Consigning online for the buyer appears to be a simple matter but when the moment comes to press that Buy Now Button, buyer's remorse is telling you not to give up that credit-card number.
To whom are you giving it? Who are they (really)? What is their refund policy? (If you have to hunt for it, it's probably not in your favor.) Am I going to get to the end of the ordering process only to find hefty fees added to my total for one excuse or another?
What about the item? Will it fit? Is it damaged? Does it have stains or odor? Does it live up to its description and representation (made by someone who is obviously trying to trade it for your money)? Did I see a picture of it? Is the item in the picture the same item I will be getting? Was the picture touched up?
Here are some (unusual and valuable) guidelines for shopping online:
1. Evaluate the website. Does it have that 'home grown' look or did the site owner invest a little money? This is by no means a guarantee that the owner is reputable and honest. It's just one indication as to the level of commitment the owner has made in running a legit business.
2. Verify the owner with a service called WhoIS. The acronym means 'Who is the person who owns this website'. A search in Google for 'whois' will turn up several services, most of which are 50-50 at returning consistently good results. Use DNS Stuff. Enter the url (http://www.nameofsite.com) in the 'WHOIS Lookup' box, upper left on the web page. Verify that the Registrant (site owner) and/or the address in the domain registration is the same as that shown on the website. If there is no address (and secondarily a person's name) on the website. turn tail. Reputable website owners trying to consign online know buyers want to know with whom they are dealing and will freely post their contact information. If not, sayonara.
3. Pick up the phone. If no phone number is listed, you know what to do.
4. Sending an email is less effective but any response will give you more information. Was the response canned? Was it well written? (Careful, some thieves are very crafty.) Did the replier use a free email service like myconsignmentshop@yahoo.com? Gmail?
5. What is the url of the website? If it's hosted on a free website service like myconsignment.freewebservices.com and the above email didn't come from a url containing the store's name, it's a hint.