----------------------------------- Tony Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:32 pm Online shopping ----------------------------------- I've been wondering how you guys (especially those still in high school) go about online purchases. I didn't have my first creditcard until 1st year University, after I've gotten a decent paying co-op job. But now it makes more sense to buy more things online at a younger age (Steam's holiday game sales, Amazon, etc.). So what do you guys do? - open CC sooner (am no longer familiar with current Canadian rules) - borrow a card (or ask to complete a purchase) from parents / older siblings - loading money into a PayPal account and using that as a de facto CC (works for some but not all merchants) - something else? Edit: not spending any money online is also a valid response. ----------------------------------- jcollins1991 Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:44 pm Re: Online shopping ----------------------------------- Not spending money online (though I've considered using PayPal)... Anything I need can be bought IRL, and I'd rather see stuff before buying it, plus having a physical location to return items to is easier usually... ----------------------------------- Insectoid Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:49 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I still don't have a credit card. I don't often make online purchases, unless the alternative is flying to the UK. When I do, I borrow my parents' card(s) and pay them back. ----------------------------------- ProgrammingFun Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:07 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I make several online purchases tho they are usually for the whole family...so I just use my dad's credit card...even if its for me... I have also used PayPal... BTW, is buying one of those prepaid Visa or MasterCards also an option? (never actually tried that but some of my friends have...) ----------------------------------- Tony Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:20 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- Thx for the responses so far. I've spend 2/3 of this year in Seattle and been buying _everything_ (including groceries) from Amazon... so my view on online shopping might be somewhat warped. The prepaid VISA cards seem to be somewhat common in the States, but I don't recall seeing those available in Canada. It'd be interesting to know if those are available here as well (to what extend?) and if anyone actually uses them (and how?). There are activation fees, monthly fees (typically after 12 months), and it's really hard to get the last few dollars of the remaining amount; unless you know the exact amount and the merchant allows you to split payment methods. Still a viable option though. ----------------------------------- TerranceN Wed Dec 22, 2010 10:08 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- My mom lets me use her card, and I just pay her back. Also, speaking of the steam holiday sale, I bought Battlefield bad company 2 for $7! And both deus ex games for $3! Amazing deals. It really makes me wonder why I ever payed $60 for new games. ----------------------------------- DemonWasp Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:32 am RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- Typically, I pay my dad back for things purchased on his credit card. This is still the policy for large purchases as for whatever reason I can't raise my limit, despite my stellar credit record. ----------------------------------- Zren Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:13 am RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I got my card specifically to use online. I had a job though when I first got it. Totally missed out on the beta of Mount&Blade thought. :/ Oh well, I got it on steam later. :] Didn't really have a choice since my parent was slightly technophobish. ----------------------------------- ProgrammingFun Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:05 am Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- The prepaid VISA cards seem to be somewhat common in the States, but I don't recall seeing those available in Canada. It'd be interesting to know if those are available here as well (to what extend?) and if anyone actually uses them (and how?).They are sold at grocery stores in Canada as well too... ----------------------------------- DtY Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:42 am RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I use Paypal, which I load from my banking account. Apparently you can't do that if you're under 18, but when I signed up to Paypal, I probably told them I was 18. Before that, I've used a parent's credit card. ----------------------------------- z_cross_fire Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:51 pm Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- The prepaid VISA cards seem to be somewhat common in the States, but I don't recall seeing those available in Canada. It'd be interesting to know if those are available here as well (to what extend?) and if anyone actually uses them (and how?).They are sold at grocery stores in Canada as well too... Yup. I have seen them in values of $25, 50, 100, 150, 200 at Shoppers Drug Mart and Zellers. ----------------------------------- Tony Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:57 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- @ProgrammingFun, @z_cross_fire: thx, I'll check those out. Curious what kind of ToU they have here. Do you guys know of any peers actually using those though? @DtY: neat. How often do you run into situations where PayPal is not accepted (e.g. Amazon)? ----------------------------------- ProgrammingFun Thu Dec 23, 2010 4:04 pm Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- @ProgrammingFun, @z_cross_fire: thx, I'll check those out. Curious what kind of ToU they have here. Do you guys know of any peers actually using those though?Yes...I had one friend try to sell me one worth $1.95 the other day because he had used the rest and couldn't find anything worth exactly the remainder :lol: ----------------------------------- RandomLetters Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:03 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- You can buy groceries from Amazon??? lol AFAIK Banks wont give you a credit card unless you have income. Few highschoolers probably have a reliable and steady source of income, plus, I believe you need to be 18. I wanted to get a prepaid credit card, but it seemed useless turning cash into a more limited form of cash. I just dont buy stuff online, mostly because shipping fees make it more expensive, and I dont enjoy waiting 6 weeks for something that is less expensive. ----------------------------------- z_cross_fire Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:26 pm Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- @ProgrammingFun, @z_cross_fire: thx, I'll check those out. Curious what kind of ToU they have here. Do you guys know of any peers actually using those though? I have never heard of anyone I know using it, but I was planning to use one to pay for OUAC. I ended up using a credit card instead, because of the activation fees involved with prepaid Visa. You can buy groceries from Amazon??? lol Yea, I did not believe it at first -- but then I confirmed it by visiting amazon.com Although, I had visited it many times before, I had never noticed it too. ----------------------------------- Tony Sat Dec 25, 2010 12:49 am RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- There is some non-perishable food on Amazon.com and perishable stuff on http://fresh.amazon.com/ -- although they deliver just in the Seattle area. I just dont buy stuff online, mostly because shipping fees make it more expensive, and I dont enjoy waiting 6 weeks for something that is less expensive. I find that many places are competitively priced, even with delivery fees (and 2 days shipping). Though all of that aside, how about virtual/digital goods (Steam, iTunes, etc.)? ----------------------------------- ProgrammingFun Sat Dec 25, 2010 9:29 am RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I would buy games online (download-able) because this eliminates the 15% eco-fee on games...thus making it cheaper...and no shipping fees either (I have never actually used Steam tho)... ----------------------------------- DemonWasp Sat Dec 25, 2010 12:55 pm Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I have never actually used Steam tho... You are missing out. ----------------------------------- ProgrammingFun Sat Dec 25, 2010 1:20 pm Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I have never actually used Steam tho... You are missing out.I guess...I only made an account about a month ago...and that was only for the wishlist event they were holding :wink: :lol: ----------------------------------- ProgrammingFun Sun Dec 26, 2010 8:54 pm Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I have never actually used Steam tho... You are missing out.I just used it today :lol: ....to buy BFBC2 for $6.85 USD ($6.90 CAD) ----------------------------------- JessHessing1989 Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:43 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I don't trust online shopping ----------------------------------- Tony Sun Mar 20, 2011 11:27 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- Interesting. Is there something in particular you don't trust? And how does that compare to using credit-cards at other places (at a store or a restaurant)? ----------------------------------- Brightguy Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:41 am Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- for whatever reason I can't raise my limit, despite my stellar credit record. Maybe it's because of that. If you never pay any interest on your credit card, what's their incentive to raise your limit? Larry Smith in ECON 102 describes an experiment in which he took out a credit card where the bank knew nothing about him. Without ever asking for a higher limit he was able to get it high enough to pay for vacations. He jokes he has determined the exact "sequence" of full bill payments to get the bank to raise his limit. EDIT: I should add his disclaimer that it's stupid and he can stop anytime he wants. ----------------------------------- DemonWasp Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:17 am Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- ...Maybe it's because of that. ... I later determined that I can't raise my limit as my bank's student accounts are fettered to a very low limit. This hasn't stopped them from calling me to raise it repeatedly, only to discover "oh, you're still a student?" and back off, telling me "oh sorry we can't raise your limit if you're still a student". I could have a trillion dollars in the account, but if I'm a student, I can't be relied on to pay off more than $1000. ----------------------------------- Amailer Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:24 pm Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- ...Maybe it's because of that. ... I later determined that I can't raise my limit as my bank's student accounts are fettered to a very low limit. This hasn't stopped them from calling me to raise it repeatedly, only to discover "oh, you're still a student?" and back off, telling me "oh sorry we can't raise your limit if you're still a student". I could have a trillion dollars in the account, but if I'm a student, I can't be relied on to pay off more than $1000. Not necessarily true, if you are being rejected repeatedly and you have a good bank balance they allow you to put a security amount (for w/e your limit is) on lock. This way even if you are a student they should increase your limit. I think it takes a year for that amount to get unlocked. As for online shopping, I am okay with it however I don't feel comfortable buying non-digital products online, unless of course there is a discount/deal :D ----------------------------------- Tony Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:42 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- The problem with secure credit-cards is that you'd need to have 2x limit available to you in cash. One part to actually establish the security, and another to pay off the "credit". Since all of that money is available to you already anyway, the utility value of secure-cc transactions is questionable. Although some argue that you're essentially buying yourself a credit rating through fees/interest/etc. ----------------------------------- Dan Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:29 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I have the same issue with my bank and credit card as DemonWasp. As i am a student they will not let me change the limit to anything above $1000, even just temporally to buy an expensive item. They also refuse to recognize being a teaching assignment as a job or to consider the income of a spouse (they also will not let you add a spouse to a student card). Also I don't seem to be able to put any kind of security down to increase the limit as Amailer described. However I have found a trick for getting around this issue if you need to buy something that is over your limit and you have the cash in your bank account. My bank's online interface will allow me to over pay my credit card so my balance will show up as a negative number. I can then buy things with the credit card that cost more then my limit so long as it costs less then my limit + the extra money i over paid. This does however seem to some times set off some red flags at my bank and result in some phone calls but they have never seemed to have an issue with it after I explained what I am doing. I don't trust online shopping In many ways online shopping can be safer then using a credit card in real life. In real life you just hand over your credit card to a random employee who may go off into the back of the store and do something you can't see with your card. Online shopping works much the same way (some kind of processing goes on with your card you can't see) but it leaves the better trail of evidence behind. Also using TLS on websites to process credit card info ensures that only the owner of the certificate can view your order (unlike in real life where bystanders can look over your shoulder). The key is using some level of common sense when shopping online and being educated about things like phishing attacks and X.509 certificates. ----------------------------------- 2goto1 Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:49 pm RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- I agree with Dan, as long as a site is using SSL / TLS for the entire checkout process you should be good. That and as long as you're making purchases from a computer riddled with spyware/malware that you got off random bittorrent links. Oh that and also that you're using an online store that is known by others and isn't some fly by night that you want to purchase from just because their prices are incredible - very easy to setup a fake store...just basic stuff to be aware of. On credit card limits, low credit card limits are better for you when borrowing money for a mortgage. When applying for a mortgage at some point in your future, your lender will consider your credit card limits, lines of credit limits, etc., in determining what mortgage your are eligible for. Lenders don't care if all of your credit card and line of credit balances are $0. They always determine what your minimum payment would be if your loans were all maxed out, which could hurt you in terms of borrowing rates that you may be eligible for. Low limits also help to prevent you from being pound foolish. ----------------------------------- Amailer Mon Mar 21, 2011 4:41 pm Re: RE:Online shopping ----------------------------------- Although some argue that you're essentially buying yourself a credit rating through fees/interest/etc. Precisely why I got a credit card. I had gotten rejected from getting one the regular way because I had no credit rating.