24-08-2007
SMEs shun e-commerce over fear of fraud
A significant number of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK shun trading on the internet because of fears over fraud, it has been revealed.
According to comments made by a representative from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), SMEs avoid e-commerce either out of fear, or because of a lack of familiarity with the workings of the internet.
"The basic reason why a lot of members don't fancy selling online at the moment is either because they're not internet experts … or because they're very concerned about online fraud so they don't know what their legal protections are that way as well," said a spokesman for the FSB.
According to the results of a recent survey by the FSB, only 18.4 per cent of SMEs sell products over the internet, while 4.5 per cent use eBay for the selling of produce.
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