Online shopping

Payment

Online shoppers commonly use a credit card or a PayPal account in order to make payments. However, some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as:

• 
  Billing to mobile phones and landlines^[33][34]
  
• 
  Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies
  
• 
  Cash on delivery (C.O.D.)
  
• 
  Cheque/ Check
  
• 
  Debit card
  
• 
  Direct debit in some countries
  
• 
  Electronic money of various types
  
• 
  Gift cards
  
• 
  Invoice, especially popular in some markets/countries, such as Switzerland
  
• 
  Postal money order
  
• 
  Wire transfer/delivery on payment
  

Some online shops will not accept international credit cards. Some require both the purchaser's billing and shipping address to be in the same country as the online shop's base of operation. Other online shops allow customers from any country to send gifts anywhere. The financial part of a transaction may be processed in real time (e.g. letting the consumer know their credit card was declined before they log off), or may be done later as part of the fulfillment process.

Product delivery

Foodora's home delivery by bicycle in Tampere, Finland

Once a payment has been accepted, the goods or services can be delivered in the following ways. For physical items:

• 
  Package delivery: The product is shipped to a customer-designated address. Retail package delivery is typically done by the public postal system or a retail courier such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, or TNT.
  
• 
  Drop shipping: The order is passed to the manufacturer or third-party distributor, who then ships the item directly to the consumer, bypassing the retailer's physical location to save time, money, and space.
  
• 
  In-store pick-up: The customer selects a local store using a locator software and picks up the delivered product at the selected location. This is the method often used in the bricks and clicks business model.
  

For digital items or tickets:

• 
  Downloading/Digital distribution:^[35] The method often used for digital media products such as software, music, movies, or images.
  
• 
  Printing out, provision of a code for, or e-mailing of such items as admission tickets and scrip (e.g., gift certificates and coupons). The tickets, codes, or coupons may be redeemed at the appropriate physical or online premises and their content reviewed to verify their eligibility (e.g., assurances that the right of admission or use is redeemed at the correct time and place, for the correct dollar amount, and for the correct number of uses).
  
• 
  Will call, COBO (in Care Of Box Office), or "at the door" pickup: The patron picks up pre-purchased tickets for an event, such as a play, sporting event, or concert, either just before the event or in advance. With the onset of the Internet and e-commerce sites, which allow customers to buy tickets online, the popularity of this service has increased.