Ever been to a Patio Furniture webstore where the contact info is vague and general? You have no idea of the physical location of the patio furniture retailer's office, there is no e-mail address or at best a generic one, there are no names other than "customer service", and there is no telephone number. Does this make you think twice about buying from that Patio Furniture store? It should!

Take physical location. Why is it important that you know where a Patio Furniture retailer's office is located? Aside from issues like shipping time and potential import duties (there are none on Cedar Patio Furniture shipped between Canada and the U.S.), location helps establish the legitimacy of a Retailer and your ability to hold a Retailer accountable. Wouldn't you feel more confident ordering from a Patio Furniture Retailer located on the North American continent that one operating out of an Eastern Block Country? Of course, you would. North American (particularly American and Canadian) Internet Retailers are subject to government regulations that may not exist overseas. For example, at Gocedar.com, we are proud to be a North American Patio Furniture Retailer and our physical address is posted prominently on our site. We want our customers to feel confident about doing business with us.

An e-mail address can also increase (or erode) your pre-purchase confidence level. Most Patio Furniture Retail sites display their e-mail address as something like Customer Service @ SiteName dot com. And there's really nothing wrong with that except you really don't know who you are e-mailing. Generic e-mail addresses are generally set up to "forward" to an actual e-mail. It is the internet equivalent of sending mail to a P.O. Box as opposed to an actual Physical Address. The problem with this is that generic e-mail addresses can be used by shady operators who want to hide their true identity. At GoCedar.com, we post our REAL e-mail address and the full name of the person to contact. It's important!

Finally, the lack of a telephone number can be another red flag. Why would a Patio Furniture retailer not offer you the choice to contact him directly if that was your choice? It doesn't necessarily mean that the retailer is not legit but you should check them out further before proceeding with a purchase. At GoCedar.com, we've posted our telephone number all over the site. The owner has had this telephone number for 16 years. We prefer that our customers e-mail us as a first option but we understand that some Patio Furniture buyers want to talk to a live person.

Ultimately, it's not about a telephone number, the physical location, or the e-mail address, it's about confidence in the legitimacy of the Patio Furniture retailer. Knowing who you are buying Patio Furniture from can be as important as the product itself. With these tips in mind, check the "Contact Info" and About Us" pages on the retail site, and proceed with your Patio Furniture purchase with confidence!

K. Snook is the Owner and Operator of Cedar Patio Furniture Webstore http://www.GoCedar.com