If you are shopping online for PCs, books, dietary supplements, clothes, it always pays to check around because there can be quite a difference in pricing and terms & conditions between different suppliers.
Of course, online stores are competitive in a number of ways. Most people take the most obvious way: price as the primary way to distinguish between competitors. But there are other factors that you need to consider: returns policy, charges, repeat billing, cancellation agreements, manufacturing quality, condition of goods received, even mailing charges (and reverse ones), packing standards, customer relations, etc..
When you compare stores online, balancing your desire for a good price with these other factors can really determine the difference between a good deal and a rip off. For example, one online supplementary review site offered a brief review of one product, Avesil that claims to help you lose your appetite and weight while boosting fat burn and energy levels.
This cautionary tail revolves entirely around the customer agreement: that you agree to a repeat billing of US$90 while paying little or nothing up front. Should you not like it, you are supposedly free to return the product. However, the reviewer noted that it’s better to buy directly than to lock yourself into some never ending product delivery that may be difficult to cancel.
One tip in all dealings: hold onto your money until the last possible minute in ANY purchase or at least as much of it as you can to maintain your bargaining position, to ensure that goods are appropriate and as you ordered. Unfortunately signing one of those loaded agreements by handing over your credit card number (while common on many regular billing sites) is one way companies use to wrest that control from you while providing you with unwanted or substandard products.
Reading the list of comments at the bottom from purchasers who had problems canceling their account demonstrates the folly of trusting your supplier. Remember: when you hand over the credit card, you hand over control of your cash. It’s true in ALL deals: whether you are buying a new car or having your lawn mowed.