Cash, Check Or...Cash? When credit card payments aren't an option, one thing stands between you and online sales: your credibility.

Q: I'm a business owner whodoesn't accept credit cards. How can I make customerscomfortable about sending their money to an online businessthey're not familiar with?

Charles Laboz
Via e-mail

A: Many successful Web merchants,whether they're in the start-up phase or already established,don't offer the option of paying by credit card. In fact,Lucille Birkholtz and Sandra Neuberger of Willow Lake, SouthDakota, who operate Specially for You, selling custom clothing forpeople with physical disabilities, tell us their customers actuallyprefer sending checks rather than ordering with a credit card.