The growing popularity of the internet has been a wonderful thing for independent designers and buyers alike. There are hundreds of great little shops on the internet, full of indie treasures just waiting to be discovered!

But with so many small, virtually unknown businesses on the internet today, how can you tell which ones are reputable, and which are not? Ask yourself these questions, and you'll be on the right track!

Is the design clean and professional? An attractive website is a good indicator that the business is run professionally. What is your first impression when you visit the site? Is it visually pleasing? Is it well-organized? Does it make you want to shop?

First impressions of a professional site:

* Clean, uncluttered pages * Simple, clear fonts * Concise, professional language * Attractive, professional graphics and product photos * Complete, detailed product descriptions

Can you easily locate important information about the company? Any reputable company will make their policies clear and easy to find. From the home page, you should be able to locate contact information, ordering, payment, shipping, return and privacy policies within seconds. Ideally, there are links to this information from all pages.

Be sure to read these policies carefully. After reading them, you should be able to answer these questions:

* How soon will your order be processed? * How will your payment be processed? * Will your credit card be billed when you order, or when your item is shipped? * When will your order be shipped? * How will your order be shipped? * How can you return your item if there is a problem? * How long do you have to return your item? * Will your personal information be kept confidential?

Can you easily find what you're looking for? If you are looking for a specific kind of item, can you find it (or find that they don't have it) quickly? A good site will have a consistent navigation structure. Look for these features:

* Navigation is easily located (preferably in the same place on eac

h page) * Font is clear and easy to read * Descriptive categories and subcategories that make it convenient to find specific items * Each page has a link back to the home page * Each page has a link to shopping cart/checkout * Each page has a link to contact the company with questions

Is the payment area secure? Never enter your personal information or credit card information without checking that the shopping cart pages are secure. The address of a secure page will start with https://. Never email sensitive personal or credit card information.

Still not sure? Take the time to look for and read the "About Us" page. It will tell you a lot about the people behind the website. Do they seem like people you would want to do business with?

The site looks great, all of the important information is available, you found just what you were looking for, and the price is right. But you're still not sure if you want to fork over your hard-earned money to a business you've never heard of before. What can you do?

Contact the designer by email or phone. Introduce yourself and ask any questions you have. Chances are that any remaining doubts will be erased by the response that you receive. Independent desgners are, as a rule, very friendly people who greatly appreciate your interest in their work.

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