(This is part of Take Charge of Your Money , a partnership between INQUIRER.net and Citibank to help readers handle their personal finances well.)

Question: Christmas is just a few weeks away and I haven't done any shopping! I have to admit the thought of elbowing my way in department stores and malls makes me dizzy. I am considering an easy way to shop right in the comfort of my home: online shopping. My friends recommend it but I wonder if it is safe. What precautions should I take? – Nap Y.

Thanks to the blossoming of e-commerce on the Internet, a lot of goods and services otherwise available in real shops are also available for orders online. You can order food, clothes, shoes, bags, sports items, books, flowers, cakes, home items, antiques, software, cellphones, and more with just a click of the mouse. And if you can’t decide what to buy for someone, you can even order gift certificates or donate to charities online in his name.

The beauty of shopping online is you can do it anytime, anywhere as long as you have Internet connection. No more waiting for the mall to open, no more racing to get a parking spot, no more lugging around huge and heavy shopping bags in a kilometer-long mall. It’s also easy to compare prices by just hopping from one website to another. Once you order online, you can also have your items delivered, and in some cases, gift-wrapped and delivered to the person you’re giving the gift too. If you’re based abroad, you may even place an order to have your gift delivered to an address in the Philippines.

Many Filipinos have already discovered the ease and pleasure of shopping online. There are generally two ways to shop online: order from websites that sell products or offer gifts such as amazon.com for books or regaloservice.com, or bid for products up for auction in sites like ebay.ph.

Here’s a simple guide on how to shop online and do it safely:

1. Browse and transact with established websites. In the same way that you would go to a store with a good reputation, patronize websites that are known to be reliable and, as much as possible, have a physical address they indicate in the site. Ask friends for referrals, and check the “About Us” portion of each website. Some sites have feedback mechanisms; check the feedback from customers.
2. Read the fine print for directions on ordering or bidding. Once you have chosen an item, find out how you can place your order or bid. Then do so only when you have the intent to really buy the item once the order is confirmed or you have won the bidding.
3. Read the vendor’s policy on returns, refunds and cancellations. For gadgets and software, see if the vendor offers after-sales support and warranty.
4. Before placing an order or bid, check if the website is secure. Look for a padlock icon on the lower right hand corner of your screen. Check the web address to see if it begins with “https” rather than “http.” These safeguards ensure that your transactions will not be seen by hackers except for the vendor. Give your correct billing address and delivery address and go over it to check for typographical errors before sending the information.
5. Once you have made your order, the vendor should confirm your order by e-mail. Print this out. If you made a bid on an auction site, monitor the auction in the coming days. If you have won, the seller should contact you by e-mail. Print this out as well. Do not click attachments ending with “.exe” though. This may be a virus as vendors would not send you a program by e-mail.
6. Pay for the item and cost of delivery. In some sites, credit card payments are the norm. Others run by young entrepreneurs require bank deposits, mobile wallet payments and cash on delivery. Credit card payments may be the best alternative as you can avail of the card company’s help if the product is defective and you need to get a refund, and you can be assured that your payment will reach the vendor safely. You can also file a dispute if you have been charged incorrectly. Print out a copy of your payment record.
7. Once the items are delivered to you or your designated recipient, see if they are in good condition as promised. If not, contact the vendor.
8. Leave feedback on the website for the benefit of other would-be online shoppers. Comment on whether the goods arrived on time as promised and in good condition.

A note about credit card payments: You will only have to input your credit card number and expiry. Be wary if you are asked to provide your Social Security number or your mother’s maiden name.

In case your instincts tell you something’s off, don’t continue with your transaction. Trust your instincts.

(INQUIRER.net and Citibank invite readers to ask questions regarding financial matters. Send your questions to personal_finance@inquirer.net or comment through our personal finance blog called MoneySmarts )

*Disclaimer: Readers are solely responsible for their own investment decisions and should thus conduct their own research and due diligence and obtain professional advice. INQUIRER.net will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by a reader's reliance on information obtained from our web site. INQUIRER.net receives no compensation of any kind from companies or industries or funds that are mentioned here.

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