Q. How do I purchase an item at www.SondheimReview.com?

A. First, go to www.SondheimReview.com (if you haven't already) and then click on the "Buy Sondheim" button at the top of any page. The items we have available begin to appear on your screen. The most recent releases will appear first. While you can start scrolling through items almost immediately, it may take some extra time for the entire list and any related graphics to be loaded.

Notice also that you can skip to any one of five different categories of items:

Books · Recordings · Videos · Scripts · Scores

When you find the first item you want in our list of Sondheim-related items, click on that item in your usual fashion. Your browser will automatically be transferred to the item as it is available through The Sondheim Review and Amazon.com. This will take a little time, depending on your system setup and connection as well as general Internet traffic.

Keep in mind that your browser's "Back" button/choice will remember that you were just at www.SondheimReview.com, and it will be easy to return there.

The Amazon.com description of the item will include the original price, your discounted price, availability, reviews, and other information. If you decide against this item, click on the "Back" button/choice. You will not be accidentally charged for this item. You're still browsing at this point, and you won't be charged at all for browsing. (If you had actually started ordering, Amazon.com gives you several opportunities along the way to cancel an item you've started to order.)

If you decide you want to go ahead and buy this item, either:

• Click on "Add to Shopping Cart"
  OR
• Choose the handy "Buy 1 Now with 1-Click" button for instant purchase of this one item. (Note: You must already be set up with Amazon.com for 1-Click purchases. It's very handy! However, use the "Shopping Cart" approach if you haven't registered or you plan to purchase more than one item--it will save you some shipping costs.)

By the way, Amazon.com keeps the items in your Shopping Cart even though you might switch back and forth between Amazon.com and www.SondheimReview.com . This makes it easier for you to review all the items at www.SondheimReview.com and place all the items you want in one single Shopping Cart and then buy them all at once at Amazon's "Checkout."

Q. I'm worried about security on the Internet and using my credit card.

A. You're not alone, and Amazon.com has anticipated this. When you go through the Checkout process, there are additional options to let you mail in a check and also to let you call or fax Amazon.com with your credit card number. In their four years of existence, Amazon.com has not encountered any fraudulent use of credit card information through the use of their site. However, they indicate at their site that they will pay for any unauthorized charges that may occur. (You can read more about this at the Amazon.com site, if you wish.) At this writing (December 1998), The Sondheim Review's Business Manager, Ray Birks, has used Amazon.com for over a year and is very comfortable with Amazon.com storing his credit card information on their secure computer system. If you'd like to talk about it, feel free to call him at 1-773-275-4254.

Q. Does The Sondheim Review get any benefit out of all this?

A. Yes. Since Amazon.com benefits from a list of their items appearing at www.SondheimReview.com, Amazon.com pays The Sondheim Review a small percentage of the items that actually get purchased via our website. The percentage varies from item to item according to a variety of factors and formulas that Amazon.com sets. It is our hope that we will generate enough activity to cover the cost of our website. As a matter of fact, if you always visit Amazon.com by routing through www.SondheimReview.com, even those non-Sondheim items you purchase will help us cover our costs. It goes without saying that, we are happy to do more to spread the word about Mr. Sondheim's works and the artists who produce and perform them.

Q. If I forget what I have in my Shopping Cart, how can I review it?

A. In the upper right-hand portion of your Amazon.com screen, there should be a little picture of a Shopping Cart. Click on it, and the contents of your Shopping Cart will appear for your review. If you like, you may print out the contents of your Shopping Cart by using your web browser's Print command (Ctrl-P or Command-P).

Q. How can I jump from Amazon.com back to TSR's website in order to keep browsing through the Sondheim items?

A. There are several ways. The most common is to click on your web browser's "Back" button, though you may need to click it more than once. The "Back" button may or may not be visible on your web browser's toolbar. You might also try the keyboard shortcut of the "Back" command (Alt-Left Arrow or Option-Left Arrow).

Q. I've added the item(s) I want to my Shopping Cart. What are the steps--in detail--to finalize my order?

A. The first time you use Amazon.com, there are 10 steps to complete your order. Amazon.com has to go through these to get to know you. Many of these steps will be unnecessary on subsequent visits.

When your items are all in your Shopping Cart, click on "Proceed to Checkout." This only starts the Checkout process. You will have opportunities to cancel your order and to change quantities of items you're ordering. (By the way, you can always set the quantity of an item to 0 (zero) and that item will be excluded from your order.) During the Checkout process, you may occasionally receive interim messages regarding security. Review them, and click on "Continue" if you want to proceed. Remember that the ordering process will take place on Amazon's secure "server" (computer system). This keeps prying eyes away from your private information. When you see the large message "Click here to continue your order on our secure server," click on it to move to the secure area.

Step 1: Enter your e-mail address in the entry box. Also, be sure the "bullet" is in the proper choice, indicating whether you are a first-time customer or a returning customer. The bullet is often in the correct choice for you, so you probably won't have to change it. Notice that first-time customers will be asked to create a password later on in the process (Step 9). Be thinking about what password you might use.

Step 2: Select your preferred payment method. The bullet is pre-set in the credit card choice, since most people use that approach. Place the bullet here even if you prefer calling or faxing in your credit card number. If you prefer sending a check or want to use an Amazon.com gift certificate, also indicate that choice here.

Step 3: Is this a gift? If not, click on the "Continue" button. (If it is a gift, follow the on-screen instructions.)

Step 4: Enter the shipping address. Note that you will have to indicate whether this will be a new US address (USA, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, APO/FPO, etc.) or a new international address (anywhere else in the world). You will have to enter this address as it would appear on a mailing label. Note there is room for 2 lines of address before you enter the City and State. Include a phone number in the space provided. Click on "Done" (or perhaps "Use This Address") when the shipping address is complete and correct.

Step 5: Check your order. Review the titles, prices, and quantities. Recall that you can change the quantity to 0 (zero) to remove the item from your order. (If--that's IF--you do change any items to zero, be sure to click on the "Changed Quantities" button to be sure the change goes into effect.)

Step 6: Enter your credit card number. No spaces, no hyphens. Select the Credit Card type (VISA, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx, JCB). Be sure to include the card's Expiration Month and Year. Confirm the name as it appears on the credit card and the billing address zip code.

Step 7: What is your name? Enter it here if--that's IF--it is different from what is on the credit card.

Step 8: Select your preferred shipping method. Notice that Standard Shipping is pre-selected with a bullet. Also indicate if your items should all be shipped at once, when they're all available, to save on shipping charges. You may prefer to have each item shipped as it becomes available, at extra shipping cost.

Step 9: Please choose a password. By doing so, you will speed your future visits to Amazon.com. All you will need in the future will be your e-mail address and this password. At that point, you won't have to bother re-entering your shipping address or credit card (unless they change). You can also more easily check on the status of your orders under the "Your Account" section. Select a password that will be tough for others to guess. (A good technique is to use a "special character" somewhere in the middle of your password, such as a "*" or "/" or "&" or one of the other special characters on your keyboard. This makes passwords much harder to guess.) Notice that you will be asked to enter your password a second time. This will make sure that there were no typographical errors. Don't lose your password! Keep it in a safe, private place that you won't forget.

Step 10: Review your order. To continue browsing, return to either www.SondheimReview.com for more Sondheim-related items or click on "Go to Amazon.com Home Page (without completing your order)". Your Shopping Cart will still retain your un-purchased items for the time being. (If you decide to cancel it all at the last minute, just re-direct your browser to some other site, and/or close down your browser in the usual fashion. You could also return to the Amazon.com home page, go to your shopping cart, and change all the quantities to 0.) If you are satisfied with your order, click on "Click here to complete your order." If you click to confirm your order and all is well, you will see the purchase confirmation message "Thank you for shopping!" You will receive an e-mail message confirming your order and again when your item(s) actually ship.

Step 11: (optional) Scroll down a bit further and read about Amazon's "1-Click" feature. If you "Turn on 1-Click and Gift-Click Ordering Now," on your next visit to Amazon.com you'll be able to order single items very quickly. Try it sometime!

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