GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Some toys and electronics sell out quickly ahead of the holiday season. So if you’re trying to find a deal online, it’s important to be wary of where you’re shopping.
Whether it’s a Playstation 5 or a Baby Yoda doll, popular items are already selling out fast. Some people are scalping Playstations for more than double the retail price already, while others might be trying to undercut the market – or potential buyers.
“If you have one of these items on your shopping list this year, do your research first,” said Susan Bach of the Better Business Bureau. “Know the going rate for the item that you’re shopping for, so that you can recognize a scam when you see it.”
‘Tis the season for fake websites and sketchy ads to increase their prevalence on social media as well.
“They create fake websites and social media posts that claim to have the hottest toys at a bargain price…If you are shopping online and you see one of those too good to be true prices, it’s just unreasonably low, you know that should be a red flag,” Bach told WTAQ News. “If you’re using a newly created that website or retailer that you’ve never heard of, you’re really taking a big risk and there’s a good chance that you could pay for the item but it never shows up.”
If you can’t find any information about the site or the company, it’s a red flag that it’s a brand new website. There are also ways to check the age and legitimacy of the site.
“If you’re shopping on Amazon, absolutely check the seller’s reviews,” Bach recommended. “A lot of them claim that they’ve been around for years and years and they’re a family owned business or something. But if you actually check the age of the website, they were only created a few weeks or a few months ago. That’s a red flag too.”
For more information on potential scams or ways to verify the legitimacy of online sellers, head to BBB.org.
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