Frequently Asked Questions

How does the store work?

When you first enter the store, you are assigned a shopping cart that holds your purchases. Whenever you see an item that you want to purchase, you can add it to your cart by entering the number of items to add and clicking on the "Add to Cart" button for that item. The program will then show you the contents of your shopping cart, including the item(s) that you just added.

At any time, you can view or change the contents of your cart by clicking on the "View Shopping Cart" link at the top of the page. You can remove items from your cart by simply setting the quantity to zero and updating your cart.

When you have finished collecting items to purchase, you can click on the "Checkout" link at the top or bottom of the page. You will be given the chance to verify your purchases before finalizing your order. If the shop owner accepts orders by postal mail, you will be given a chance to print an invoice to mail in. Otherwise, your order will be sent to a secure web server to collect your payment and shipping information.

Can I come back to my cart later?

If your browser accepts cookies, you will be able to come back to your cart and any items in your cart will still be waiting for you, up to when the cookie expires. Most common versions of the Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers will accept cookies unless you tell them not to. If your browser does not accept cookies, or if you return after the cookie expires, you will be assigned a new cart when you return.

Is my order secure?

Yes. The shopping program is designed to run on an insecure server while you gather your purchases. It will not collect any information about you while running in insecure mode. When you are ready to make your purchase, you will be transferred to a secure server and then you will be asked to provide shipping and billing information. Your private data will be encrypted before sending it back to the shop owner for processing.