New Refrigerator? What Madness

In a world of scarce resources, I find it incomprehensible that I should replace my so-called ''durable goods'' refrigerator every three years instead of every nine (''As I Was Saying to My Refrigerator'' Web Smart 50, Sept. 18).

Which of our crowded landfills will take all the old refrigerators? How much wasted energy will go into producing and shipping all the new machines? How much gas will be used by Web-based grocers delivering a half-gallon of milk at a time to my Internet-savvy refrigerator?

Michael Treschow of Electrolux says: ''We must convince consumers to replace machines more often.'' Yes, I suppose we ''must.'' But what a cost our madness entails.

Richard Frederick
Tacoma, Wash.

Why Auctions Are Here to Stay

I partially agree with you that one reason for the eBay craze is that it has a critical mass of buyers (''Will Auction Frenzy Cool?'' Cutting Edge, Sept. 18). However, I think you fail to visit the fact that buyers see value in paying market price for any and all items.

When consumers make purchases, it is reassuring to know that they are paying a fraction more than what others are willing to pay. If you notice, the items that are popular on eBay are all difficult to appraise. When customers shop for art, baseball cards, antiques, etc., there is often a feeling that they have been ripped off.

I believe auctions will be around with any items that are not backed by large household brands, that are difficult to appraise, or that are typically promoted through alternative marketing channels such as classifieds or trade shows.

Ian Crystal
New York

Simple Web Sites Work Best

E.biz was exactly right in praising the simplicity of Southwest Airlines' Web site (''The Trick to Selling Airline Tickets Online? Minimalism,'' Web Smart 50, Sept. 18)

I have bought many tickets from Southwest in the past year and a half without encountering problems, even though I run Windows 3.1 over a 14.4k modem and use an old, non-Java-enabled browser. It has been difficult to impossible to rent a car from the bandwidth-heavy rental car sites, by contrast. Companies doing global business could also benefit from not demanding so much in resources from the PC client on the other end.

Yes, simple is better.

Anne Peticolas
Austin, Tex.

Hate E-mail Is No Joke

It was shocking and even a bit frightening to see a respected magazine such as BUSINESS WEEK treating lightly, and even condoning, hate e-mail (''Virtual Voodoo,'' Home Page, Sept. 18) released by PinStruck.com.

It is illegal to threaten people on the telephone, in person, or by mail, yet you propose that this is a laughable matter when it is done by e-mail.

Peter Christ
Camas, Wash.

The Limits of E-Tailing

Thank you very much for publishing your recent article (''Online Luxury Has Limits,'' Perspective On Retailing, Sept. 18).

It is currently trendy to bash e-tailing, but very few people seem to be thoughtful or constructive with their criticism. I think that your article did a clear and entertaining job of pointing out the problems with retail on the Internet. There is a lot to be done on the Internet, and more of it will evolve to what you have described.

John Dreyer
Rolling Meadows, Ill.