Shopping Safely Online: Day 5

We’ve come to the end of our week that focuses on online safety awareness when shopping. To wrap it all up we’re going to look at how important a positive reputation is when purchasing from online sellers. Many people have had problems with sellers because they failed to analyse their previous dealings, something that many online shopping outlets now let you do.

When shopping on sites such as eBay, Amazon or Play you should always be wary of the fact that the sellers could be either a business or an individual seller. Whoever the seller is, it’s vitally important to make the most of the reputation analysis section of these websites so that you can make a definitive assumption of who you are purchasing from.

EBay provide buyers with the opportunity to look at the feedback scores of sellers, thus giving you the chance to see how other buyers have judged the services they received. If you are keen to avoid problems with online deals, whoever the shopping outlet may be, you should always do the research beforehand to get a detailed review of their reputation.

RAND Logistics work closely with eBay as we regularly ship parcels from reliable sellers to buyers across the world. Our international parcel service is the perfect choice for anyone looking to get their parcel from A to B. If you’ve got a parcel to ship internationally, get your quote from us today here.

Shopping Safely Online: Day 4

When purchasing goods online it can be quite daunting if the expected delivery date passes without a knock on the door from the postman. You might also be dreading the thought of opening your parcel to reveal a damaged item that doesn’t work and has missing parts.

Thankfully, consumer rights are in place to aid people who purchase online and don’t get what they expect. Here are a few things to consider with regards to consumer rights before purchasing online.

If you are not satisfied with the item you have received after an online purchase, you may be entitled to a refund. In most cases the chance of a refund expires after a certain amount of time, which could be anything from a few days to a whole month. Always check the refund or returns section carefully before purchasing an item online.

It is advised that you use a credit card to make a purchase that exceeds £100. The Consumer Credit Act states that anyone who spends over £100 on their credit card has legal rights, giving you an upper hand should something go wrong with the purchase.

RAND Logistics can deliver items promptly on an international scale, so if you need to ship a parcel to Italy or anywhere else in the world make sure you come to RAND first for a great quote.

Shopping Safely Online: Day 3

Today we’ll be looking at what it is you need to watch out for when purchasing something online in order to prevent criminals from accessing your card details and making transactions in your name. You can significantly reduce the risk of this happening to you in the future by following our guidelines here at RAND.

If you are ever required to enter your PIN number when shopping online, do not proceed with the payment. PIN numbers are only meant for physical card transactions from a cash machine and a physical store checkout. Criminals can easily obtain your PIN number by asking you for it in a transaction, so always watch out for this!

In most cases, websites that you purchase from will require you to enter a security code found on the back of your card. This is the usual practice when purchasing online and doesn’t need to be avoided. Websites are not allowed to store personal information, so if they request this without express permission, think twice before purchasing here.

Finally, many sites will save your card details so that you can make transactions easily in the future. It is much safer to delete your card details and provide them again only when you make another purchase, unless you know the site can be trusted.

If you are sending a parcel internationally this winter, make the most of our services here at RAND and make sure any purchase you make in the near future complies with our guidelines.

Shopping Safely Online: Day 2

It’s our second day of awareness for safely shopping online and today we’ll be focusing on the ins and outs of making a payment online. It’s vital that you are made aware of the reliability of the seller before offering up your card details, so make sure you follow our guide before making a payment.

The vast majority of online shopping sites will encourage you to purchase items by adding to an online shopping basket. Sites like this are usually major outlets and can be trusted. Always read the terms and conditions before making a purchase as all shopping outlets are different. This process usually occurs before you’ve made the payment. The final step is always making the payment from your credit or debit card, so keep this in mind when shopping online.

Another indication that a sites online shopping option is reliable is if they use PayPal to process a payment. PayPal is a secure payment option whereby you sign up and register your credit or debit card details. Any payment you make online is activated by PayPal using your account details.

Finally and most important of all is the security protocols when making a payment. Whilst it doesn’t happen all the time, usually you will be greeted with another layer of security before processing a payment. This is another password associated with your online transactions, often used by Visa and MasterCard for added security.

The above steps are commonly associated with making a reliable payment online so always make sure that you analyse the payment process carefully before submitting your payment. If you are planning on shipping a parcel to an online buyer in the near future, make the most of our services here at RAND. We ship internationally making our service ideal for any online seller.

Shopping Safely Online: Day 1

This week we will be looking at the safety measures that go hand-in-hand with online shopping. It’s extremely important to make sure that you are dealing with a safe and secure website when purchasing items online, whilst you also need to become aware of suspicious behaviour during online sales if you want to avoid a bad online experience. Today we are focusing on how to identify a secure site to shop online with.

Many websites from fast food restaurants to major electrical outlets make use of the efficiency and practicality of online credit. However, it’s vital that you know how to identify a secure website before providing your credit card details. A site is secure if they possess a small padlock in the address bar, whilst the ‘s’ at the end of ‘https’ stands for the word ‘secure’.

Never jump at offers that seem unrealistic. Most sites that let you trade over the internet with other people struggle to identify scammers, so think twice before purchasing what looks like a 50 inch plasma TV for £50. You can back up your knowledge of the site you’ve encountered by using Google or asking friends and family about it but if you’ve got your suspicions, don’t take the risk.

Need to send a parcel internationally? RAND can provide you with a safe and secure service that gets your parcel from A to B in good time. Contact us today for more information about the services we offer.

Uses for Junk Mail; Paper Crafts

 

The final day of our environmentally friendly way of reusing all that junk mail we sometimes get piling up focuses on tasks for those more creatively minded. If you were looking for a new challenge, or wanted a nice activity to do with the kids, why not try these two uses for old junk mail or newspapers?

Paper Baskets

Traditionally made in Ancient Egypt, wicker baskets were woven together using reeds. Nowadays wicker baskets are still used for plant pots and even coffee tables and sun chairs. A plain paper home made basket can be used to hold pens, paper-clips or other bits like sewing bobbins and spools of thread. Paper wicker baskets can seem daunting, but in reality it is a lot easier than it looks. There are plenty of guides online, and the end result looks fantastic.

Homemade Paper

Rip up your junk mail or shred it, then add water and put it all in a blender. Blend it to pulp and then you have all the ingredients to make your own paper! Use a guide online, and remember that most methods work for un-waxed paper, so make sure not to use any junk mail that is glossy or shiny.

Sending a parcel to a friend or relative internationally? Use RAND Logistics’ instant quick quote service to find out how much you could save!

Uses for Junk Mail; Recycling for Others

Reusing and Recycling

Why not use your unwanted junk mail as padding for sending far more important, more delicate packages? Shred the junk mail and use it to pack bags, clothes or as extra padding for heavy consoles that you want to send by post. Or if you have an item that you want to send, but the box is too big for the item, you can thickly pack the item with junk mail (shredded, so that your recipient doesn’t get annoyed at your handouts!) so that the gift cannot move within the bigger box.

For even more delicate parcels, like glass or china, you can wrap them in junk mail and thickly pack junk mail around them by balling up the paper. You save a lot of money on packing paper, plus you are helping the environment by reusing your unwanted junk mail!

Or alternatively you can always donate your unwanted junk mail paper to a children’s craft library or nursery, so that they can put your cast offs to better use. Make sure to destroy or remove your address from anything you send on to another recipient, as this could be used against you, or to even send you more spam and junk mail.

Sending a special parcel internationally? Try RAND Logistic’s quick quote service for an instant quote. Our shipping rates are second to none.

 

Uses for Junk Mail; Luau Celebrations

Continuing with our week of informative and imaginative ways to use all that unwanted junk mail, we can now start getting crafty with the junk mail. These uses are great for kids and birthday parties, so give them a go.

Paper Macher

This can be a little messy so make sure to lay a cloth or a bin bag down. For the best paper macher results, mix glue with a bit of water and use that as the adhesive to stick the layers of junk mail together. The possibilities are endless with paper macher. You can make a helmet, a plant pot, a pen holder and even little animal figurines. Let your imagination run wild.

Hula Skirts and Flowers

paper-flowersEvery child needs to have at least one tropically themed birthday party. With a barbeque, cheese and pineapple sticks and giant inflatable palm trees floating in the pool, your kids will look great with these homemade hula skirts. And they can be as colourful as you like!

 

For the flowers, simply cut a few leaf and petal shapes from the leaflets, then stick them all to a second piece of junk mail that has been slightly crumpled. Thread some string through them for a flower necklace.

Choose RAND Logistics when you want to send a parcel to a friend or relative living in Hawaii. Our shipping rates are the most competitive around.

Uses for Junk Mail; Confetti

Junk mail is an issue that most people have to deal with nowadays. Even if you subscribe to a removal service, there is still the odd occasion where a leaflet or two about TV licensing for example, can slip through. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was a use for all this junk mail? Well with a bit of imagination, we here at RAND have thought of a whole week’s worth of different uses for junk mail. Starting with:

Paper Bedding

If you have any kind of small animal, shredding up some of the paper leaflets can make a great alternative to buying paper bedding. Just be sure that you don’t use anything too colourful, as some younger or smaller animals tend to eat the paper, and the ink may be harmful.

As Confetti

confetti-rand
Budget confetti may seem like a half hearted attempt at celebrating, but nobody can fault your ingenuity, and your recycling prowess. Plus so many advertisers nowadays use brightly coloured designs and shiny paper, so shredding some leaflets and junk mail together could create some really colourful confetti. Try it!

For first rate services in record times, use RAND Logistics when sending your friend or relative a gift to celebrate a special occasion in India. Try our Quick Quote form to see what you can save!

Ways to Prevent Junk Mail

Everybody gets junk mail. Some of it is just slightly annoying however some junk mail can prove insensitive to the individual receiving it. For example a person who has recently suffered the loss of a loved one to a car accident would not be too happy to receive an advert for cheap car insurance. It seems unnecessary and insensitive. However there are measures you can take to prevent companies and businesses from sending you unsolicited mail and junk mail.

Send them a stern letter

Sometimes all it takes is a little communication. If you send them a letter back kindly but firmly asking them to remove your address from their mailing lists, they are legally required to do so. Keep in mind that this doesn’t apply to bank companies to whom you owe money, or to international mail.

Register for a Catalogue service

If you don’t want thick, heavy catalogues thumping onto your doorstep, you can register for a removal service. There are various companies that will provide you with the removal or prevention service for free or for a small charge, so that you don’t have to worry about having to get rid of large catalogues.

If you want to be taken off the ‘subscribe’ list, you can sometimes do it online, but these only tend to last around 5 years. For peace of mind indefinitely, write a letter.

Want to send a friend or relative living abroad in Austria or even further afield like Singapore a gem among all the junk mail? RAND Logistics can provide you with first class service, worldwide.