Your absolute best bet is to pay for online purchases with a credit card. If company does not deliver, you can dispute payment and have charge reversed. If a company does not accept credit cards, but did in past, it is almost always an indication that victims are beginning to charge back their program membership, and "product" purchases on their credit cards. This is a major danger sign as very likely they have lost their vendor status with credit card companies, due to volume of their charge backs.

If seller won't, or like a private individual, can't accept credit cards, consider using an escrow service. Escrow services are another good payment option. For a small fee, an escrow service holds buyer's payment and forwards it to seller upon buyer's receipt and approval of item within an agreed upon inspection period. For buyers, escrow services can help ensure that they get what they pay for.

Sellers may find escrow services less expensive than participating in credit card payment system, especially if buyer pays fee, and they avoid problems of bad checks or stolen credit cards. If you use one, ensure that service is licensed and bonded, and how you can confirm that with appropriate agency. If you have been defrauded, contact National Fraud Information Center at 1-800-876-7060 - http://www.fraud.org/

Online Auctions topped complaint list of frauds reported last year with 63% of all frauds reported coming from that quarter with an average loss of $487 per person. Web sites are still most common way that consumers are solicited for fraudulent Internet offers, but statistics reveal an increase in number of initial contacts made by con artists using email.

There a lot of people trying disguise that "sows ear" to look like a "silk purse", but if you use common sense, you can recognize it for what it is.

I always tell people to:

1. Subscribe to e-zine. Then ask yourself - Did it come on time? Is content worth reading? Are there too many ads? Was it well formatted?

2. Contact current advertisers and tell them you are thinking about placing an ad. Ask them what their response rate is?

3. Ask publisher about their e-zine. Is it "true optin"? How long have they been publishing it? If they started in 2001 and boast 100,000 subscribers, guess what...they bought them. Sending your ad to their list is like sending it to 99,990 trash cans and dead email addresses. The 10 who do receive it, don't read it.

4. Negotiate what you pay for ads. You will want at least 4-5 so use this ad leverage. Tell publisher you want a package. I have found that one solo ad followed by 4 classifieds really works well. The solo ad gets some attention, then, as they see it over and over, they visit. If list is true quality optin you can get as many as 20% or more of them to come to your site/offer.

5. Pay with a credit card. This protects you from publishers who say they have a quality list but don't, as well as those who don't list your ads at all.

E-zine advertising is awesome. If you know what you are doing.

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BizE-zine: What has been your biggest mistake?

JW: At one time I bought lots of domains as an investment. I learned hard way that they aren't worth all that much unless they are getting lots of traffic or are established sites.

Also, I used to just place ads in any old e-zine I came across without checking things out first. I lost literally thousands between those two errors alone, especially to poor e-zines. I am happy to say that I now have a list of quality e-zines in which I buy ads. When I launch a site or an offer I place ads in same ones over and over. And they always get same awesome results!

BizE-zine: Do you use any proprietary software to help you run your business, and which one would you most hate to be without?

JW: I use several titles. There are three I couldn't run things without. First there is "Create" which lets me burn CD's fast and furious. I sell CD's in hundreds, so I couldn't do without it.

I also couldn't live without Ebook Editor Pro. I write Ebooks and compile them. This software allows me to do it fast and easy.

Finally I use WorldMerge to send to my e-zine mailing list.

I am always looking for easier ways to do things, and there is always better software out there. I love downloading trials and testing them out.

BizE-zine: Do you have any plans to expand your online business, and if so, how?

JW: Constantly! Right now I am working on three main projects. All three have incredible potential. One made a sale before I even placed an ad. I sent out about 20 emails with my sig file and one of them came and bought it! It will launch very soon.

Then I am working on a deal that should lead to more sales on EBay(TM). I found a new supplier and am excited to see how things work out.

Overall, in online world, you can't sit on your laurels and relax. Things change fast. Look at those who are THE most successful and you will always see one commonality. They are not only on cutting edge...they set it.

Does this mean I am on cutting edge? I don't think of myself in this way. But I do my best to constantly learn, grow, and adapt in order to continue making money online. And that means reading e-zines, ebooks and web sites, to learn what is happening right now!

BizE-zine: What one piece of advice would you give to someone who is just planning to start out?

JW: Online marketing is like race between tortoise and hare. A slow, steady, constant pace will always win out over fast and furious. If someone tells you, "Buy my product and be making $5000 next week", run as fast as you can away from them. It simply does not happen all that often.

Online work means just that. Work. And lots of it. But you will be working for yourself in order to reach your own goals and ambitions. This alone should keep you going. I don't know of even one online success story who was a quitter.

There is definitely money to be made online. You just have to learn how find ways to make it. I can say that given how I am now doing part time, if I were to take plunge I would almost certainly make more money than I am at Fire Department.

On opposite side I know of a lot of those who left online world because they failed. But, in my humble opinion, they failed because they left. They didn't leave because they failed. Think about it. Find a niche online. Something you REALLY love. Base your first marketing on this. Learn as much as you can.

And never, ever give up.