Daily Life - Shopping Online (C0207)

A:  What are you doing?
B:  I'm just looking for a nice pillow on Ebay.
A:  You are shopping for a pillow online? That's absurd!
B:  Why? I don't have to leave the house or browse a dozen stores to find what I'm looking for. This way, I just search for it online quick and easy.
A:  I see, but how do you pay for it? How do you know you aren't going to be ripped off by the seller?
B:  Well, the website handles a point system where if the seller does something wrong, people comment negatively and then you know that he or she may not be trustworthy.
A:  Wow, that sounds pretty safe. So how do you pay? Do you need a credit card?
B:  You can use a credit card or your debit card. They also let you use the PayPal system which is really safe and fast. I have never had any problems with someone hacking my information or anything.
A:  Do you think I can find a sweater for my dog online?
B:  You can find anything! Are you sure you want to start shopping online though? Once you step into this world, there is no turning back!
A:  Let's do it!

Key Vocabulary

absurdridiculous
rip offbe cheated violently;be stolen from
trustworthyreliable, or dependable;worthy of being trusted
hackgain unauthorized access to another computer syste
browseto inspect something leisurely and casually
point systema system of evaluation based on awarding points
credit carda plastic card enables the holder to pay on credit
no turning backnot to halt the advance of; no to regret

Supplementary Vocabulary

electronic commercethe buying and selling of products or services over the internet
search engineA program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found.
CODCharge on Delivery, a payment method that allows you to pay for goods once they have been delivered.
wire transferAn electronic transfer of funds from one account to another
webstoreA webstore is a website that sells products or services and typically has an online shopping cart associated with it

Online Review and Discussion.   ©2010 Praxis Language Ltd.