Our guide, 'Tips for Safe and Secure Online Shopping of Sex Toys,' is an effort to navigate you through this intricate process. We'll provide you with advice and precautions to consider while venturing in this personal pursuit, aiming to keep your experience discrete, enjoyable and most importantly, secure.
Strap yourself in for a virtual journey that aims to keep your private purchasing endeavors just as they should be - private and worry-free. Let's dive into the world of adult online shopping with safety as our priority.
There are two kinds of online sex shops. Legit stores and scam stores where you are bombarded with shady NSFW advertisements every two seconds.
Use this checklist to make sure your money is not wasted.
1. Check Website Credentials
The first thing you want to check when you open an adult sex store is to check the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. All you have to do is note if the website URL starts with HTTPS. The “S” at the end confirms the website is SSL-certified.
This is a layer of encryption to hide the data sent from a browser to a website from hackers.
Without it, you are practically giving hackers permission to steal your data. If you are going to add your credit card information and mailing address to a website, you want it to be secure.
2. Buy From a Reputable Store
Not all online stores are trustworthy. But how do you find the reputable ones?
For one, reputable doesn’t mean popular. It’s unfair to pass up on new adult toy stores only because they have not been around for the last 15 years. Especially since you have a high chance of getting huge discounts from new stores.
There are other indicators you can use to determine the legitimacy of a website.
- Is the website easy to navigate?
- Does it have lots of pictures and detailed descriptions of the products?
- Do you see reviews from real people?
If the answers to these questions are yes, the website is worth buying from.
You also want to check reviews outside the website. See what the reviews have to say about the products and the shipping policies.
If you want to play it super safe, you can buy your adult toys from Amazon. But Amazon hosts both first-party and third-party sellers. So, the shipping policies can be pretty confusing.
Third-party vendor's shipping methods might not match first-party vendors, so there’s a huge possibility of you getting a non-discreet package for your order.
By buying from Amazon, you might also miss out on offers and discount coupons independent retailers have on their websites.
Plus, your order history and suggestions will mention sex toys. If you are sharing your account with others, it’s one dead giveaway.
-
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When browsing anal toys, one design feature appears repeatedly in safety guidance: the flared base. For people researching flared base anal toys, this detail often raises questions. Why does the...
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When browsing dildo collections, one of the first distinctions you may notice is between realistic and non-realistic designs. For many shoppers researching realistic dildos, the decision is not about appearance alone....
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When browsing personal wellness products, it is common to feel uncertain about how different designs actually compare. With so many vibrator types available, understanding the practical differences between popular options...
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As personal wellness products continue to evolve, many shoppers find themselves asking whether luxury vibrators are genuinely worth the higher price point. When browsing premium options, the differences are not...
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Unlike most male toys, cock rings complement partnered play more than solo use. It’s not to say men don’t love it for their alone time. They can’t get enough of...
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Adam & Eve is a brand with its roots in the US and mail-order sex toy delivery. But over its 50 years of existence, the brand has made a name...
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Think of sex like a video game. Not because it’s one or you even treat it like one. But it’s similar to how when you get really good at a...
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Local stores charge you double of online sex toy shops. This is an open secret. And it’s understandable. They have a rent and salary to pay. While online shops have...
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Black dildos appeal to people for two reasons. The solid dark color is visually stimulating, as your eyes zero in on it when it’s going inside of you or when...
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If this is your first time looking for sex toys for solo play, you should start with a bullet vibrator. They are generally made for external use. It's understandable if...
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Male masturbators are a drop in the ocean of female masturbators. Anyone who is familiar with adult toys could probably name 6 types of vibrators off the top of their...
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3. Check Their Return Policy
Sex toy shops have a stricter return policy than your general retail stores. For good reasons.
This is an intimate product you are buying. One which will come in contact with your body fluids.
Would you be comfortable if you knew someone else got the same dildo you got before you? Will you feel safe about using their returned dildo?
No, right? It will open the door to all kinds of STI-related nightmares. After all, Dr. Alyssa Dweck, MD and OB/GYN at the Mount Kisco Medical Group, suggests putting on a condom on the sex toy even while sharing it with a partner.
So, almost all adult toys are non-returnable in these stores.
However, some stores like XOXTOYS might offer a partial or full refund if the item is:
- Faulty or defective
- Returned 30 days from within delivery with clear proof of why
- Has signs of being used by someone else.
If you do return an item, the shipping cost will be deducted from your pocket or the store might cut it from your refund money.
Sometimes, the retail store might have clear return policies but the seller does not.
Due to how complex returns are with online sex toy stores, you should read the return policies properly. There are items like toy cleaners, where you might get refunds with no questions asked.
But if the toy comes in direct contact with your body, chances of a return or refund are low.
And you want the adult toy store to be strict about it. Because this policy protects you from receiving someone else’s used items.
4. Buy Smart Toys Only From Trusted Manufacturers
The retail stores and vendors are not the only ones responsible for your safety. With smart toys, you should look into the manufacturer.
Smart sex toys can come with lots of security vulnerabilities. For example, the Cellmate Chastity Cage from the company Qiui came with an app which lets its users lock and unlock the chastity belt remotely.
Soon after the security firm Pen Test Partners found multiple security issues with the app. A person with basic hacking knowledge could lock the user into the cage and stop other authorized users from unlocking it. In fact, this did happen to some users of the belt.
So, before you buy a smart sex toy from a retail store, you should:
- Find out if there have been complaints about security issues in the toy.
- Check if the developers frequently roll out security updates
- Download the control app before you buy the toy. You can test out how secure the app is yourself first.
More than anything, you should look into whether there are reviews where the user suspects the manufacturer is selling their data.
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When browsing anal toys, one design feature appears repeatedly in safety guidance: the flared base. For people researching flared base anal toys, this detail often raises questions. Why does the...
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Read More By XOXTOYSChoosing a dildo can feel straightforward until you are faced with sizing details like length, girth, and shape. Many people searching for a dildo size guide are not looking for extremes....
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When browsing personal wellness products, it is common to feel uncertain about how different designs actually compare. With so many vibrator types available, understanding the practical differences between popular options...
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As personal wellness products continue to evolve, many shoppers find themselves asking whether luxury vibrators are genuinely worth the higher price point. When browsing premium options, the differences are not...
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Ask anyone what their first orgasm felt like and they would describe it as a life-altering moment where their soul left their body for a while. But the potential of...
Read More By XOXTOYSAsk anyone what their first orgasm felt like and they would describe it as a life-altering moment where their soul left their body for a while. But the potential of...
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Unlike most male toys, cock rings complement partnered play more than solo use. It’s not to say men don’t love it for their alone time. They can’t get enough of...
Read More By XOXTOYSUnlike most male toys, cock rings complement partnered play more than solo use. It’s not to say men don’t love it for their alone time. They can’t get enough of...
Read More By XOXTOYS -
The concept of sex dolls has fascinated humans for some time. For some reason, our immediate response to any kind of loneliness is to find replacements for it in artificial...
Read More By XOXTOYSThe concept of sex dolls has fascinated humans for some time. For some reason, our immediate response to any kind of loneliness is to find replacements for it in artificial...
Read More By XOXTOYS -
Adam & Eve is a brand with its roots in the US and mail-order sex toy delivery. But over its 50 years of existence, the brand has made a name...
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Think of sex like a video game. Not because it’s one or you even treat it like one. But it’s similar to how when you get really good at a...
Read More By XOXTOYSThink of sex like a video game. Not because it’s one or you even treat it like one. But it’s similar to how when you get really good at a...
Read More By XOXTOYS -
Think of sex like a video game. Not because it’s one or you even treat it like one. But it’s similar to how when you get really good at a...
Read More By XOXTOYSThink of sex like a video game. Not because it’s one or you even treat it like one. But it’s similar to how when you get really good at a...
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Butt plugs and vibrators feel scary good. You’re stimulating a highly sensitive area. A part some consider more responsive than the clitoris. So, if you’re considering anal play or about...
Read More By XOXTOYSButt plugs and vibrators feel scary good. You’re stimulating a highly sensitive area. A part some consider more responsive than the clitoris. So, if you’re considering anal play or about...
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Read More By XOXTOYS -
Local stores charge you double of online sex toy shops. This is an open secret. And it’s understandable. They have a rent and salary to pay. While online shops have...
Read More By XOXTOYSLocal stores charge you double of online sex toy shops. This is an open secret. And it’s understandable. They have a rent and salary to pay. While online shops have...
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Black dildos appeal to people for two reasons. The solid dark color is visually stimulating, as your eyes zero in on it when it’s going inside of you or when...
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In the adventurous world of intimate self-discovery and pleasure, few aids have garnered as much attention as adult toys and personal lubricants. From the bedroom of a curious novice to...
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Read More By XOXTOYS -
If this is your first time looking for sex toys for solo play, you should start with a bullet vibrator. They are generally made for external use. It's understandable if...
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Read More By XOXTOYS -
Do you know what’s more embarrassing than being inside an adult toy store? Going inside the toy store, knowing full well everyone on the street can see you walk inside....
Read More By XOXTOYSDo you know what’s more embarrassing than being inside an adult toy store? Going inside the toy store, knowing full well everyone on the street can see you walk inside....
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Male masturbators are a drop in the ocean of female masturbators. Anyone who is familiar with adult toys could probably name 6 types of vibrators off the top of their...
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