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Can we trust The Chemical Bookstore?

There are so many business websites out there selling all sorts of things that I know it has to be bewildering to potential customers. It's not like going to the mall and seeing products on the shelves and having a chance to pick them up, even test them out a little before purchasing. You have to go by pictures and written descriptions and the assurances of the merchant. If you're not familiar with their other products or their track record or the feelings of past customers, then that may not seem like enough information to make an informed purchase.

From our standpoint as a business we do everything we can to make our products and our company accessible. This includes lots of samples and description, free downloads of demos, and articles in use in the media. We also make sure that it's clear who we are and how to get hold of us. In addition to putting our phone number and a contact email on our website, we also have links to background information on the company. We've even got photos and bios of the owner on the site. Perhaps most importantly, we include a lot of dynamic content on our main page, regularly adding articles and features with a personal touch so that visitors get a feel for the company and what we're doing and so they can tell that we're active and responsive.

All of this was still not enough for the customer who emailed me. Or maybe because she was inexperienced she just didn't know the signs to look for to reassure herself that we were alive, legit and eager to serve. What she seemed to be looking for was the confidence that comes from a name brand. We're in an industry where what we produce is specialised and taken for granted at the same time.

But is the assurance of a name brand website all that real? For example, she asked whether our products are carried on eBay. As it turns out some are carried there. But is it really the assurance she thinks it is? Items on eBay are often listed by private sellers or by companies selling someone else's products, so when you buy them you're not really dealing with eBay or even the original source. At best you're dealing with the same source you'd find at a company website. At worst you're dealing with an authorized agent or some private reseller with no real guarantee of reliability. The plus for eBay is that their rating system is a pretty solid indicator of reliability. If a merchant has a lot of feedback ratings with an overwhelming number of positives - like our 500+ feedbacks and 99% rating - then you've got something you can actually measure and rely on. The eBay rating system can be very helpful, but most companies aren't represented directly there, so it isn't really a useful research tool in most cases. Fewer are aware that an awful lot of the products on Amazon are listed in a basically similar way, either from the stores of private resellers or secondary marketers, or direct from the stock of publishers and manufacturers.

One of the best indicators of company reliability which many consumers aren't aware of, but which anyone can access, is the online history of a company website. You don't want to get involved with an absolutely brand new company whose site just went online unless you have some other assurances of reliability. You also want to avoid companies which seem to be innactive and haven't updated their website in a while.

Finally, sites you plan to do business with should have the features I mentioned having earlier. They ought to have an email link and a phone number and probably a fax number. Don't hesitate to call them, even if it's only for general information and the assurance that there's a real person somewhere behind the web presence. We get quite a few calls like that and it's never a bother to chat with potential customers.

As a rule, the more unique information you can find on a site and the more personal their presentation of their products is, the more likely they are to know what they're doing and be responsive to customer needs. Also look for things like a Frequently Asked Questions file and even their return policy - which may be in their ordering section. And obviously, make sure their shopping cart is secure before you provide any personal information.

Nothing guarantees risk-free online commerce, but it's actually a lot safer than you realise. You should always make your purchases with a credit card for the best protection. We only accept payments through Paypal. Data encryption is really very effective and statistics show that your chance of credit card theft is enormously higher in a typical retail store than it is online. Your ultimate protection is that you can always dispute credit card charges if there's a problem and no matter how badly things go, if you use a credit card you're never at risk for more than £50 even in the unlikely event that your card number gets stolen.

So don't worry too much. Go forth and be a confident web consumer.