Online shopping can save you money, not just in terms of the gas you save by shopping from home.

There are some serious mistakes you could make that cost you big bucks though. Outright scams aside, there are simple mistakes online shoppers can easily avoid.

Each one of the items on this list is a potential online shopping pitfall that leave you open for scams, identity theft, and just plainly paying too much for your purchases.

Have you ever committed any of them?

1. Not checking whether you are on a secured website: look at the address bar to see whether it says “https://”. Online stores should also have a little yellow lock meaning the website is encrypted.
2. Checking for the “Verisign” approval: If you have never bought from a site before, the Verisign link will tell you if the site is verified as secure.
3. Not using secure payment methods: the safest way to pay online is either using a credit card or Pay Pal. For added protection, you can use temporary credit cards, password protected cards, or virtual credit cards.
4. Not protecting your bank account: Similar to point 3, you can use a firewall bank account.
5. Not checking if the merchant is an authorized reseller: you can use a find a Cartier watch on Overstock.com, but by checking the Cartier website first you will see Overstock.com is not an authorized reseller. Another way to tell there is something fishy going on is by checking the warranty on the item: Overstock offers its own three year warranty on the Cartier watch, but makes no mention of Cartier’s own unlimited warranty.
6. Assuming your security software is protecting you: Frequently update your spyware, anti-virus, and ad ware software to keep it effective.
7. Accessing an account through an email link: many phishing scams send emails asking you to update your account information. This applies mostly to online banking but also services like Pay Pal.
8. Buying into deals that are just too tempting: if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. You are either being scammed for your money, or you are being sold counterfeit products.
9. Contacting a seller before ordering: if you cannot order through the shopping site, head for the exit.
10. Wiring money to pay for purchases: con artists often ask buyers to bypass usual online payment methods. Using a credit card or Pay Pal protects you from fraud. Never wire money directly.
11. Using merchants without a rating: think twice before using a new merchant. Although all businesses have to start somewhere, you are running a bigger risk with a new, unknown, seller than a large company such as Amazon.
12. Paying for shipping: with so many “free shipping” options available, you shouldn’t have to pay for shipping for most items. In some cases you will pay more for shipping than the item itself costs.
13. Signing up for ‘perks’: while you are checking out, you may be offered a “$10 discount coupon” from a partner site. Once you click through and sign up, you may be charged a monthly fee, or worse.Not reading the fine-print: without reading the fine print you could be locked into subscriptions you cannot cancel or end up giving away personal information that will be shared. For example, personalized gift creator Cafepress states in its fine print that it may share your personal information with third parties. This is very bad news, and a reason to stay away.
14. Signing up for “free” stuff: did you ever see a website willing to give you a free laptop or iPod? Chances are you will be asked for a ton of personal information, you have to ‘take advantage’ of 5 ’special offers’ (which cost you money), and get five of your friends to do the same (which causes you to lose friends). Don’t even bother with these so-called “offers.”
15. Buying from auctions: although you can get a lot of ‘deals’ on EBay, you are also at risk of buying counterfeit products, or bogus products that the seller never intends to send you. If you buy from auctions, only use top-rated sellers, and avoid buying brand name goods listed as “new”, but at a fraction of the retail price. The chances that these are counterfeit are basically 100%. Again, when it sounds too good to be true, it is.
16. Not shopping around: just because something seems like a good offer, it doesn’t mean it is the best offer you can get. Look at whether you are charged shipping and handling and taxes. Calculate the total price, and compare among different vendors.
17. Not using coupons/discount codes: a simple Google search, or browsing Promotional Codes can save you money on whatever you are buying online.
18. Not using ‘deal-sites’: There are a variety of websites that are out there to help you find a deal. Here is a list of some of them, and here are some more. Be careful to make sure you are dealing with an authorized reseller for the item you are buying.
19. Using the same user names and passwords: there are an astonishing number of people who use the same user names and passwords for shopping accounts and online bank accounts. Use different login information for, ideally, all your accounts to protect yourself better from theft.
20. Staying logged-in: if you are a customer at an online store, log out and delete your cookies. Go back to the store and see whether they are offering new customers a a better deal than existing customers. Keeping you logged into a store also enables any other users of your computer (whether authorized or not) to shop online with your credit card information.
21. Storing financial information on websites or on your hard drive: never allow a website to ’store your credit card information’ for ‘future use.’ Never store your financial info on your computer either. Hackers could mine your hard drive and commit identity theft.
22. Believing bogus reviews: even top retailers such as Amazon have been subjected to bogus reviews. Look for items that have a lot of reviews if you are unsure, and don’t believe the ones that sound dishonest, or too good to be true.
23. Not checking for offline deals: found a great online? Check with a local store how much the item costs there. Some stores will match competitor’s prices (this can save you shipping!) or will actually drop the price by 5-10% more than the competitor’s price. You don’t have to leave your house to do this, check your local retailers website or call the store.
24. Not complaining: if there is something wrong with your order, always complain. Businesses want to keep a good reputation with the Better Business Bureau and a complaint can go a long way. For example, Amazon usually issues a refund to consumers who complain to the BBB about shipping delays.
25. Not checking the return policy: look at the terms of service or FAQ for the return policy. Particularly look for who is responsible for shipping charges when returning and item, and whether you are issued a full refund or just a store-credit. A lot of large retailers who also have brick-and-mortar stores allow for returns in the store, some do not.
26. Not reading the terms of service: some stores only have fine print at the end of the check-out process, while others make you check a box declaring you agree with the ‘terms of service’. Don’t just check the box without reading it! As mentioned above, some retailers mention in their TOS that they may share (sell?) your personal information with others. It also explains how returns or refunds are handled and contains information about price-matching or shipping and delivery.
27. Not asking if there are service charges, or activation fees: particularly with services, such as mobile phones, you may think you are getting a free phone for signing up for a service. Only to find out you are being charged all sorts of activation or upgrade fees. When buying, ask if there are any other fees and preferably get the answer in writing. Usually these charges are also outlined in the Terms of Service.
28. Not looking for a privacy policy: Just because there are terms of service, it doesn’t mean a company has a privacy policy. If a company doesn’t, don’t give them your personal information. You may save a few dollars on your purchase, but it could cost you big-time if the company is sloppy with your personal information.

If you are doing the selling:

29. Bogus payments: if you are selling an item, and someone send you a cheque for a much larger amount than the item cost, then asks you to send the difference back it is a guaranteed sign you are being scammed. These cheques are bogus, and don’t send either item or money before you check with your bank whether the payment has cleared. I’ll bet you none of these cases end in funds actually clearing. With an average loss of over $4.000, this is a huge problem a lot of people are not aware of.

Thsi week’s new discount codes: