I want to check the validity of this site. http://uk.tobaccoonline.co.uk
are they trusted to buy goods from. can they be trusted in cc details.

Hello bashar007,

The site appears to be a valid site. 

First of all, it is registered in the whois database as a company
based in Illinois, in the United States. Many illegitimate sites have
fake addresses in foreign countries that are harder to trace. The
registration began in 2004 and ends in 2008. Many scammers only
register domains for a period of a year or so, because they need to
commit their fraud and then shut down the site.

The address that is used to register the site is real, and it is also
listed as the contact on the tobaccoonline website, which is a good
sign.

In addition, the site takes credit cards and does not insist that
payment be made by Western Union or by electronic transfer.

YOu are usually safe giving out your credit card details online. If
they are stolen, you have protection from your credit card and can
have the charges removed and your number changed. Many credit cards
also allow you to use a temporary number for use in online shopping.
Check with your credit card first to see if this option is available.

NEVER buy from a site that won't accept credit cards, for this very reason.

Sources:
Network Solutions
http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp

Search terms:
whois
tobaccoonline.co.uk
tobaccoonline.co.uk fraud
tobaccoonline.co.uk complaints

If you need any additional clarification, let me know and I'll
certainly be glad to help.

--keystroke-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by bashar007-ga on 22 Sep 2006 01:59 PDT

hello keystroke,

Thank you for your reply. I need one more clarification. the site uses
this site for secure orders,(https://ssl.allpay.pl) which appears to
be in poland, they also charge the credit card with polish currency.
is there a justifiable reason for this procedure? thanks

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Clarification of Answer by keystroke-ga on 25 Sep 2006 08:18 PDT

Hi bashar007,

The use of the Polish site is a bit circumspect, but that does not
totally mean that everything is not on the up-and-up. Although the
company is American that owns the tobaccoonline website, they are
catering to customers who are in the UK. Since Poland is indeed in the
European Union and subject to its various laws and regulations, I
suspect that it's simply a way for the American company to enjoy a
more favorable exchange rate, and possibly pay less for a company to
manage its transactions. Poland is certainly not a place like
Indonesia, where the very fact of a business being located there makes
it suspicious. I suspect that nothing untoward is occurring, although
I will also say that it is not exactly good business practice to
charge credit cards in a different currency than your customers use--
customers can face change currency fees and it seems to be a policy
that is geared to their bottom line and not the customer's.

So, I would still trust the site if they do have the best rates on
tobaccco available, but be aware of any change currency fees that you
might face on your credit card as a result.

Let me know if you need anything else.
Thanks!
--keystroke-ga