Those who are not hands-on with online shopping sometimes explain their doubts by saying that it is not a safe method of purchase. This post is for you, trying to prove that there is nothing mysterious, that in most cases there are no fraud and that such frauds are not around the corner.

If we talk about eBay and Amazon, or other marketplaces, it is difficult to face problems because the marketplace itself verify the shops before to register them as professional sellers. Are you about to buy from a private seller or on unknown websites? That is another story.

Often, the problems we have are: the product is different from the one we bought or the product does not work well. In these cases there are European rules that cover also the purchase made outside your country.

Do you fear the items you bought won’t be delivered?

You have to know that the seller must deliver the items by 30 days from the order, unless you planned the delivery in a different way. If the shop does not deliver within the deadline, the buyer can choose to interrupt the sale and to ask for a refund.

Do you fear the items you bought are damaged?

After you receive the items you bought, you have to check if everything is ok or if the item has damages - or if it does not work. If so, you have to send a complaint to the seller. If you think that the items are damaged by the delivery - e.g. if you see the package ruined or bashed - the procedure is to accept “goods unchecked” (tick off this headline in the form of the courier). Or you can simply refuse the delivery specifying the motivation. I give you an advice: if the item you bought is fragile, accept always as “goods unchecked”, one never knows…

In any case, the warranty - as stated in the EU norms -  lasts 2 years (for free). If a product does not work well or it is different compared with the images in the listing, the seller must provide for a new item or for the repair of the same item for free. The seller can also agree for a discount or to refund the whole amount: this can be done only if you do the complaint within 6 months starting from the delivery.  

Take into account that the seller must give a solution in case of problems.  

Have you ever occurred in these type of problems? Tell us your experience and how did you manage to solve it!