ABS & @_.e@ " e387 S ot 8 soeee (NAPS)—If you want to trim your holiday budget this year and the time you spend shopping, one gift you may give yourself is the luxury of shopping online. As you take advantage ofthe holiday offerings found on the Web, however, here are a few things to keep in mind: Use a Comparison-Shopping Service. Even if you know what you want to buy, sites that offer a comparison-shopping service can speed up the shopping process and help you save money. A comparison shopping site can quickly browse through the thousands of stores open for business on the Web and find the one that Comparison sites can help you find deals Santa might be proud of. blanket policy that covers all of your purchases. Federal law requires that your credit card company cannot hold you liahle product returns. You can alleviate these concerns with some research: * Cheek each store’s site for their shipping policies and prices, so you won't exceed your budget. fiven if the gifts you choose might be in your price range, excessive shipping costs might empty your wallet. Read through each store’s return policy, making sure it’s easy to send back duplicate toys or exchange a shirt for a different size. Each store may have a unique policy for returning items. Some only exchange for store credit and some may only refund the preduct’s purchase price but not refund the cost of shipping. vidual company may have even better or extended policies. Check the agreement for each of your cards and see how much protection you have. Check Return Policies & Shipping Prices: Two of the biggest concerns about shopping locations, they may let you save the return shipping and exchange a Web present at your neighborhood outlet. if you keep these points in mind, buying online can help you make the most of your shopping dollar, no matter what vour bud- has what you’re shopping for at the best price. Comparison sites hke Deal- Time (www.dealtime.com) give you aecess to stores across the country to help you find the best deal. Protect Yourself with a Credit Card: Familiarize yourself with your credit card company’s fraud policy. Different stores will have different policies about protecting you from consumer fraud, but your credit card issuer will have one standard, for rnore than $30, and your indi- online are shipping costs and Also, if an online store has offline get maybe.
