Step 3: Research the Seller
Find out if other people are getting what they expected at www.resellerratings.com or go to Tom Martinos website www.troubleshooter.com and check the sleaze brigade and the referral list. If you cant find any information on a company, stay away! Lots of them change their names to hide from their bad reputations. Find a company with a good, long and consistent track record. Its often not worth the hassle to save $10 with a scummy company.
If you think its a waste of time researching companies, read some of these reviews
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2046.html
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller709.html
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1556.html
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller3357.html
Common Online Vendor Tricks and Scams
Product is incredibly cheap, when you go to place the order, shipping is outrageously high. At least you can back out. They hope youll go through with it anyway since you invested all that time filling out the forms.
Say product is in stock, you order it, and then they send you an email saying its out of stock. Then they make it VERY difficult or impossible to cancel your order. By law they have 30 days to ship it before they have to refund your money or you can charge it back! You might expect it in a week, but not get it for 5!
Product is very cheap, but what they send you is refurbished or has a warranty honored in another country, no warranty at all or is a fake!
Now that you have your reputable online vendor, you have to check their policies. This is very important - CHECK THE RETURN POLICY! Some places have a no returns policy. Others are just a few days long. If you are purchasing an expensive product, save a copy of the policy web page or print it out to have proof if you need it.

