Online Shopping and Returns: What Italian Law Says

The problem with online shopping is never the first time. It's the twentieth. The first twenty times everything goes smoothly, you convince yourself the risk is exaggerated, you let your guard down. On the twenty-first, you get swindled, and the worst part is that, judging calmly, all the signs were there, from the language of the ad to the requested payment method.

If you buy something that needs to be shipped, tracked shipping is your best friend. Not so much because it shows you where the package is, but because it gives you objective proof if it arrives empty or doesn't arrive at all. Refusing to ship with tracking is a small sign that something isn't right.

One of the most annoying things about online shopping is that when something goes wrong, you often don't even know who to blame. The platform says it's a problem between users, the seller has deleted their profile, the bank sends you a form to fill out. If you don't have a written contract and a cleanly traceable payment, you're left in the middle with no one to turn to.

A common mistake is showing the PIN code during negotiations, maybe "just to show it's real." Once exposed, you no longer have control over it: anyone who saw that screen could have copied it. If you absolutely must show the card, show the graphical part and the non-redeemable number, never the full code.

A mental test I always recommend is asking yourself: if this transaction went wrong, would I have the economic and psychological strength to move on as if nothing happened? If the answer is no, then that item or ticket is too important to be left to the good graces of a stranger. You need tools that truly protect you, not just trust.

Reviews are useful but should be read like a novel: pay attention to the rhythm, the language, the dates. A profile with fifty five-star reviews all written in the same month is much less impressive than one with twenty reviews, two of which are a bit off, but spread over a couple of years.

There are no serious shortcuts, unfortunately. The only things that truly work, after years of collecting stories, are calm in evaluating the other party, a payment method with real protection, and a written record of everything that was said.