Tires and wheels can get expensive, especially when you have a limited supply where you are. This pushes a lot of people to look online for deals. Others might be reluctant to buy tires online for multiple reasons. Some may just prefer to see things in person, but others might have safety concerns about buying wheels or tires online. Is it safe to buy those online, or should you go the traditional route?
Is Buying Tires Online Safe?
The answer is yes and no. There are some great suppliers out there that you can trust. Clickitwheels is a great example. Companies like these have been around for years and have a solid reputation for offering great service. But anyone can improvise themselves as tire sellers online. As a matter of fact, you may not even know if they’re holding any kind of inventory themselves.
How Can that Be Possible?
That’s because a lot of tire sellers out there operate their website but ship their product from a third party. When you see a tire or a wheel online, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the person has it physically. It’s only a picture, and it can come from anywhere.
That doesn’t mean, however, that these suppliers are automatically unsafe. It just means that you have to make sure that you check their credentials and make sure that they’re transparent about their procurement methods.
How to Pay Safely Online
The biggest risk when buying tires online is not using a safe payment method. Some people don’t want to share their credit card information online, and you don’t have to. Reputable suppliers will offer payment methods like PayPal. If a supplier offers PayPal and is verified, you’ll at least have the peace of mind that your money will be refunded in case there’s any foul play.
The second option is paying by credit card and credit card companies will also make sure that your rights are protected if there’s something wrong. One thing you could do, however, is to get yourself a reloadable prepaid card that you can use for your online purchases only. You could fill it up with just the amount of money you need so you can limit the losses in cases of fraud.
Make Sure the Site is Safe as Well
Another thing you want to do is make sure that the site you buy from is secure as well. Any supplier worth its salt will have a secured SSL encrypted website and the certificate should be in good standing. You can usually see if a site is secure if there is a padlock next to their URL in your browser’s address bar. This will ensure that payment information is encrypted as long as you stay on their page during payment. If you’re redirected to some portal page, make sure that it’s secure as well.
So, if you want to buy tires and wheels online safely, follow these tips. Vetting the supplier is the most important part, followed by making sure that you keep your payment and personal information safe at all times.