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How to Avoid the Biggest Web Shopping Annoyances

Hidden fees, products that suddenly disappear from stock, shady stores--don't put up with them. Here are strategies for getting the right products at the right price, without hassles.

Tom Spring

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Illustration: Edwin Fotheringham
Using the Internet, shoppers can locate the products they want, spot the best prices, and sidestep sleazy retailers--in short, speed up and eliminate the hassles from shopping. Right? Not necessarily.

Purchasing digital gear isn't always as easy as point, click, and buy. Shopping annoyances are a lot like pop-up ads: They seem to spring up out of nowhere, and are a pain to get rid of.

For this story we researched the top shopping headaches facing consumers before they commit to a product, when they make a purchase, and after they buy--including artificially inflated merchant reviews, high-pressure phone sales tactics, charges that hit your credit card bill way before the item ships, and post-purchase freebies that turn out to be anything but.

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