As more people turn to online purchases to access a world of diversified products, shoppers gain enhanced value from the items they buy. Such shopping versatility can create a form of information overload, prompting some shoppers to abandon items in their virtual shopping carts while they consider their options. To encourage customers to finalize their purchases, some online stores have simplified the process by offering a single click buying option, and scammers have taken notice. Single click purchases cost more than you think
Single click purchasing options allow online shoppers the opportunity to make a purchase by clicking a single button. The process avoids placing items in a virtual shopping cart where customers have more time to back out of a purchase. Single click purchases can be convenient for shoppers who want to minimize the time it takes to buy items, but it could also lead to dramatically higher costs for those who might not read all of the details of what they’re buying.
Single click scammers prey on those who don’t examine the details of an item by lowering the cost of their wares significantly below the competition. A scammer will then increase shipping costs far above what it would take to transport the item, hoping an enthusiastic shopper won’t notice. When shoppers see the surprisingly low prices for the items they’re seeking, they might choose to quickly grab the deals before they’re gone without reading all of the details on the listing. The single button purchase option helps speed up this process. Later on, when shoppers receive their monthly banking statements, they’re shocked to see the dramatically higher costs of the items they ordered. That’s because they failed to see the inflated cost of shipping for the items before pressing the single click purchase button.
A virtual shopping cart allows a person to see the details of a purchase before finalizing a transaction. The price of the item, shipping expense, and taxes are calculated to form a bottom line cost that a shopper can evaluate before agreeing to a purchase. Think of a shopping cart as a “Are you sure you want to do this” button. It helps create a sort of cooling off period that gives a person extra time to think twice about whether or not making the purchase is the right decision. It also allows a person to see if the costs on screen are what that individual expects. Single click purchases cost more than you think
An additional benefit of using a shopping cart instead of a single click purchasing options is the reduced number of “I want it” purchases from kids and grandkids. If you lend a child your smartphone, tablet PC or other computing device, and the single click purchasing option is switched on, a child who sees an amazing item or app for sale could tap the purchase button to instantly make that desire a reality. Keeping the option switched off will make the purchase more difficult to execute and could prevent unexpected charges on your credit card statement.
Always take the extra time to evaluate a purchase before finalizing a deal. Never sign up for the single click purchasing option and always evaluate the details of a purchase, including shipping costs, before committing yourself to it.
By Rod Spurgeon
ownyourdefense.net
