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Using Your Best Judgment in Shopping for Sport Equipment
Maximizing your hard earned dollars when shopping online for sports equipment can be risky business, but there are many ways to avoid overpaying or getting stuck with second rate. Besides your due diligence in comparison shopping and checking out several retailers before committing to buy, there are other factors to remember.
Be familiar with the retailer – all respectable online retailers will have an address and phone number.
Know what you’re buying – read the fine print to see if any red-flag words (e.g. “used” or “refurbished”) are used.
Know the cost – Comparison shop among similar products and factor in your budget needs (including shipping and handling) to make the most of your purchases.
Pay by credit card – Online transactions are typically protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act, which allows you to dispute charges under certain conditions.
Check out the terms of purchase
Keep paper records – Print out every purchase agreement and email sent to the retailer. Keep a record of all receipts and product descriptions of sports equipment you are buying. And of course keep a copy of the guarantee; you don’t want to be stuck with faulty merchandise, whether you buy online or in store.
Never email financial information – And be sure that the retailer has a secure site.
Verify the privacy policy – Online retailers collect all kinds of information about their customers. If the site you are dealing with doesn’t promise to protect your privacy, go elsewhere to shop for sports equipment.