What to look out for when you shop online
Not sure if you can trust a website with your personal information? Follow our simple steps to shop online with confidence.
Make sure the website is secure
Before you enter personal or payment details online, make sure the website is secure.
Signs of a secure website:
Your web address bar shows a closed padlock or key.
The web address starts with 'https://'
The company has complete contact details, including a street address, phone number and email.
If you haven't heard of the business, check reviews online to help you decide whether to shop with them.
Find out if the seller is overseas
If the seller is not in Australia, you may not have the same consumer rights. It could be hard to contact them for a repair, replacement or refund.
An overseas seller might charge you an international transaction fee. Make sure to check if you will be charged an international transaction fee by your credit or debit card provider.
Avoid being charged two fees: check if your credit or debit card provider charges a fee for overseas transactions.
Take care with buy now pay later
Buy now pay later services, like Afterpay, Humm or Zip Pay, let you pay for something in installments. You might pay every fortnight, instead of paying the full amount upfront.
You don't pay interest on the purchase. Instead, you're charged fees. It's easy to overspend or lose track of how much you owe. So make sure you can afford the repayments.
Find out about buy now pay later services.
Know your rights as a buyer
Read the terms and conditions carefully, including:
the returns policy
postage or delivery fees
any packaging or handling charges
local currency costs, such as currency conversion fees if the purchase is from overseas
any international transaction fees
any import duty or taxes
Check your bank statements
If you shop online, check your credit or debit card and bank statements regularly. Make sure you've been charged the right amount.
If you see something you don't recognise, this could be a sign that a scammer has your personal details. See banking and credit card scams to find out the signs of a scam, how to report it and get help.
Check out these useful tips to help you decide whether to go ahead and buy.