Tips for shopping on Cyber Monday

With an increase in the use of the internet for shopping, the lines between Black Friday and Cyber Monday are blurring. However, my biggest Black Friday shopping recommendation, compare prices, also applies to Cyber Monday.

Even though e-commerce is now part of everyday lives and much of the holiday shopping season, Cyber Monday –- a term coined back in 2005 by the National Retail Federation –- continues to be the biggest online shopping day of the year, thanks to the deals and the hype the industry has created to fuel it, according to CBS News. Consumers are expected to spend between $12 billion and $12.4 billion on Monday, making it the biggest online shopping day of all time.

Tips for Cyber Monday – in addition to continually comparing prices – are:

Make a list. You don’t want to get caught up in the excitement of online sales and spend too much.

Use your credit card. If you use your credit card and you’ve made a big mistake, your credit card company can sometimes help you. Not true with your debit card. With your debit card, the money is gone.

Ask for details. Find out if the website will price match and what the return policy is. Online store policies may change for Cyber Monday offers. In addition, write down the time limit for returns. Two weeks can slip by really fast.

Use a price comparison tool. One example is PriceGrabber.

Don’t buy impulse mediocre products. For example, don’t buy an off brand TV. They can be offered for get you to the website and they could be a lower-quality purchase you’ll regret.

Download retailer apps. You can find out about extras savings and deals.

Check Consumer Reports’ website. It lists products it’s tested that are on sale for Cyber Monday.

Review shipping policies and fees. Look for free shipping because many retailers offer it on Cyber Monday even if they don’t at other times of the year.

Watch out for false advertising and phony websites. Really low prices are a red flag. Scammers create lookalike websites to pretend to be well-known retailers.

Use coupons, if you can. Getting 20 percent or more off is always good.

Watch out for phishing scams. Carefully scrutinize any unsolicited emails, texts, calls, or letters. They may say you have a gift waiting for you or there’s a problem with delivery. Ignore suspicious items and calls from unfamiliar phone numbers.

Good luck with your Cyber Monday shopping. I’m still shopping for an electric coil-top kitchen stove. It’s discouraging because not many are made anymore, with people switching to those awful glass top stoves, so the quality isn’t very good.