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How to buy
Put your money where your modem is

So you've finally found that size 8 leopard-print nubuck fedora with the peacock feather that you've searched for the world over. The only problem is that it's in New Zealand, accessible exclusively through the Web, and you're a scaredy-cat about new technology.

Don't want to give out your credit card number online? Join the club. But what's the difference between giving your number out online and giving it to someone on the phone? Or forking it over to that grinning waiter?

You've got lots of ways to spend money on the Web. You don't like one method, how about another? As merchants, banks, and software companies scramble to make it easy for you to fork over those greenbacks, they present such options as digital cash and digital credit cards combined with encryption and digital identification. Although electronic -- or digital -- cash is not widespread yet, banks are issuing it, allowing you to purchase items at registered retail sites. Electronic credit cards are coming up fast, employing coded messages, secret numbers, and electronic buyer identification.

Still nervous? Relax. Have a cream soda. Lots of companies are happy to have you to pick up the phone to order those lovely widgets off their Web sites. So you can enjoy the '90s in a very '80s way, if you so desire.

Better still, a happy medium is on the way. You won't have to stick your sweet neck out, and you won't have to stick to old-school commerce. The three major credit-card companies -- Visa, MasterCard, and American Express -- have combined efforts to come up with a system to ensure your safety when purchasing on the Web. It's called Secure Electronic Transaction (SET), and you may be able to use it as early as next month. Although SET isn't ready yet, you can still buy things online. Plenty of people do it all the time, complete with receipts, UPS, the whole satisfied-customer experience. And they avoid the hassles of parking, traffic, lines at the post office, and all the irritations of doing the mall.

So do not fret, my pet. But do realize that the Web is going to be a major player in the shopping industry, whether you use it or not. So conquer you fear, be a pioneer, and reap the rewards as an Internet consumer.

Besides, where else are you going to find that hat?

-- M. Trouble Sample

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Here's How - Click for more!
Kathryn M. McGrail tells how
to get it done on the Net:
How do I determine if a site is a good risk?
How do I use my credit card?
How do I use digital cash?
How do I use digital credit cards?
How do I use digital checks?

Snappy Picks

Give me a little credit
Visa
MasterCard
American Express
Cybercash
FirstVirtual

Safety first
Secure Electronic Transaction
Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)
Verisign on digital identification

Secure online ordering
@Intermall
Sterling Works
Nabisco Gifts & Collectibles
Bow Cycle & Sports
Electronic Mini Mall SpaceJam Shopping/Ordering: Kid Stuff
MediaMart
JCPenney
Aardwulf Apparel Company
CD Universe


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