How to get an online shop checked
Getting an online shop checked (onlineshop prüfen lassen) before you order: what an automated check covers, what to check yourself and the red flags.
You found a shop you don't know and want to know whether it is legitimate. You can check it yourself or have it checked. Doing both works best: an automated check finds the hard facts quickly and your own look covers the rest.
What a shop check covers
On CheckShop you enter the shop's address. The check is free and consists of 25 checks in four groups:
- Who is behind it: the VAT number is read from the website and looked up in the EU VIES register, and the contact details are checked.
- Safety: does Google Web Risk report malware or phishing on the site? Such a report always makes the verdict red.
- Buying and returns: are there returns, terms and privacy pages, and which payment methods are offered?
- Technical details: such as a secure https connection.
It also shows reviews from real buyers on CheckShop and the Google rating where available. The result is a score from 0 to 100. Every shop is checked again each week. A check that could not run counts as "not checked", never as failed.
What to check yourself
- Price: is it far below other shops? That is the most common sign of a fake shop.
- Company register: look up the company name in the national company register. CheckShop does not check company registers.
- Payment at checkout: if card and PayPal disappear at the last step and only bank transfer remains, don't order.
- Other buyers: search the shop's name with "reviews" or "scam".
Red flags
Very low prices on branded goods, a missing or incomplete legal notice, terms that name another company, bank transfer as the only payment option, a very new domain and countdown timers. One sign is not proof; several together are. See the full list in how to spot a fake online shop.
If you already paid
Contact your bank or payment provider straight away, keep the order confirmation and messages, and report it to the police and your national consumer authority.
For shop owners
If you run an online shop yourself, you can claim your CheckShop profile for free, complete your details and show the free trust mark on your site. A better score cannot be bought. Claim your profile.
Flere guides
Alle guides- How to check if an online shop is safeHow to check if an online shop is safe before you pay: who runs it, contact details, returns, payment methods, reviews and Google's malware warnings.
- Paying safely online: which payment methods protect youWhich ways to pay at a webshop let you get your money back if nothing arrives, which ones do not, and the warning signs at checkout.
- A webshop did not deliver: what you can do in the EUYour rights when an online order does not arrive, step by step: from a reminder to the shop to getting your money back through your bank or a European Consumer Centre.