Online Shopping Mistakes Teens Make

Online shopping is fast, easy, and a great way to lose more money than you meant to. Almost every teen has at least one story — a thing that didn't fit, an order that never showed up, a "free trial" that quietly turned into $14 a month. Let's go through the most common traps so you don't fall into them.

Mistake 1: Forgetting about shipping

A $20 shirt with $9.99 shipping is a $30 shirt. Always check shipping cost before you click buy. Some sites hide it until the very last screen. That's not an accident.

If shipping seems wild, look for:

• Free shipping over a certain amount (sometimes worth combining orders)
• Pickup in store (often free)
• Coupon codes for free shipping (try a quick search before checkout)

Mistake 2: Ignoring the return policy

Some sites have free, easy returns. Others charge you to return things. Some don't let you return anything at all (especially small overseas sites — looking at you, sketchy ad-on-Instagram stores).

Before you buy, look for the return policy. If you can't find one, that's a red flag. The FTC mail and online order rules describe what U.S. sellers are supposed to do.

Mistake 3: Trusting too-good-to-be-true ads

If you see "$200 AirPods for $39.99" on a TikTok ad, the AirPods aren't real. They're either fake, broken, or never coming. The FTC scam alerts page is full of these.

Quick checks before buying from a brand you've never heard of:

• Search "(brand name) reviews scam" — see what comes up
• Look for a real address and phone number on the website
• Check if the product photos are stolen from another site (right-click > "Search image with Google")

Mistake 4: Auto-renew and "free trial" traps

A "free 7-day trial" is rarely free. You give them your card. After 7 days, they charge. Then they keep charging every month until you remember to cancel.

Before signing up for any free trial:

1. Set a reminder on your phone for day 6 to cancel.
2. Take a screenshot of how to cancel — many sites hide it.
3. Check your bank statement once a month for surprise charges.

For more on these traps, see our subscription traps article.

Mistake 5: Saving your card on every site

Saved cards are convenient. They're also why you accidentally spend $80 on a Tuesday night. The friction of typing in your card number is good — it makes you stop and think.

Pick 2-3 sites you really trust to save your card on (like Amazon, maybe one game store). Don't save on the rest. You'll spend less.

Mistake 6: Falling for fake reviews

Sites are full of fake five-star reviews — many are paid for, some are written by bots. Spotting them:

• Lots of reviews posted on the same day = suspicious
• Reviews with weirdly perfect English praising every feature = suspicious
• 4,000 reviews and they're all 5 stars = very suspicious

Real reviews mix the good and the bad. Look for those.

Mistake 7: Sharing your card info on insecure sites

Look at the website address. If it doesn't start with https:// (with the s), don't put your card in. The s means the connection is encrypted — the data you send is scrambled so nobody can read it on the way.

Also: never type your card info into a link someone DM'd you. Real stores don't send DMs to teenagers.

Mistake 8: Ignoring the actual size chart

This one wastes more teen money than almost anything else. Clothing brands run wildly different sizes — a "medium" at one store might be a "small" at another. Check the size chart in inches/cm. Take 30 seconds to measure something at home.

Mistake 9: Impulse buying late at night

Studies (and the CFPB consumer education hub) show people make worse money decisions when tired. The "1 a.m. order" rarely ends well.

The 24-hour rule: put it in your cart. Sleep on it. If you still want it tomorrow, buy it. Most of the time, you won't.

Mistake 10: Not checking the bank statement

Look at your bank statement once a month. Look for charges you don't recognize. Anyone — even a stranger who got your card number — could be charging you. The faster you spot it, the faster you can stop it. The CFPB's reporting fraud page covers what to do.

Words to know

• Auto-renew — when a subscription charges you again automatically
• Encrypted — scrambled so others can't read it
• Return policy — the rules for sending something back
• Impulse buy — buying something without thinking about it first

For more like this, see the Learn hub or our scams hub.

If you're not sure about anything in this article, ask a trusted adult — that's what they're there for.