Beware when buying in Internet sales boom

By Alex Davis - The Courier-Journal

There are 10 people on Fadden Holden’s holiday shopping list this year, but don’t look for the 28-year-old in any of the local malls.

With the same technique he uses for weddings and other special occasions, the east Louisville resident plans to buy his gifts on eBay, where he expects to find deals on sports memorabilia, magazine subscriptions and more.
  
“I’ve been using online shopping for a long time now,” said Holden, who will soon graduate from the University of Louisville with a master’s degree in mathematics. “It reduces your search costs.”

A growing number of shoppers are getting that same idea — even as a recent Better Business Bureau survey found that six in 10 of those who buy online acknowledge being anxious that their credit card information might be stolen during a transaction.

“Fears over the use and safety of personal information, including credit card numbers, telephone numbers, and home and e-mail addresses, are the main reasons online shoppers second-guess their decisions when making online purchases,” said Charlie Mattingly, president of the BBB serving Louisville, Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky.

Yet, online holiday spending in November topped $10.7 billion through Monday, a 17 percent gain from a year ago, according to comScore, which tracks online consumer trends.

And that number is expected to get a big boost Dec. 10 — that’s Green Monday, which falls on the second Monday of December, and is considered the last safe day to ensure shipping by Christmas!

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