Stay Safe When You Buy Advertising

You have probably heard, or discovered, that the Internet can be a den of thieves. Full of sites that will take your money and deliver nothing.

Nowhere is it more dangerous than when you buy advertising.

But there ARE ways you can protect yourself when you buy advertising.

Step 1 -- Check the site for current information, ownership, and contact information

No matter what resource you use, you must do your homework. This includes checking the site to see if the information is current.

If it isn't current, don't buy advertising from that site!

See if they offer a phone number or support center. It means they took time to set up a way for people to get support. Many sites offer email contact only. Send them an email, but remember to wait a few days for a response.

If you can't contact a site before you buy advertising, consider another source.

Step 2 -- Subscribe to the site's email list or ezine

If a site offers some form of email follow-up, or an ezine, subscribe to it to see what happens.

How a site follows up with visitors is an indication of how seriously the site owner takes their, and your, business.

It's never a good idea to buy advertising without subscribing to the ezine first.

Step 3 -- Look for testimonials

While testimonials can be faked, most thieves don't go to the trouble. Testimonials about any product you are going to buy are helpful, especially when you buy advertising.

If you find testimonials and there is a link to a site, follow it. It can be very helpful to see what products do well, before you buy advertising from that source.

If you don't see testimonials listed and still want some, ask the site owner. How, and when, they respond can tell you a lot about how they do business.

Step 4 -- Insure your payment with PayPal or a credit card

As of now, I really like PayPal for buying ads online. It offers a layer of protection that few other payment options provide.

While not everyone likes PayPal, they do offer more buyer protection than most online sites.

I hope you never pay for advertising that isn't run; but if you do, PayPal will protect you in most cases if you file a non-delivery report.

Step 5 -- Buy Advertising!

If after all this it feels right, it's time to make the purchase.

Here's what should happen:

In most cases you will make the payment before you give the site your ad copy You should get clear instructions via email about how to proceed Many advertising companies let you enter the ad on the thank you page so don't close your browser window too quickly! You will be responsible to provide the ad in the format the site or ezine accepts. You should receive a run date, or start date if you buy ads on a website, via email after your purchase.

If you need any details before you buy, simply contact the site owner or publisher. How they respond before you buy will be very telling about how they treat customers.

Step 6 -- Don't panic if you don't get an immediate response

The people who run websites are busy, get sick, have family emergencies, sometimes take vacations, and sometimes are just too tired to work -- just like you and me.

And just like most online businesses, sometimes their "thank you page" malfunctions and you can't place your ad or download what you bought. While this is bad, it's not necessarily a sign of a scam.

If you know the site is valid, contact them via email or their contact form, or call them.

If several days pass, send another message saying you will request a refund, then follow through if you don't hear back.

In the years I've been online, I've bought more products than I can count. I've also had extended periods of illness where I could not perform for my customers like I want to perform for them. Life happens.

What this has taught me is that not everyone is at the top of his or her game at all times, and patience is a virtue.

That said; if you don't get what you paid for, you have every right to get your money back, period.

No matter what you are buying online, you must take care to evaluate the merchant, as well as the offer. By doing a few minutes of basic due diligence, and following your common sense, you will be able to stay completely safe when you buy advertising.

And that is a very good thing indeed!