Some analysts believe that eventually e-commerce will account for one-fifth of all retail sales. The numbers for business-to-business e-commerce are even higher. That will likely apply to buying and selling political campaign products and services as well.

Even if you haven't experienced it, you've undoubtedly read about it. Shopping on the Internet, whether as a consumer or as a business, is exploding in popularity.

Various studies indicate that from one-quarter to one-half of all Americans have now placed at least one order online. Some analysts believe that eventually e-commerce will account for one-fifth of all retail sales (the figure today is between 1 and 5 percent, depending on who's doing the counting). The numbers for business-to-business e-commerce are even higher.

This trend has important implications for political campaigners, who can buy a lot of things on the Internet, from bumper stickers to yard signs, office supplies to voter lists, compliance software to airline tickets. The Web gives campaigners a chance to find vendors who can meet tough time deadlines as well as budget limitations.

There's no better way to locate hard-to-find items or comparison-shop for the best deals. I've shopped for cars and plane tickets on the Web, and recently I bought boogie boards for my kids, videos for my wife, and specialty bath mats and pillow wedges for the house -- all items I couldn't find in local stores -- at excellent prices.

E-commerce has had a society wide impact, helping to fuel the economy's decade-long expansion, the longest since records were first kept 150 years ago. But to almost every upside there's a downside. With e-commerce, you need to beware of scams and foul-ups as businesses and entrepreneurs eager to cash in on the Internet gold rush do so ill-prepared or with venal motives.

The incidence of outright fraud appears to be low, with exceptions in the areas of pyramid schemes and, to a lesser extent, online auctions. More common problems are featured products being unavailable, late deliveries, high shipping charges and orders never arriving.

The key issue is trust. If you're buying, how can you trust Web merchants? If you're selling, how can you engender trust in prospects? As often happens with Web problems, the Web offers solutions as well.

Web sites can engender trust by being forthright and by understanding Internet conventions. If you have a storefront, post its address along with a telephone number for those who want more than a virtual connection or assurance that you're no fly-by-night operation. Make sure your site loads quickly, is easy to navigate and has a search feature. Don't send e-mail to Web visitors without asking permission.

Unfortunately, Web safeguards aren't fool-proof. A new, fraudulent Web site may have not yet registered on the radar screens of consumer watchdog sites. Shopping review sites seem eager to give sites good marks and reluctant to reveal poorly performing sites. Shopping discussion sites by definition report anecdotal information that may be useful, or misleading.

Except you probably don't have much money left for a big purchase like a computer. With the economy in the toilet and rising tuition costs putting your wallet in a headlock, you are probably going to need the absolute best deal there is.

Which is why you ought to experience the convenience, low prices and increased choice of retailers and products that constitute online shopping. New computers, hard drives, MP3 players, printers, PDAs, extra memory and even blank CDs can be bought online--usually at lower prices than you would pay at a physical store. Shopping on the Internet lets you skip not only that trip to the mall, but also the hidden surcharge that represents your sham of the cost of operating the retail outlet where you buy the computer.

Would I recommend using the Internet to make you a more effective shopper? Of course. Would I urge everyone to shop online? No. Some of us are not comfortable sending our credit-card numbers to "virtual" vendors. But even if you are e-commerce-shy, that doesn't mean that you can't surf around to better educate yourself about what you are buying. The Web is great for researching product features, product reviews and user comments, even if you end up buying the goods in the store.

Don't we all like to feel as if we have made a wise purchase? Getting a clear picture of product features from manufacturers' Web sites is a great start, but consulting independent reviews by reputable Web sites like CNET.com is even better. Follow that up by reviewing user comments and opinions, and a rather mundane purchase can become blissfully successful! User comments can give you a great gauge for overall product quality and user satisfaction. User feedback also can give you a feel for what users are doing with the device you are considering. You may not realize that the MP3 player you are about to purchase could, for example, also be used to record your lectures. Such a recording can then be copied to a computer or shared with others and so on.

Once you have selected the product you want, you can do some quick surfing to get a feel for its price range. When doing this, keep two things in mind. First of all, make sure you are comparing apples to apples; double check that the competing prices represent products with equivalent features. Next, when looking at the list price, remember that it might not be your net price. Use the following formula: Final cost = Product Price--Manufacturer's rebates + tax(s) if applicable + shipping. In most cases, prices are cheaper online--but they can be particularly so if you don't load up on carrying costs. If you can be patient and wait the few days it will take to ship your computer by UPS or another ground carrier instead of using FedEx or another next-day delivery option, you can save a few dollars.

As I mentioned before, shopping online isn't perfect, and there is something to be said for taking a product for a test drive. Not to mention the instant gratification of bringing the goods home with you immediately after plunking down your dollars. Some consumers also feel more comfortable knowing they can return a product to a physical store.

Like it or not, however, the Internet is continuing to revolutionize shopping. Give it a try. In the most fundamental of ways, online stores are no different than your average brick-and-mortar retail outlets: some offer good service and some don't.

Whether you ultimately buy the product you are looking for online, it's always worthwhile to do your shopping homework there.

Some analysts believe that eventually e-commerce will account for one-fifth of all retail sales. The numbers for business-to-business e-commerce are even higher. That will likely apply to buying and selling political campaign products and services as well.

Even if you haven't experienced it, you've undoubtedly read about it. Shopping on the Internet, whether as a consumer or as a business, is exploding in popularity.

Various studies indicate that from one-quarter to one-half of all Americans have now placed at least one order online. Some analysts believe that eventually e-commerce will account for one-fifth of all retail sales (the figure today is between 1 and 5 percent, depending on who's doing the counting). The numbers for business-to-business e-commerce are even higher.

This trend has important implications for political campaigners, who can buy a lot of things on the Internet, from bumper stickers to yard signs, office supplies to voter lists, compliance software to airline tickets. The Web gives campaigners a chance to find vendors who can meet tough time deadlines as well as budget limitations.

There's no better way to locate hard-to-find items or comparison-shop for the best deals. I've shopped for cars and plane tickets on the Web, and recently I bought boogie boards for my kids, videos for my wife, and specialty bath mats and pillow wedges for the house -- all items I couldn't find in local stores -- at excellent prices.

E-commerce has had a society wide impact, helping to fuel the economy's decade-long expansion, the longest since records were first kept 150 years ago. But to almost every upside there's a downside. With e-commerce, you need to beware of scams and foul-ups as businesses and entrepreneurs eager to cash in on the Internet gold rush do so ill-prepared or with venal motives.

The incidence of outright fraud appears to be low, with exceptions in the areas of pyramid schemes and, to a lesser extent, online auctions. More common problems are featured products being unavailable, late deliveries, high shipping charges and orders never arriving.

The key issue is trust. If you're buying, how can you trust Web merchants? If you're selling, how can you engender trust in prospects? As often happens with Web problems, the Web offers solutions as well.

Most online shopping is done with credit cards, which is safer than mailing a check because credit card companies typically limit your liability to $50 in the event of fraud. Almost all Web fraud victims are those who shop without credit cards.

But should you worry that your credit-card information might be heisted as it travels through cyberspace? No. More and more Web shopping sites use encryption to scramble the credit card data you type in, preventing hackers from intercepting it. You'll know encryption is being used if the address of the Web page begins with "https" instead of "http" (the extra "s" stands for "secure").

Web sites can engender trust by being forthright and by understanding Internet conventions. If you have a storefront, post its address along with a telephone number for those who want more than a virtual connection or assurance that you're no fly-by-night operation. Make sure your site loads quickly, is easy to navigate and has a search feature. Don't send e-mail to Web visitors without asking permission.

Respond to all e-mail questions. Let visitors know what information you're collecting and how it will be used. Clearly state your return policy.

Unfortunately, Web safeguards aren't fool-proof. A new, fraudulent Web site may have not yet registered on the radar screens of consumer watchdog sites. Shopping review sites seem eager to give sites good marks and reluctant to reveal poorly performing sites. Shopping discussion sites by definition report anecdotal information that may be useful, or misleading.

Tuition paid? Check. Books bought? Check. Now it's time to go shopping for that other classroom sine qua non: computer equipment.

Except you probably don't have much money left for a big purchase like a computer. With the economy in the toilet and rising tuition costs putting your wallet in a headlock, you are probably going to need the absolute best deal there is.

Which is why you ought to experience the convenience, low prices and increased choice of retailers and products that constitute online shopping. New computers, hard drives, MP3 players, printers, PDAs, extra memory and even blank CDs can be bought online--usually at lower prices than you would pay at a physical store. Shopping on the Internet lets you skip not only that trip to the mall, but also the hidden surcharge that represents your sham of the cost of operating the retail outlet where you buy the computer.

Would I recommend using the Internet to make you a more effective shopper? Of course. Would I urge everyone to shop online? No. Some of us are not comfortable sending our credit-card numbers to "virtual" vendors. But even if you are e-commerce-shy, that doesn't mean that you can't surf around to better educate yourself about what you are buying. The Web is great for researching product features, product reviews and user comments, even if you end up buying the goods in the store. (Don't forget--although great bargains can be had online, some physical store close-outs can't be beat.)

Don't we all like to feel as if we have made a wise purchase? Getting a clear picture of product features from manufacturers' Web sites is a great start, but consulting independent reviews by reputable Web sites like CNET.com is even better. Follow that up by reviewing user comments and opinions, and a rather mundane purchase can become blissfully successful! User comments can give you a great gauge for overall product quality and user satisfaction. User feedback also can give you a feel for what users are doing with the device you are considering. You may not realize that the MP3 player you are about to purchase could, for example, also be used to record your lectures. Such a recording can then be copied to a computer or shared with others and so on.

Two excellent Web sites for product reviews and user comments are and .

Once you have selected the product you want, you can do some quick surfing to get a feel for its price range. When doing this, keep two things in mind. First of all, make sure you are comparing apples to apples; double check that the competing prices represent products with equivalent features. Next, when looking at the list price, remember that it might not be your net price. Use the following formula: Final cost = Product Price--Manufacturer's rebates + tax(s) if applicable + shipping. In most cases, prices are cheaper online--but they can be particularly so if you don't load up on carrying costs. If you can be patient and wait the few days it will take to ship your computer by UPS or another ground carrier instead of using FedEx or another next-day delivery option, you can save a few dollars.

I mentioned before, shopping online isn't perfect, and there is something to be said for taking a product for a test drive. Not to mention the instant gratification of bringing the goods home with you immediately after plunking down your dollars. Some consumers also feel more comfortable knowing they can return a product to a physical store.

Like it or not, however, the Internet is continuing to revolutionize shopping. Give it a try. In the most fundamental of ways, online stores are no different than your average brick-and-mortar retail outlets: some offer good service and some don't.

E-tailers have spruced up their sites to prepare for the December deluge, but some areas are still works in progress. Below, some hits and misses observed by Columbus, Ohio-based Resource Marketing while secret shopping the Web.

Bright Spots

* Walmart.com doesn't just want customers to come back, it wants them back before Christmas. To lure shoppers to the site for more stocking stuffers, an e-mail promotion offers $10 off a subsequent holiday purchase of $50.

* KBkids' buying guide suggests toys based on a child's age, creativity, motor skills and education level to help clueless but well-intentioned buyers. The site's teen gaming whiz even unravels the mysteries of the video game world with his software reviews.

* Shoppers who buy gifts from a recipient's wish list at eToys get a 10% discount.

Blind Spots

* Unwrapping the present is half the fun, but 1800flower.com and jewelry e-tailer ice.com don't seem to get this--they don't offer gift-wrapping service. And Crate and Barrel thinks its branded boxes suffice for wrapping paper no matter how banged up they get in delivery.

* Web-only sporting apparel site Iucy.com sells gift certificates online, which can only be redeemed via phone orders. However, Nike.com and BlueLight.com don't even offer e-gift certificates, one of the easiest presents to buy and the best to receive.

* While trying to be helpful, a barnesandnoble.com phone rep warned that items listed as shipping in 1-2 weeks often take more than a month to arrive, even before the holiday rush. This was one of several of the site's problems she said bothered her.

Are they really sure? Walmart.com's promise that a product "usually ships in 1-2 days" promises very little. But BlueLight.com, which promised holiday delivery of a toy if ordered before Dec. 12, left even more doubt: The item was out of stock before Thanksgiving.