This paper is based on a literature study of electronic trade. E-trade still seems to be in the early stages of development. Some e-trade WebPages resemble flea market tables and are based upon the desk-metaphor. Other e-trade WebPages resemble catalogues from traditional mail-order companies. The communication in e-trade is still fundamentally built upon the same asymmetric one-way communication model as in any ordinary trade situation. The producer/sender side in the process decides where and when commodities are sold. However, there is one significant difference. The act of shopping and the payment systems on the Internet exists in a virtual environment and are completed instantly whereas the delivery of the goods is not. The metaphors that guide all computer interaction as well as the basic conditions of WebPage design, seem to be based upon standards created in a military discourse more than 30 years ago. This male dominated, military discourse presumably had some impact on the metaphors that where chosen. These choices possibly made the technical aspects and the machine-metaphor visible, as they are still dominant in our computers and on the Internet today. The future is likely to bring different and new kinds of commodities and services that are delivered through, and available only on the Internet. This new line of development has already started. The receivers have the possibility to conquer a new symmetric two-way communication relationship visavi the sender if and when the technique for customised industrial production on demand is developed (B2B2C). These new types of commerce will be helpful in the process of adapting to the possibilities of the Internet. In the future there will hopefully be increased interest in human interaction and the development of a natural "invisible" interface which uses the media-metaphor, rather than focusing on the machine. Conclusion: E-trade still requires a lot of time and effort to fully adapt to the medium. The evolution of the communication process is one of the important challenges for e-trade and its future prospects.