Shopping online? Be wary of Web seals and user reviews

If you, like many Americans, plan to do a chunk of your Black Friday and holiday shopping online this year, here are two points to consider (and two new videos to illustrate them).

Don't trust Web seals. You might think that the Web seal on a retail site is a sign of the merchant's integrity. Not necessarily. The only "qualification" some seal issuers require—such as the "Online Business Bureau," not to be confused with the Better Business Bureau—is that an online merchant pay a fee to display it. And more seals don't equal better service. We found one seal-laden e-commerce site that received an F from the Better Business Bureau. (See our video, "Decoding Web Seals," and our story, "Can you trust that Web seal?".)

Be skeptical of user reviews. Putting too much stock in user reviews can be dangerous. Some sites (like Yelp) will raise a positive review to the top of the stack if the manufacturer or company pays them a fee. Other companies have employees post paeans of their products in user-review sections, highlighting only the positive attributes. And you never know who's trashing a product—could it be someone with a vested interest? (See our video, "Can You Trust User Reviews.")

So, who can you trust? Regarding Web seals, the great arbiter of a business's integrity is the Better Business Bureau. If you aren't familiar with a Web retailer, check out their report at bbb.org. And don't base your purchase on a small sampling of user reviews. In general, user reviews are most helpful in the aggregate, when there's a decent number of reviews, and a majority of buyers appear to lean heavily in favor of or against the products they've bought.

Always check an e-retailers return policy. And if you feel like you just need a little more tactile input before you buy, go to a store. Many will offer you a deal if you show them proof that you can get the same product for less online. —Nick K. Mandle