The perils of online shopping

It was late, I was tired but I was in familiar territory - which meant I wasn't really concentrating.

So I felt both surprised and foolish when I glanced at the emailed receipt the following morning: my $8.99 bargain had turned into a $68.94 mistake. Prompt overnight service meant it was too late to do anything about it.

I'd ended up at amazon.com when shopping online for a particular Sony camera case. Locally, it was available for $19.95 but at less than half price, the $8.99 version sang its siren song.

In one fell swoop - using the ''Buy now with 1-click'' button - I'd done the deal.

Another bargain in the bag. A couple of weeks earlier I'd baulked at paying $49.95 for an iPod armband at the local Apple store, only to find a similar product online for $4.50 - with free postage. But what I'd saved then I'd completely blown now.

Later, trying to work out where I'd gone wrong, I couldn't recall seeing a price for shipping the camera case.

Sure enough, when I replicated the transaction, it really was a ''1-click'' purchase: the next window says your order has been placed and that's it - no invoice with details to check or any polite invitation to ''please confirm your order''.

That convenience had proved costly.

Investigating later, I found I could have chosen to ''review or check'' my order and then seen the shipping but only after the sale. There was a ''cancel'' option in a subsequent window.

But by morning the item had been posted by the very efficient British photographic equipment supplier using amazon.com as a storefront.

Admittedly, it was one bad episode among many good ones but with that experience in mind here are 10 mistakes not to make when shopping online:

SHOPPING WHEN TIREDJust as you shouldn't do the supermarket shopping when you're hungry, you shouldn't shop online when you're tired. You need your wits about you to make sure you understand exactly what you're buying and how much you're paying - and how to get out of trouble if you need to.

USING 'ONE CLICK' PAYMENTAlways review your purchase before payment to make sure you haven't missed anything, such as the total price.

Another trap with a one-click transaction is that it might default to the last address you supplied.

NOT CHECKING SHIPPING COSTSSee above.

NOT READING THE RETURN POLICYYou might not be able to return an item just because you don't like it, having finally held the real thing in your hands. Some sites might offer only credit or exchange for a poor choice, so you need to be confident there's something else you'd want. And you'll probably bear the costs of return.

DONKEY BUYINGNOT CHECKING THE WARRANTYIf you're buying overseas, you might not have the same consumer rights as you do in Australia, or it might be harder to enforce your rights. Check what warranty is being offered and how it applies here. If there's a problem you, you might be able to get your credit card provider to reverse the transaction.

In elections, some people vote in the order the candidates appear on the ballot paper. In the same way, some people give too much weight to the order in which search results appear.

NOT RESEARCHING BEFORE BUYINGAlways search for customer feedback about a store, not just on its site (where it can be faked) but from independent sources. You'll soon find out if they're slow or dodgy or the product's no good.

NOT CHECKING THE DELIVERY TIMEYou might be happy to wait if it means saving money but there's no point saving a few dollars only to have a gift arrive too late for the birthday. Bear in mind that the time frame for delivery might be in business days - so 10 days is actually two weeks.

NOT UNDERSTANDING AUCTIONSWhen you buy at auction from a private individual, or buy second-hand goods, it's a case of buyer beware. Allowing a return or providing a refund would be at the seller's discretion.

PROTECT YOUR INFORMATIONNever give out your credit card or bank account details to just anyone. Consider having a separate card with a low limit for your online shopping.
Figure it out beforehand

Sophia Banks-Coloma, an Australian stylist working in Los Angeles who often sources fashion online, offers the top five mistakes not to make when buying clothes:

1.Buying pants online

Sizes can vary depending on the designer, style, cut etc. If you're familiar with the brand, great. If not, stick to shoes, tops and dresses.

2.Ignoring companies' returns policy

You can never tell how an outfit will look until you try it on. Make sure you are able to return the clothes if they don't suit.

3.Not checking correct delivery dates

There's nothing worse than buying an amazing outfit to wear to an event and it doesn't arrive in time. Also, the dress might look amazing online but hideous on, so always have a back-up plan.

4.Panic buying

More often than not your last-minute purchase will either be returned or end up at the back of your wardrobe.

5.Buying because of a sale

Because something's 50 per cent off, doesn't mean it's a good buy. Ask yourself: ''Would I wear it this weekend.''

- BusinessDay.com.au