E-commerce has been growing around the world in recent years and traditional shopping has been replaced by a more convenient online marketplace. But with the growth of the number of shops shifting from malls to websites, there has also been a significant growth of non-existent online shops that only aim to victimize unsuspecting people. And since the targets are mostly kids, you should know how to avoid this scam by picking the right online stores. 1.Shop with your parents - There is no better way to shop online safely than by doing it with your parents. If you want to buy something online, ask them to spend time with you. They surely can tell you the good sites from the bad.

2.Go to tried and tested auctions sites - eBay, Yahoo Auctions, Bidz.com, uBid, MSN Auctions, and Amazon.com are some of the tried and tested auction sites. Just make sure that you bid from a reputable seller by reading feedbacks left by their previous buyers.

3.Choose reputable companies - Every clothing company, electronic company, toys manufacturer, and everything you see on the mall have at least one online store. So if you don't to go to the mall, then shopping at their online stores is generally safe. They also have a good after-sales service.

4.Avoid too good to be true advertisements - If you find an online store selling an item with a price that is, as we say, too good to be true, then better doubt. This is one of the ways where kids like you are lured to drain your cash to them. They are probably a scam.

5.Avoid shopping from sites you get from spam. Spam mails are often the source of "too good to be true" item and scams. So better avoid them and settle for reputable sites.

6.Don't judge websites by design - Remember the saying, "Don't judge the book by its cover"? Then it is similar to this. If you want to know if the website store is real or not, verify the site by looking for a business address and contact number. You may also want to verify the existence of the site by dialing up the number.

Shopping online is risky but keeping these guidelines will make sure that every time you purchase an item online, you are sure to get it at your doorstep.