Group 3

	Group 3 Amy, Elaine, Belinda, Karen Japanese Topic: Your Opinions on the Internet Shopping
	Pros and Cons of Online Shopping
	Nowadays, people use internet more frequently than before. Sometimes people surf the internet to get information, but now they get new things to do by shopping on the net, which has been one of the most popular shopping ways in the decades. It offers much more shopping opportunities than ever. According to a survey by yam.com, it is over 60% people having experiences of internet shopping since 2003. Above it, 31.5% is cosmetics and personal care item. This research also shows female shopping on the internet is growing up. In 2006, it is believed that the population of internet shoppers will be increasing because the websites of auction are just like huge virtual shopping malls. But is internet shopping good for people? Is it safe? What kind of people suit for this kind of shopping? The Internet or other “online” services are becoming the newest marketplaces of goods and services. What do they use internet for? Maybe you will say, “Of course, search for information.” The following opinions may tell you more about internet shopping.
	The Internet shopping is really a good invention. You can buy anything you want through the internet. Buyers can find nearly everything on the Internet. Sometimes it’s way off your imagination. Young girls can shop for clothes or cosmetics; students can buy second-hand books and businessmen can sell various kinds of products as well. Just “click” the icon, paying the money by cash or credit cards, and wait for few days, then the goods will be delivered to your front door. During the whole process, from the very beginning you’re interested in the product to the very end that you receive your order, you can ask any question about the product, and the seller will reply you as soon as possible, or you can communicate with the seller through the internet at anytime. This really helps us to save a lot of time. To most modern people, time is money. Nowadays, more and more people are addicted to online shopping leading this way of shopping to become more and more popular. Usually on the websites, sellers display colorful pictures of the selling products. Under the pictures, they write down details or illustrations about the products in order to attract the customer’s attention by giving them more useful information.
	On the other hand, we not only enjoy the benefits of online shopping but need to be aware of its pitfalls. The disadvantage of internet shopping is that you can only see the picture of the product instead of the real one. You can not touch it or try it to know the functions. It’s also a problem about the seller’s honesty. Sometimes the item they advertise is exaggerated rather than the real one. Perhaps it is a fresh lemon or a fake one, but you can only judge it from the picture and the seller’s written introduction. Moreover, you have to consider about cheating before you pay the money. Otherwise, the seller will not give you the product your order. The other problem is the safety of a buyer’s privacy. Usually shoppers pay their purchase with credit cards. When they write down their ID numbers to pay for the items, their personal data might be stolen. Worse than this is most of them are not aware of this crime until many days later after they are notified that the money in their bank accounts is almost gone.
	According to the previous opinions, the internet really offers a different way and a variety of choice to consumers. Now companies or manufacturers can sell products through net. Even we can be the seller by ourselves. We just set up an individual website then we can sell things. Though internet shopping is convenient, we still can’t ignore the venture of internet or we might be trapped by this virtual world. Indeed, there are pros and cons about internet shopping. However, we should take an optimistic attitude toward this new shopping wave. Although there are problems, there are benefits as well. Undoubtedly, internet shopping has become a new trend in this so-called “global village”.
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