When I first came on net, I was so bewildered! It was as if I had traveled to a faraway land and everyone spoke a foreign language. I couldn't understand them and they couldn't understand me. When I asked for directions, it didn't help. I didn't understand enough of language to communicate properly, or to understand directions. I felt so foolish!

Well, you either have to learn enough of language to manage or go home. Now that you are faced with that decision, you either take easy way out and go home, or find resources to help you survive. I became so frustrated, that I almost took easy way out and went home more than once. Then I was blessed to read right ad and find help and support I needed. My greatest supporter was Brenda Ruple http://www.aunt-b.bigstep.com When I needed to cry, she was there, when I needed to yell, she was there.........I don't know what I would have done without her support!

I decided that I wanted a website done my way. Everyone was telling me how easy it was! I didn't need to know HTML. I didn't realize how difficult it would be until I got started. I had picked up some of 'lingo', so I felt that I could handle this! WRONG! There were days I emailed question after question to my host. I was sure that he was getting sick of me asking so many questions. There were days I cried and said "Why can't I get this?" There were even days I did nothing. I took a break!

You arrive at an online auction and are eager to start bidding. You start looking at descriptions and pictures of items you are interested in. Then bidding starts.............

Wow! The excitement! You are now bidding on item that you really *must* have. When bidding ends, you are notified that you have winning bid! My, how excited you are! You send your payment through Paypal or by mail. You can't wait to receive item! After all, it is a *must* have item!

You wait anxiously for mailman to deliver your package. You can't wait everyday until he delivers mail. You run to mailbox as soon as he leaves. This goes on for weeks! Now it's been months. It *never* arrives.

Don't feel that you are only one that has experienced this. In 1999, consumers lost more than $3 billion to Internet fraud [National Consumer League]. People never received what they purchased or merchandise they did receive wasn't what seller had described.

What do you do now?

First, contact person selling merchandise. Mistakes *do* happpen. Be sure to keep a copy of correspondance [mail or email], between you and seller.

Didn't get anywhere with that approach?

**Complain to on-line auction site. Be sure you can give them proof of your payment and have copies of any correspondance between you and seller.

**Check to see if site offers a dispute resolution service. This service works for you, buyer.