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As retailers gear up for Black Friday - the day many of them make substantial profits that put their numbers in the “black” rather than “red” - online holiday retail sales will hit $32 billion this year, according to Jupiter Research.

There are plenty of sites, like bfads.net and www.blackf riday.info, that advertise the deals you can expect the day after Thanksgiving.

But there are also many people who will avoid the chaos and early-bird crowds Friday to shop from the comfort of their personal computer.

One of those people will be Detroit native Betty Arnold, who said she likes buying online because she can't walk for very long and hates crowds.

Arnold is a housewife who moved to Morgantown 10 years ago when her husband retired from Chrysler. She only goes shopping for groceries and medical supplies and said she plans to buy her holiday gifts online this year.

Include Brownsville resident divorcee Veronica Parker in that number, as well.

Parker is a certified home health aide who tries to save a dollar whenever she can.

“The reason I buy online is that most of the time, even with shipping, I save money and get the same quality or better than I buy locally,” Parker said. “I do not solely buy online. I do shop at the local stores, usually when there is a really good sale or if I need something ASAP.”

Bowling Green office manager Lisa Beaty also shops online because she finds a greater selection online than what she can find locally, but likes retailers who have both a store and online presence.

“I can compare prices for an item on shopping sites like Yahoo! and often I can also find reviews of products from people who have bought and used them. A lot of online vendors, like Amazon, will give free shipping if I spend a certain amount,” Beaty said. “I usually shop partly online and partly in brick and mortar stores. If a store has both an online presence and a local store, sometimes I'll look at their Web site to see what kind of selection they have of an item, and then I'll go to the brick and mortar store to purchase it.”

But shopping online can carry its own share of problems.

Parker remembers being “ripped off” when she bought a camera at a very low price on auction site www.eBay.com. She found out the hard way why the price was too good to be true, she said.

“The seller was from China. I never received the camera or got any of my money back so I have a policy now. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Also I never buy from out of United States unless I can actually see where the person or business has good ratings,” Parker said.

And Parker agrees there are a lot of phishing e-mails out there, which try to dupe consumers into releasing their personal information by impersonating online retailers.

“Never do I log-in to any account from an e-mail link. Even when it looks and appears legit, I do not. Once someone has your log in ID or password, it can lead to a lot of trouble,” Parker said.

Arnold has never had any problems shopping online and said there doesn't seem to be a reason to worry.

“I have excellent firewalls and other security related programs. Then I have a program that finds my personal info like credit card numbers on my computer and it erases all traces of it,” Arnold said.

Beaty said she makes a point of shopping with reputable online vendors she knows she can trust.

“I can usually recognize phishing and scams. If I have any doubt at all about an e-mail, I delete it,” Beaty said.

Better Business Bureau checklist for online shopping

The Better Business Bureau encourages consumers to ask the following questions about a Web site before they buy online:

Is your computer protected? Make sure your computer is equipped with updated spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a secure firewall.

Do you trust the merchant? To check on the seller's reputation, look for feedback comments from other customers or conduct Web searches. Check with the BBB for a report about the retailer's marketplace record. Look for a trustmark from BBBOnLine or another reputable organization and click on that seal to confirm that it's valid.

Do you have all the details? Don't do business with any retailer that does not provide its physical address and a contact telephone number for customers. You should know how much the product or service costs, if there are shipping and handling charges, the delivery timeframe, if a warranty or guarantee is offered, the seller's privacy policy and the retailer's cancellation and return policy. Print out a copy of your confirmation page in case you need it later.

Will your online purchase be secure? Look in the address box for the “s” in https:// and in the lower-right corner for a lock symbol before paying. If you have doubts about a site, right-click anywhere on the page and select Properties. This will let you see the real URL (Web site address) and the dialog box will reveal if the site is not encrypted.

Will your personal information be protected? Read the site's privacy policy to understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used.

Are your instincts telling you to beware? Listen to your gut. If you're dubious about a merchant, if the Web site appears to be suspicious, if the offer seems too good to be true, trust your instincts. Check with the BBB.

Is that e-mail legitimate? If someone e-mails you unexpectedly to ask for personal information, be very suspicious. Legitimate businesses do not send e-mails claiming problems with an order or an account to lure the buyer into revealing financial information. Pick up the phone and call the contact number on the Web site where you made the purchase to ask if there was a problem with your transaction.

- For more on online shopping safety, visit http://www.bbbonline.org or http://www.bbb.org.

- Business reporter Ameerah Cetawayo doesn't like to miss a story. E-mail her at acetawayo@bgdailynews.com or call 783-3246.