Because it is more convenient than heading to the mall, many people choose to shop online. The act of making a purchase directly from a website is known as “making a direct buy.” Although the idea seems simple enough, there are a few direct buy pitfalls you should know about before hitting the web with your credit card and personal information.

For a positive shopping experience free of direct buy scams, never make a purchase from an online retailer you are not familiar with. Ordering a product from a national chain with brick and mortar stores is much safer than placing an order with a company you have never heard of. If you must make a purchase from an unknown vendor, do some research about them first. A simple web search for customer reviews of the company should provide a wealth of direct buy complaints if the company is disreputable.

You can further protect yourself by remembering that a price that looks too good to be true is probably a scam. Many online scammers advertise merchandise at very low prices to attract buyers. Though their site may look like a legitimate retail store, it is really designed to steal your credit card number and other personal information. These merchants won’t ship your merchandise to you. You can, however, expect an identity theft problem from them.

If you heed these warnings and exercise a bit of caution, you can be confidently shopping on the web in no time.