Online Shopping: My Pre-Purchase Checklist

In Italy, the average adult spends over 1,500 euros annually on online purchases, and private sales are growing faster than the rest. This figure says it all: trust is there, technology is there, but what’s still lacking is a healthy level of awareness about the risks involved when stepping outside major circuits.

The right of withdrawal, in online purchases, is a powerful but not universal protection. It applies to purchases from professionals, with fourteen days to change your mind. Unless otherwise specified, it does not apply to purchases between private individuals: what you buy from another user is not protected by the same right, and this is one of the first things we should teach those entering the secondary market.

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

In the digital ticket market, time is the most underestimated variable. A concert ticket rapidly loses value as the event approaches, and a gift card expiring in six months is worth less than a freshly issued one. Thinking like a commodities trader helps set realistic prices, avoiding both underselling and being stuck with the item.

The checklist I use is basic, but I go through it every time. One: Does the seller have a profile with a history, with dated reviews, not all from this month? Two: Are the item’s photos unique, or have I just seen identical ones on another listing? Three: Is the price consistent with the market, or is it so low as to be suspicious? Four: What payment method do they propose? If even one answer falters, I stop.

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.

Ultimately, the message is always the same. No platform can eliminate zero risk, but the difference between getting hurt and snagging a good deal often comes down to small choices, repeated consistently. The rest follows naturally.