Electronic commerce, namely shopping on the Internet, has grown logarithmically as an industry and everything imaginable under the sun is easily available for sale from Delta Air Lines tickets to L.L. Bean clothing to Old Town canoes. These and many more goods and services are readily available at your fingertips with your keyboard and your credit card. The world is changing ever more rapidly and we are changing with it.

The lingering question for many Maine consumers remains: “Is Internet shopping safe?” That answer is not always clear-cut. Many retailers have staked their future on building their businesses online in addition to bricks and mortar storefronts. Other businesses sell only in cyberspace. Most companies are reputable, some are not. If you can readily purchase the product or service in your own community, does it really make sense to shop online? Probably not. However, Mainers are most often at the end of the supply line for many goods and services, and for better or worse, online shopping is often the only recourse for those treasured items from far away.

Consumer online fraud falls into four major categories, according to the Federal Trade Commission. They are: failure to send the merchandise (straight rip-off); sending something of lesser value than advertised (bait and switch); failure to deliver in a timely manner (backordered to the next century); and failure to disclose all relevant information about a product or terms of the sale (invisible fine print).

That said, shopping online can be a relatively safe, fun and efficient way to do business, if the consumer is vigilant, persistent and cautious. There is a certain magical wonder to having an item arrive in a box at your door, with the correct undamaged item inside.

As we learned last week, Americans are addicted to oil. Not taking our vehicles on roundabout shopping journeys with many stops at widespread retailers with no certainty we will find what we seek will certainly give a marked advantage for the online shopper. For rural-based shoppers outside the Bangor, Portland and Lewiston service center areas, this gas conservation is even more applicable.

How to shop online safely? First, know the product or service you are buying and its value. Read the protections that the online services offer. Many offer some form of insurance.

Learn as much as possible about the seller. If it is a major retailer, you are probably OK. If the seller is unknown to you, try to get addresses, phone numbers, and other identifying information. See if you can e-mail the seller and don’t order until you are satisfied that it can meet your needs.

Learn how the shipping will work, who pays, who is the carrier, what is the delivery schedule, and can you track your package as it wends its way to Wytopitlock ?

Check the return policy. Can you get a full refund, or is there a restocking fee?

Consider compromise ordering. Look at the item online and then pick up the telephone and order it. Often there is a friendly voice on the other end that can give you more information about a product or service.

Remember, as always, Northeast COMBAT can assist consumers when things in the marketplace go sour, including online purchases. Also our new Web site soon will be online, and it will have information and links that will provide wise consumers with more detailed information on a wide variety of commerce and online shopping issues.

Stay tuned for more about our new Web site.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT-Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded, nonprofit organization. For help, write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.