There are literally hundreds of thousands of reports, eBooks and software products online that are entirely free of charge yet there is always someone ready to sell the same products to you as well! The information may be repackaged in a different layout or bundled with an additional freebie making it harder to recognize the original free version.

Some digital products in the free digital world frequently found for sale are recipes, eBooks, software, music files, website scripts, link lists, article collections and "how to" instructions.

This is where you must do your job as a smart consumer and RESEARCH the product and the seller before committing to the purchase. Not only could you be dishing out money on a "free" product, you may be overpaying for it. Worse yet – you may be handing over sensitive identity and credit card information to someone less then credible! I am not implying that all freebie selling vendors  are bad, sometimes businesses add value to a normally free product or the freebie has what they call "resale rights" which give owner of the product rights to re-sell the product. Enough on that, let's figure out how to check out our product before we buy it.

It's rather simple to give you a starting point. So straightforward you may laugh. Google! Or your choice of internet search engine. The search engines have scanned forums, review sites, and blogs and will be ready to give you instantaneous feedback from a large collection of varied opinions.

Be sure to Google the sellers name and the product names separately – scan a couple of pages of results and observe what others have to say. Simple enough to do and a quick search can give you a general idea how this product is doing in the marketplace and other people's reactions to it. Take care to notice what type of website is providing the outlook as competitors and affiliates can use influential tactics to try and change consumer buying habits. But normally it is easy to see find unbiased reviews and opinions of most products.

If the product is more than $20 dollars it is worth your time to make a couple more searches.

Check the Better Business Bureau for the company or sellers name.
Search for the seller or product at RIP OFF REPORT.

My final bit of advice on buying digital products and services online is: if the product or service is over $50 – sleep on it and make your final decision the next day. This will help override the "impulse" buying decision and give you time to decide if you really need the product offered. If you have done your research and still want it the next day…then by all means – buy it!

In closing I hope your internet ventures are safe. We can be safer when we look out for one another. So remember when possible to let others know about your experience with the products that you purchase so that they may be able to make a better informed buying decision in the future.