• In recent years, more business has begun to be conducted using the Internet. This includes the buying and selling of goods. Web sales now account for a significant portion, if not the majority, of sales from many large retailers. Online-only sellers are also growing and millions of people routinely sell items online, from used goods and handmade products to complete retail inventories. Buying and selling online has many clear advantages to the traditional approach.
  
  

Selection

• One big advantage of buying online is the large selection of goods. Rather than being limited to a few local retailers, buyers can browse the goods of merchants from around the world. This may make it easier to find a rare or unusual item. It also increases competition among sellers of more standard items. Buyers also use search engines to find items that are for sale from retailers they may not have otherwise considered, removing some preconceptions about where to do business.
  
  

Easy Comparisons

• Compared to traditional retail shopping, the Internet makes it easier for buyers to compare two items side-by-side. Buyers can even look at both items at the same time on the same computer screen, along with a list of features and details about each option. This can be much easier than trying to remember the features of one item while shopping at another store. In addition, customer feedback can give an online buyer valuable information about a product's quality or a seller's customer service.
  
  

Large Customer Base

• For sellers, the Internet offers the option of a much greater customer base than could be found in even the largest markets. Millions of people shop online every day and reaching them through Internet advertising is much easier than attempting to get them to visit a particular store in a specific geographic location. More potential customers also increases a seller's chances of finding someone willing to pay a higher price for an item, which is especially important for special items like collectibles and art.
  
  

Low Prices

• Working online allows sellers to reduce the price of their goods substantially. This is mainly because they have less money committed to operating a retail store. When goods are ordered online from a retailer who also sells through traditional stores, the items usually come from a warehouse where they are packed and shipped to the buyer's door. This means no need to rent a retail space, pay cashiers and other employees or stock items in many different locations where they represent overhead costs until they are sold to a local buyer.
  
  

Possible Tax Savings

• Buyers may also realize tax savings from buying online. While the legality of taxing online purchases is somewhat complex, many online sellers do not charge sales tax to out-of-state buyers. Come tax time, however, most states then require buyers to report these purchases and pay the applicable taxes. However, in some cases a buyer may legally pay a flat fee as part of an income tax return that represents an estimated tax on a year's worth of online shopping. For buyers who spend a great deal of money online, this cost will usually be far below the amount of tax that would have been paid on the same items if they had been purchased locally and taxed at the time of sale.