Shopping on classified ads is becoming increasingly popular.

This is because Classified ads offer you the opportunity to sell and buy good & services with ease.

However, it’s important to be mindful of how we shop, particularly how we put personal information out there

Here are a few tips to help you get through safe shopping on classified ads websites

Shop only where you can trust
It is important to do online business only with retailers/businesses you can trust. Trusted platforms like Delon.ng (which is Nigeria’s top classified ads website) offers a verified platform for its many sellers and you can be sure your personal information is safe and secure at all times. This personal information won’t be shared with any third party and all your information is stored securely as well



Check out Basic Site Security
Never ever, ever buy anything online using your personal debit or credit information from a site that doesn’t have a secure website encryption (lock). You will easily know if the site has a SSL (Secure sockets layer) because the URL for the site will start with HTTPS instead of just HTTP. An icon in the form of a locked padlock will display, typically to the left of the URL in the address bar. HTTPS is a standard protocol easily recognizable anywhere



Check out the Vendor/Business
Do you know you can thoroughly check out a business or a specific vendor before going ahead to do business? Particularly when it’s a vendor or merchant you have never done business with before. You can check out customer reviews, what do people say about the merchant? Do they have a social media following across several platforms such? You can even directly contact the business. If there is no email address, phone number or physical address for that matter that could be a big red flag



Beware of very low price offers
If a classified ads site offers something that looks good to be true, like extremely low prices or an endless supply of free stuff, then it probably is. You can check similar websites to compare prices and also check pictures and other info pertaining to the merchandise, as the business may not always have those items in stock. The website hosting such business may exist only to get your personal information



Do not overshare information
Beware of sharing too much information. Most websites would ask you for personal information including card details when registering or making payments. Only the required information should be shared wherever necessary

https://delon.ng/how-to-stay-safe-online-when-shopping-on-classified-ads/