Apresenta o resultado de um estudo realizado com 401 usuários de dois provedores de acesso à internet no Brasil, entre os dias 16 e 29 de maio de 2000. O objetivo principal foi analisar o comportamento dos consumidores de compra de produtos pela Internet. A pesquisa baseou-se na teoria da difusão de inovações tendo como foco de análise três aspectos do processo de adoção de inovações: 1. as características pessoais do usuário; 2. as características percebidas da inovação; 3. as influências pessoais recebidas pelo usuário. Estes aspectos revelam o perfil do consumidor que compra produtos e serviços pela internet.; Based on a model of adoption of innovations, this paper has the purpose of verifying the relationships among the adopters' personal characteristics, the perceived characteristics of the innovation and the personal influence in the innovator's purchase behavior. In order to achieve this task, an on-line field research was applied to 401 end-user consumers of Internet goods and services from two internet providers during the second and third week of May 2000. The results indicated that innovators in the Internet do not belong to a certain age range, neither have specific school levels. On the other hand, they have higher income levels in comparison with other Internet users who do not use it to buy. They also have a high degree of cosmopolitism, high exposure to mass media, significant Internet familiarity and deep knowledge of Internet procedures. However, the research could not assert whether Internet consumers have any degree of expertise in relation to ecommerce or not. The results have also shown that innovators do perceive it is highly advantageous to buy goods and services on the Internet and that this new way of buying is in accordance with their values and past experiences. On the other hand the research could not state whether the complexity of buying on the Internet affects these consumers' innovating purchase behavior. The results have not shown any significant relationships between the degree of interpersonal influence and the innovative purchase behavior.