It's as easy as that. Chat is CORE's main message system that operates in a similar fashion to a bullitin board or any other threaded list. Chat is a free service for members and the general public to facilitate the exchange of information. Chat was designed to be a threaded list rather than a real-time program in order to preserve the information contained within the list. Real-time chat doesn't preserve threads or conversations, and so any useful information is gone once you leave the program.
Shopping is a member service provided for the purpose of exchanging goods with other members.
Think of it the same way you would the classified adds, except it's free, you can post more information about your item, and you can include a picture of that item. Unlike the classifieds or the dozens of auction websites on the Internet, purchasing is immediate using a credit card. Payment is easy on our secure server using our payment management system. CORE allows its members to view their individual account information such as hours on-line, billing information, and other account statistics. All you need to do is click on My Account and log in.