Cautious But Not Afraid

This upcoming holiday and the party that goes with it, people are flooding my email with wish lists (or their amendments to their previous wish lists). Browsing through all of the messages to avoid not being able to read any of the more important messages in my email, I happened to read an email about a help on a wish list, more specifically on where to find a book of Orhan Pamuk as a gift. It mentioned that one can easily find such book in Avalon.ph. It further mentioned the ease of transaction that comes along with going to the said website and that, based on previous experience with the website, it seems trustworthy.

From my experience, when it comes to commercial transactions made through the internet, Filipinos are cautious. And I think I understand why. For example, I myself have yet to actually buy something through the internet because I am not sure whether the object that I buy would be able to reach my physical destination, or for that matter, how and against whom would I go against (sue, maybe) if after I paid for such merchandise, it does not reach me. I refuse to pay using a credit card because somebody might hack the site, take the credit card number, and use it without my knowledge.

Given all these cautiousness, the message I received from my blockmate helps in alleviating some of the doubts I have in internet transactions. I guess this particular mode of transacting business would not prosper if it was not secure in the first place. I still need to know more about doing business through the internet. But I can now say that while I am still cautious, I am no longer afraid.

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Rivera, Jan Michael A.
02-16779