Shopping Help

There are two ways to use the On-line Catalog for Starpath purchases:

1. Off-line ordering. One approach is to browse through the catalog, jot down the items you want, and then call 800-955-8328 from the US or Canada to place the order using a bank card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express). If you prefer to fax an order to us, it would be easiest to create a shopping list as discussed just below, and fax that to us (206-783-9209).

For software and course purchases, you also have the option to check our list of software outlets to see if one might be near enough to be more convenient than having us ship the products to you. Needless to say, our free technical support extends to all of our products regardless of where they are purchased.

Creating an automatic shopping list is likely the easiest way to communicate your order to us off-line. Use the button on the catalog page of each item to automatically build a shopping list of the products you want. Pressing that button simply takes you to a page showing the list. Nothing is ordered and nothing is permanently recorded in the process. The list can be reviewed at any time with the option which appears throughout the catalog. If you leave the catalog, you can find this option from the site map.

Once you have this list compiled, you can prepare a page for convenient printing using the Make List button. That option generates a printable page which will include blank spaces for your name, address, etc., along with payment options. Again, nothing is ordered nor permanently recorded in this process. Your selections are simply re-formatted so they can be printed from your web browser.

Print out that sheet, then fill in the blanks and fax it to us, or just use it as your notes to call and place the order in person.... or leave it in some conspicuous place for a friend or loved one to find at a time when gift giving might be appropriate! Orders are typically filled the day they are received, so orders placed in this manner are almost as fast as a direct on-line orders.

If you might have questions about printing from your web browser, check the Help button located on that sheet for instructions. At each step in this process you will find the button which will be directly linked to a reminder of what takes place at that step in the process.

2. On-line ordering. The simplest and most efficient way to order, night or day, regardless of your time zone, is to use our direct on-line ordering. Begin as with off-line ordering by adding your chosen items to a shopping list.

Use the button which appears next to each item in the catalog to automatically build a shopping list of the products you want. Pressing that button simply takes you to a page showing the list. Nothing is ordered at this stage and nothing is permanently recorded in the process. The list can be reviewed at any time during your shopping with the option which appears throughout the catalog. If you leave the catalog, you can find this option from the site map.

Once you have this list compiled, select the Place Order option at the bottom of the Shopping List page. This will take you to a form page where you can enter your personal information for shipping and payment. You also indicate here how you want the order to be confirmed when shipped. You will be given an automatic computaton of 3 shipping options. Please see shipping information for details on shipping.

Please note your order will require a valid e-mail address — or none at all. Please double check the typing when you enter it. This will be used to confirm your order (if you choose that option) or to send questions if they arise. If you do not choose to use email for confirmation or do not have a useful e-mail address for this purpose, then please leave this space completely blank. Needless to say, your e-mail address and all other information in your application is completely confidential and no part of it is ever distributed in any form to anyone.

When these forms have been filled out, select Create Invoice to see a summary of your order. Note that still there is nothing that has been permanently recorded or ordered at this stage. At this stage, it is recommended that you print the screen to keep for your records a copy of the order you placed.

Printing from a web browser should be straight forward, just select print from the File menu in the main menu bar. You also have a convenient print preview in Netscape browsers (not available on IE). If the output is not formatted as you like, the margins and other formatting is done in the Page Setup option also in the File menu of both browsers. If you need to make changes, they are straight forward in Netscape, but require some special commands with Internet Explorer, which are covered in the IE help file. Chances are the default printing will work just fine. With color printers you may want to select gray scale to save time and ink.

After confirming that the order details are correct, select Place Order and your order will be immediately transmitted to us for fulfilment. That would complete the process and your shopping list would be emptied. We then send you confirmation by the method you selected when the order has been shipped, or we contact you by that method if any questions should arise.

Returns, guarantee, and order cancellation policies

The issue of SECURITY with internet shopping
Internet shopping using credit cards is clearly a high-tech approach which is new to many. It is understandable that some may feel insecure about using credit cards over the internet. We can only say that we have been offering this service for a long time now with no problems whatsoever. Also, maybe more to the point, this is the way we shop ourselves whenever possible. It is efficient, and we have had no problems with our own purchases done this way — mostly so far for books, software, and computer hardware — nor have we heard of any problems from friends or acquaintances.

Credit card transactions are inherently secure because the banks issuing the cards insure their users against erroneous or fraudulent charges. Needless to say, with the high interest rates they charge we can fairly expect this security, and we can expect prompt and efficient action if any problem should arise. If a false charge appears on a credit card for any reason — and this is far more likely from conventional use than an internet use — a simple call to the bank card company will correct it. Credit card companies have a remarkably good record in prompt efficient refunds for any claims.

Internet shopping is for the most part no different than conventional shopping (other than being more convenient and very likely more secure in most cases!) in that the key issue is the integrity of who you are doing business with. If any doubts should arise, feel free to ask your prospective merchant (including us of course) for business references, or check with the local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against this merchant.

We are tip-toeing into a New Era. Things are changing, and certainly not all for the good. But shopping over the internet is indeed one of the good ones. Try it. You'll like it.

Cookies and online ordering
A "cookie" is a line of text that the internet site you are logged onto writes into your computer to last either just temporarily or for an extended period. Most internet ordering systems use cookies to identify the computer they are communicating with. If you received a notice from us in the order process that a cookie could not be recorded, then you either answered "Cancel" to the request to write the order-ID cookie or your browser was set to automatically decline all cookies.

If you would like to order online, then please answer "OK" to the cookie request when you get it. If you did not receive such a request, then to order you must reset your browser options to accept cookies, at least conditionally. If you are not familiar with how to do this, or you just want more information about cookies, please see our Notes on Cookies. The Starpath order-ID cookie expires the moment you log off of starpath.com, leaving nothing at all on your computer.

Do not hesitate to call, fax, or e-mail us if you have any questions about on-line shopping. We are standing by to help in any way we can.