Doing business on the internet, also known as electronic commerce or e-commerce, is becoming increasingly popular. Of course, doing business in a virtual environment is nothing new. Mail order, telemarketing and TV shopping firms have been doing it for years. The internet though, promises to be the biggest virtual medium in history.

Just because a business doesn't have a shop premises doesn't mean that the regular rules of business don't apply. Consumers still expect good products and service, governments still expect business laws to be complied with and, as a business operator, you still need to plan and budget the same as any other business. This may seem obvious, but many businesses forget this when they trade on the internet.

Further information on e-commerce is available from the Australian Government Treasury - Australian Guidelines for Electronic commerce.

Consumer Policy Framework Unit
Infrastructure, Competition and Consumer Division
The Treasury
Tel: (02) 6263 3712
www.treasury.gov.au