Buying on line safetly?

The_Minister

Hello, This probably isn't the right forum, but I didn't see any more suitable one in Tech.
I have bought one thing on line so far, and that was with my parents credit card. I now want to buy some t-shirts from Café Press.com, but I'm not sure how. I don't want to get a credit card, because most of my friends who have one say that they are more hastle than they are worth.
What is the easiest and safest way of buying on line?

EDIT: And while we're at it, is CaféPress a safe website to buy from?

Ruu_Old

Cafepress is safe, I am not sure if they ship to Ireland though. If you don't want to risk a credit card then get a disposable one like a 3v voucher which works the same as a Visa card. I buy most stuff online (eBay, play.com, etc) and haven't been burned yet (touch wood).

The_Minister

A friend recently bought from cafepress, so I think they do ship to Ireland. Also this makes me think that they do. (That's not what I'm buying)

Where can I find out more about a 3V card? I'm a complete newbie at all of this (that's why I haven't subscribed to boards.)

Ruu_Old

Here ya go.

c - 13

www.3v.ie

Basically you top it up with "credit" like you would your phone, there is a €5 charge for every top up though IIRC.

Overheal

These things are great to use. Only forseeable downsides:

-maximum purchase is 350e (max per voucher thus max purchase)
-there is a 5e surcharge for taking out a voucher; and Ive been charged slightly extra before by Centra (how..?)
-Destroys age verification: parents beware. Serious: who wants their 12yr old looking at porn because he can sign up for a 3v card like *that*?
-Voucher expires after 2 months: don't use for subscriptions

I've bought 2 vouchers so far. They are accepted everywhere that takes a credit card (because its Visa) and can be used to setup a paypal account, etc.

The_Minister

Thanks guys, I think I'll try that.
Guess boards won't be getting a subscription from me after all.

Sam Vimes

credit cards are fantastic. i buy pretty much everything above ten euro on it. the cheapest thing i ever bought was a can of coke for 85c because i had no cash. they only become a problem if you don't pay them off at the end of the month.

i have no idea what the interest rate is on my credit card and i never intend to find out. if i can't afford it now, it's very unlikely i'll able to afford it + 20% or so in a month, so i won't buy it


and i buy stuff online all the time and its never been a problem. you just have to use your head and only give details to reputable websites or better yet, paypal

Overheal

credit cards are the devil: they are the number 1 cause of poverty in America; wether or not that reflects on the stupidity of most of us americans (or the other way around) I know not

nesf

Commander Vimes wrote:

they only become a problem if you don't pay them off at the end of the month.

Exactly, so long as you have the financial discipline to do this then there really isn't a problem (or, like me, you are paid monthly and simply pay off the CC bill when the pay-check comes in).

Ruu_Old

Also don't be an eejit going out to get another credit card to pay off the first one. Mine has a $500 limit on it and thats enough for me, paid off well in advance of the bill each month.

Dave!

I'll agree on the 3v voucher front! That's generally what I use for online purchases (although I'll be getting a laser card shortly). They expire a month or 2 after you buy them, so if you want to save the cash, register 2 paypal accounts: use the 3v voucher as your primary credit card on the first account, and send the money to the second account. It's safe then and doesn't expire (at least it hasn't in the months I've used this method). Most online shops accept paypal (although cafepress does not).

Overheal

^Ruu^ thats the USA problem: we(they...) dont have that golden law (passed last year or the year before) that stops those bastards from sending you pre-apporved credit cards/upping your credit limit without your consent: once you get your first part time job in the states you can expect to get credit cards every other week at the least.

The_Minister

Is it hard to get the money back if you have some left over?

Dave!

The_Minister wrote:

Is it hard to get the money back if you have some left over?

From the 3v vouchers? I've never done it, but AFAIK you have to ring them up and they send you out a cheque... More hastle than it's worth. Just don't buy too much more than you think you'll need. If you have any extra then just save it in PayPal or else buy somethin stupid off eBay.

Dunno how to get money back from PayPal.

Terry

Has anyone ever had trouble buying a 3v voucher?
I've only tried once, mainly because the places that sell them are not located near me.
Anyway, they told me there was a problem with my card or something and couldn't give me the voucher.

Blowfish

The_Minister wrote:

Hello, This probably isn't the right forum, but I didn't see any more suitable one in Tech.

This one, although its under biz.

Dave!

Terry wrote:

Has anyone ever had trouble buying a 3v voucher?
I've only tried once, mainly because the places that sell them are not located near me.
Anyway, they told me there was a problem with my card or something and couldn't give me the voucher.

I've never had any trouble with it... I don't know what problem you could have with your card tbh Might have been just the place you were buying it from.

nesf

Terry wrote:

Has anyone ever had trouble buying a 3v voucher?
I've only tried once, mainly because the places that sell them are not located near me.
Anyway, they told me there was a problem with my card or something and couldn't give me the voucher.

They aren't as universal online afaik. Not everywhere accepts them, or at least that's what I read last time I checked up on it. It's not really an issue for me, I've had a credit card for years.

Just request and stay on a low credit limit on your card and you should have no problem. They can't force a credit increase on you anymore.

*remembers when you were congratulated on getting to the next level of credit limit*

admiralofthefleet

they charge €2.50 to redeem any unused money on the card, so if you have €3.00 you will only get a cheque for 50c, normally if i have anything less than €4 left on the card i will donate it to charity.

Overheal

^ Grand idea: what good charities do you have links for?

admiralofthefleet

Overheal wrote:

what good charities do you have links for?

usually either the saint vincent de paul or focus ireland

Ruu_Old

Boards very own, Santa Strike Force accepts donations all year round afaik.

Overheal

I've given it some thought and I'd be weighted towards R&D for things like AIDS and Cancer.

Blush_01

I got a student credit card last year after being fed up with losing up to €10 every time I used a 3V voucher between having credit left on them, having to buy the credit and that kind of thing. If I was still buying 3V vouchers I'd have lost well over the €40 annual government stamp duty thing on the Mastercard (regular ATM cards are €10 and Lasers are €20, for reference). AIB student Mastercards have a credit limit of €600 (which is LOADS if you want to buy most flights etc. as you can have money in your CC account to cover the surplus if necessary) and are pretty looking too (although that's an aside). If you're even slightly disciplined with your money - as Commander Vimes said, if you can't afford it now, you won't be able to afford it plus interest, so just don't do it - you won't have a problem. I find it especially good for times when I know I have cheques waiting to clear but no cash, and then I just transfer the money I spend directly across using 24Hr banking. I've used my card for upwards of €1000 worth of stuff in a monthly period and cleared it off as I spent using 24Hr banking. Usually payday is CC balance clearance day, like Nesf. I like to keep a few extra euro on my card when I'm more flush than usual, for example if I owe €5 I'll put in €7 and that's €2 I don't have to pay off when I buy something else.

I find 3V messy and annoying - you have to register each voucher as a new card with Paypal, for example, and can't use one-click with Amazon.

You're an Economics student dude, suck it up and get the credit card.