Do you have your own webshop and do you want to earn your living just like everyone else? Then make sure that your webshop comes across as reliable. In this article we give 7 tips to recognize a reliable webshop. Although these tips are aimed at the consumer, you can easily apply them as a webshop owner. So pay attention 😉
Listen to your gut feeling
Some are better at this than others, but also with webshops: listen to your gut feeling. Is something wrong? Are the prices unrealistic, too cheap for example? Does the webshop look not reliable at all? Do you just feel bad about it? Then don’t buy anything. There are undoubtedly plenty of other webshops that sell the same product and are reliable.
Check the URL
You can check the URL of a website in several ways. Is it a .nl URL? Then you can check which party owns this URL via SIDN.nl. Why you should check the URL? Scammers often use typos, for example b-cc.nl instead of bcc.nl. Checking the URL will prevent you from falling for this.
In addition, the URL must be safe. This means that it must have an SSL certificate. That may sound like higher math to a layman, but you can recognize a valid SSL certificate by both the URL and the security lock in the address bar. Does the webshop have a valid SSL certificate? Then you will see https instead of http in the URL.
View the reviews
Does the webshop actively collect reviews? Then go through this one. Do not be alarmed by a single negative experience, this makes the webshop all the more reliable. You can’t keep everyone happy. However, the average assessment must be positive. In other words, the positive reviews should predominate.
Can’t find any reviews on the website? Google the webshop name and then “reviews”. You often come across results via Google Reviews or other parties. Is the average rating a 3.8 or less? Then it is wiser to skip the purchase.
Quality mark
Does the webshop have a quality mark? That is a good sign. The fact that the webshop is allowed to use the quality mark means that it has been approved by a strict committee. This committee carries out frequent checks and ensures that the webshop remains reliable.
Unfortunately, a quality mark is not a panacea. There are many webshops that abuse a quality mark and just put it on their website, without actually being approved. You can often check this on the website of the quality marks. Examples of quality marks are:
Payment methods
We have already written an article about the most chosen payment methods in the Netherlands. On the basis of the payment methods offered, you can more or less recognize whether a webshop is reliable. Does the webshop offer post-payment? Then you can assume that the webshop is reliable, why would they offer this payment method otherwise?
In addition, a payment provider approves a webshop. The more payment method the webshop offers, the deeper the screening has gone. iDEAL can get the webshop online fairly easily, but a deeper investigation is necessary for credit card. In other words, many payment methods make a webshop more reliable!
Contact details
A good webshop has an extensive contact page with at least the following (contact) information: telephone number, e-mail address, business address, Chamber of Commerce number and VAT number. If necessary, you can check the Chamber of Commerce number on kvk.nl and check the address details.
A webshop with only a contact form is shady, do not order there. Are you a webshop owner and do you only have a contact form? Then change that immediately and make sure you show more contact details.
What about dropshippers?
There are websites that advise against buying from webshops that use dropshipping. However, this advice is too short-sighted. Despite the fact that there are bad dropshippers who only want to make quick money, there are plenty of serious dropshippers who try to build a good business.
You can immediately recognize a “bad” dropshipper. Little time is invested in the design of the webshop and they often have limited payment methods. Also, there is often no telephone number, e-mail address or Chamber of Commerce number on the website. The only way to get in touch is to fill out a contact form. Do you come across this? Then don’t buy.
A good dropshipper ensures that everything is in order. You often don’t even recognize that the webshop uses dropshipping. The design often looks perfect, there are sufficient contact options, reviews and payment methods. In other words, you can definitely buy from these dropshippers.
Our experience with dropshipping wholesalers also varies. A good dropshipper chooses his wholesaler consciously and ensures that it meets his personal wishes.
