New Zealand is increasingly a nation of online shoppers.
Ninety-six per cent of us shop online from time to time, and according to new statistics from Norton 30% do so at least once a week, with another 33% online shopping monthly.
One thing that sets e-commerce apart from brick and mortar retail is the potential for getting scammed online.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of New Zealand shoppers are concerned about getting scammed while shopping online.
That concern may be warranted, as 20% of online shoppers in New Zealand have experienced an online shopping scam.
Online shopping is more than just the website of your favourite bookshop or boutique — or even international giants like Amazon.
Buying and selling on social media platforms is big business too.
Norton's managing director APAC Mark Gorrie said New Zealanders' penchant for a good deal points consumers to secondary markets like Trade Me and Facebook Marketplace.
"Many Kiwis like to buy and sell through these platforms. While there are deals to be won, the fact is whenever money is involved, scammers will try to take advantage of people."
According to its data, 29% of Facebook users said they know someone who has been scammed, and 10% have been scammed themselves.
With 89% of survey respondents using Facebook, that is quite the chunk of the population who may have directly or indirectly been affected by a Marketplace scam.
Indeed, 55% of Facebook users in New Zealand are concerned about being scammed on social media market places.
When using platforms like Trade Me or Facebook Marketplace that allow private user-to-user sales it is particularly important to stay safe.
The Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act do not apply to private sales, rather, consumers may have rights under the Contract and Commercial Law Act.
That does not mean a seller can mislead customers, or that they can sell products that are unsafe or that they do not have the right to sell.
If something does go wrong, websites generally have their own dispute resolution processes that customers can utilise.
The Disputes Tribunal is also an option if those processes don’t resolve the issue.
The news isn't all bad, though. New Zealanders have a few tricks up their sleeves to keep safe when shopping from online marketplaces.
Eighty-four per cent avoid giving out personal information like bank account or card numbers, 81% avoid deals that seem too good to be true, 76% don't click links from sources that they don't completely trust and 66% check out a person's profile before buying from them.
Other measures consumers can take to vet sellers include checking feedback from other users, reverse image searching pictures of an item before buying it, and choosing to pick things up in person if possible.
Gorrie said "it's encouraging to see the tactics Kiwi employ to protect themselves".
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