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1. There are many advantages to buying goods and services online compared to conventional ("bricks and mortar") stores. Name one.
2. There are many products that people often prefer these days to buy online instead of in stores. Name one. Have you ever bought this item online? Why or why not?
3. There are many famous eCommerce websites. Name one. What do you know about this store/site? Do you use that store/site? Why?
4. When was the last time you bought something good online (goods or services - either is OK)? Why were you so pleased?
5. When was the last time you bought something online that you regret buying (goods or services - either is OK)? What happened?
6. Some people say that eCommerce is terrific, because it saves people time and money. Others say eCommerce is terrible because it stifles competition, underpays employees and destroys small businesses. What do you think - terrific or terrible?

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Question 1

Shopping online grants you access to products you would otherwise not be able to purchase. Things like ebooks, music, or other digital downloads. These items are often cheaper than their physical equivalents and they are delivered almost instantly upon purchase.

Question 2

Video games. I have quite a library of video games, all of which have been purchased online. I buy these because, as I said above, they are cheaper and are delivered quickly. In theory, I have access to this library of games anywhere in the world, which is pretty cool.

Question 3

eBay. This is a website that allows users to open online stores and conduct online auctions without having to create their own site. eBay is an American corporation founded in 1995. It became a notable success story during the dot-com bubble.

Question 4

I bought my mother a bunch of flowers online for Mother's Day. She was really pleased with them, calling me up to say thank you and sending me a photo of her posing with them in the garden. It made her happy, which made me happy.

Question 5

I bought a laser pointer through Amazon maybe a year ago. I bought it on a whim, as I've always wanted one. It wasn't expensive, it arrived in timely fashion, and it works fine. I just don't really need it so I hardly ever use it.

Question 6

eCommerce is great. To be able to shop for something on the other side of the world at two in the morning and receive it five days later is a powerful thing. So is being able to track down items you thought were out of print or never released in your area. Yes, it probably means that there will eventually only be a half dozen companies that run the world. But I'm okay with that and I don't think we could stop that from happening now even if we wanted to.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
grant access	アクセス許可
otherwise	さもないと
equivalent	同等の
in theory	理論的には
auction	オークション
success story	サクセスストーリー
on a whim	気まぐれに
in timely fashion	タイムリーに