Reducing the chances of getting scammed when buying over the internet.

Several things come to mind but there is one in particular that has worked for me.

First of all make sure you deal with a person/company with which you will be able to get in contact if something goes wrong.

In this sense, request (and verify by calling) a phone number to discuss the transaction. The number has to be a household/business number and NOT a cell phone number. Do a reverse look-up to verify if the address where you are asked to send the money to, coincides with the name and number you were provided. Needless to say cover your bases by having e-mail exchange about the whole transaction.

Anything else that anyone might think of that would decrease the likelihood of being scammed?