Buying tech products is essential for all of us. Surviving a day without computers, the internet, and smartphones has become impossible. The latest technologies allow us to do pretty much everything with the right tech products.
It’s important that you buy trusted items from stores that everyone trusts. Regardless of how much you want to spend on an item, you will regret your buying decision later if you don’t purchase it from a reliable store.
The good news is that you can buy good items even if you are not a nerd. Decoder is a shopper assistant that helps you find the perfect product you need. In this article, we will share with you the fourteen tips that can help everyone buy good tech gadgets online – keep reading!
1. Avoid the fake online stores
The first thing you have to do while shopping for tech products online is avoiding fake stores. Fake stores are the ones that don’t sell products as listed online and scam their customers by cutting extra charges or shipping products different than mentioned.
Here’s how you can spot a fake online store:
- ● Use a website checker tool to check the age of the website, and it’s security standards.
- Read the reviews of an online store and find what customers liked or disliked about the store.
- Check the little “Padlock Icon” in the address bar to verify the security credentials of an online store.
It’s better to go with trusted online tech stores instead of trying out multiple stores. For example, the Ugreen website sells products that are trusted by thousands of customers around the world, and it checks all the standards of a legit online store. Make sure to avoid a fake store even if you can find crazy discounts over there.
2. Social media presence of a store
Every single online tech store runs its social media pages nowadays. If you don’t have a ton of time to verify different online tech stores, a simple yet effective thing you can do is check their social accounts.
Getting reviews on social pages is not as easy as you might think. People only leave a positive review about an online store if they like its products. You can take a glance at the social pages of an online tech store to find out the experience of the customers who have bought products from that store.
3. Don’t avoid the reviews
One of the easiest ways you can verify the legitimacy of an online tech store is by checking its reviews. In this day and age, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to find out if an online tech store is reliable or not. There are tons of platforms where customers leave reviews about their shopping experience to help you make a learned decision.
The good thing about online reviews is that you can spot a fake review from a real review. Read this guide to learn the art of scrutinizing reviews, so you are never scammed by a fake review online.
4. Compare the prices
It’s your right to buy products at affordable prices online. You might not have considered it before, but you should know that online stores sell products on heavy margins. You can easily find products at more affordable prices if you are willing to research.
Comparing different listings is a great habit that can help you save your money and buy reliable tech gadgets. Instead of trusting the offerings of an online store because everyone trusts it, you should spend some time finding deals from different stores.
5. Look for special discounts
You might have already heard the proverb that “Trend is your friend,” and it’s certainly true when it comes to shopping for tech products online. One of the main reasons people love to buy tech products from online products is the presence of superb sales and the convenience of buying products.
Online tech stores have special sales going on throughout the year. If you have to buy tech gear throughout the year, it’s good for you to identify when certain sales start to save your money when buying tech products.
6. Analyze the website
You must analyze an online tech store before you decide to buy any product from that store. Many people think that it can become difficult to analyze a store because they are not a “Nerd,” but the truth is that it’s quite effortless to check a website.
Start with checking the URL of a website. A trusted online store has “https://” in all its URLs which shows that the website complies with the security standards. Leading online tech stores also have certain seals that show their collaboration with leading online stores.
You can also visit the “About” section of a website to learn the backstory of the online store. Furthermore, you can also check the way products are listed on an online store, as it shows professionalism and the legitimacy of an online tech store.
7. You can trust affiliate platforms
No shortage of online platforms that sell products through affiliate programs. These stores don’t manufacture any products. Instead, they earn a small commission by selling a product marketed by another supplier.
You can trust affiliate platforms because they have a strict system of checks and balances in place. No affiliate platform wants to defame itself by promoting counterfeit affiliate products. Spend your time online checking different affiliate platforms to decide which one is the best for you.
8. Keep your passwords updated
A common mistake that most people make when shopping online is using the same account details everywhere. The problem is that if you are using the same credentials everywhere, a hacking attempt on any of the platforms can leak your important details.
There’s no telling when a cybersecurity attack might affect a website regardless of how secure the platform is. If you want to stay safe when shopping online, you should change your account details to ensure that you are safe from prying eyes.
9. Secure internet connection
Who doesn’t like the idea of using free internet in the coffee shop? The problem with public WiFi networks such as the one at your coffee shop is that hackers can easily find out your credit card details when you make any purchase from an online tech store.
Ensure that you use a private internet connection whenever you are shopping for a gadget online.
10. Buying software products
The SaaS industry has achieved new heights in recent years. People love to try out new software products coming out every week, as indie developers and established development houses from around the world have continued producing great software tools that help us get work done easily.
Buying software products online requires more attention than buying a gadget. If you end up buying a software product that steals all your data, you might end up losing your important information. Make sure that you only buy a software product developed by a team of trusted developers.
11. Buying new tech might not work
It’s almost a race when it comes to buying new tech gear. Gone are the days when tech products were available to certain audiences who had good money in their pockets. The development of ecommerce around the world has made it easier to buy any product you want from any part of the world.
However, buying a new gadget that has just entered the industry might not help you. The problem with new tech is that it’s not tested thoroughly at the launch time. You will end up worrying about returns and whatnot if you buy a defective product that’s just come out. Wait for a couple of months until users around the world test a gadget, so you buy a product that’s reliable for years to come.
12. Check the compatibility of tools
Tech tools are not compatible with each other most of the time. No matter how trusted a store is, if a product is not made for your devices, to begin with, it is not going to help you at all. Therefore, it’s important that you check the compatibility of a product before you buy it.
You can check the comments about a tech gadget to confirm its compatibility with your devices. In case you don’t find any relevant comments, you can ask the online tech store directly about the compatibility and the return policy of the product in case it isn’t compatible.
13. Consider buying refurbished products
What if you don’t have a ton of money to buy a new product? In such a case, you can go for refurb products sold on trusted online stores. You can easily find out some of the trusted online tech stores that sell trusted refurbished products.
14. Overcome your impulsive buying routine
One of the common problems that most people face when it comes to shopping for tech products online is impulsive shopping. Remember that you don’t need every single gadget in your backpack to get your work done. Spend your time reading about digital minimalism to build the habit of getting work done with basic tools – so you can get more done without spending a ton.
