For example, Siam Commercial Bank and Chulalongkorn University Bookstore have announced that they will commence a collaborative effort to make the use of credit cards on the net easier and safer. Even if efforts like these are successful, other problems remain. Most Thais cannot even obtain a credit card, because they lack sufficient income. Thus, the use of credit cards is limited to the very affluent. And, of course, without credit cards, e-commerce loses much of its convenience.
Few retailers accept personal checks, and no one wants to send cash through the mail.
For most Thais, online bookstores, like all things high tech, will, for the foreseeable future, remain something quite apart from everyday reality. His research takes him on frequent trips to other countries from his home base in Bangkok. He contributes articles to magazines and newspapers on a wide variety of subjects, including contemporary music, film, and cuisine. All rights reserved.