What We Do With Your Credit Card

We validate (but do not charge) your card when you first place your order with us. This helps us process your order more quickly because we can catch typos and you can correct them right away.

We charge your card only when we actually ship your products out to you.

All your credit card information is transmitted encrypted, and kept encrypted and password protected. It is not accessible from the Internet or web in any way.

How We Ensure Your Credit Card Security

Our site uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to ensure that your personal and sensitive data-- credit card number, name, address, and so on -- is transmitted securely, every time. In addition, we use internal security measures to further increase your data security.

When we ask for your credit card number or other personal information we transfer that information from your computer to ours via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). SSL encrypts your data before it is transmited. If someone "listens in" on the wire, they'll only get encrypted information.

Yes, even encryption can be broken, but it's not easy. If your browser uses the short or 40-bit key, in theory your key can be broken by a knowledgable person who has access to networks of workstation-class computers. If your browser is using a 128-bit key, then breaking the encryption would take longer than the age of the universe -- even if you could harness all the computers in the world. That's pretty secure!

The Risks to You

Forget the Internet for a moment. When you give someone your name and credit card over the phone or in person, you run two risks. These risks are:

When you send your credit card over the Internet, you run LESS of a risk than when you read it over the phone to a mail order company, or hand it to a waiter in a restaurant. Why? Because we don't use carbons. We don't write your information down. We don't repeat your number aloud in a room full of telemarketers. You enter your data and it goes directly into our system, where it is stored encrypted and password-protected.

Buying from our site with a credit card is no more risk than paying for dinner out.

What if Someone DOES Get Your Name and Card Number?

In most cases, your credit card company won't charge you for a charge you didn't make. In most places, by law, you cannot be liable for more than $50 on any charge made fraudulently on your card, as long as you notify your credit card company in a timely fashion. So, in fact, you're probably already protected. While most places give legal protection to credit cards, debit cards are often covered by different laws.

About Encryption

The best encryption available requires that your browser use a 128-bit key or better. If you're interested in finding out more about encryption issues and the politics of encryption, take a look at the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

How Secure are You With Just the Short Key?

Using current technology, they would still have to spend many hours and use a lot of expensive hardware on every single transaction to do this. It just isn't very cost effective.

Remember that even just using the short key over the Internet is far more secure than handing your credit card to a waiter in a restaurant, or reading it over the phone to an operator, where you can't be sure who else might be listening or copying the information.

If Your Browser Doesn't Encrypt

Most modern commercial web browsers handle encrypted communication, but some browsers don't. If yours doesn't, then you will not be able to place orders through our on-line store. But you can always call us and order by phone at 888-951-0111 Our hours are: M-F 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time

If your browser cannot support secure transmissions, you may want to obtain a new browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer.