is shown on the screen, hit the "PrintScrn" button so you get a hard copy of the order. Also place a bookmark for the page for later reference. If there is a UPS tracking number be sure to record it so that you can see that the order is actually on the way. (http://www.ups.com).

   7) Using a credit card online is generally no more risky than using it over the phone. I recommend checking with your credit card company to be sure that it offers online fraud protection,a nd exactly what your responsibilities are in the case of fraud. Many credit card companies will actually refund your money and deal with the problem company in cases of fradulant billing and such.

   8) If you are not sure about the reliability of the supplier, purchase a small item from the company and see if you are satisfied with the service before making a major purchase.

   9) Use some of the numerous pricing sites to check on pricing. You will see definite ranges from MSRP to discounts that are unbelievable. You can get retail anywhere and the unbelievable prices are often proven to be just that.

   10) Reserve a single a credit card for online purchases and only online purchases. Pay them off immediately. It makes it easier to keep track of what is going on and may make it easier to trace fraud. Try to use a card with a low limit so that if fraud is attempted the total amount of the fraudulent charges will be limited. Report any suspicious activity on your credit card immediately. Read the credit card's policy on reporting fraud or misrepresentation of products. There are ways to handle this that protect you and they are usually listed on the back of your credit card statement. Most credit card cpmpanies watch fo this now, and I have been called by mine after I had made a purchase that was particularly larger than I normally had. And you bet that I thanked them for calling me to verify my purchase was genuine!

   11) I like to deal only with with firms that state that they only charge your credit card when the items are shipped.

   12) If you have to corde by phone (which is less secure than by ordering online) Have all manufacturer's data available when you order- item name and manufacturer's item number. If you are not sure that the item you are ordering is exactly the same as the one you want, don't order it.

   13) Remember that UPS cannot ship to P.O. Boxes.

   14) Prices can vary from day to day, and even depending on from where you access a website! One supplier has lower prices when accessing from C/NET Computer Shopper than from other places.

   15) Most sites post a page of company policies including details concerning return. Find and read it carefully and completely. Don't do business with a site that does not post these policies in detail.

    16) Check the URL of the order page where you input your credit card number. It should start with "https://". That means that it is a secure site and the information sent will be encoded and anyone trying to intercept the numbers will not be able to read the encoded information.

   If you know specifically what you want (down to the brand and model), then mail order can be a great way to save a lot of money. If you need the assistance of a salesperson to help you decide what you need, and you want to be able to get advice and help after the purchase then a retail outlet is often the best choice for you.