There is no question that quality loose leaf tea is better tasting and offers more flavors and varieties that bagged tea. But quality loose leaf tea has another feature that appeals to tea drinkers and that is ease of ordering on the internet.Internet shopping or e-commerce as it is often called offers variety, lower cost and convenience and now, with the security safeguards offered by security providers like Verisign and others, e-commerce is absolutely safe.Over the years, e-commerce sites have become easier and easier to use and now orders can be placed quickly and easily. In addition, many e-commerce sites offer a variety of low cost shipping choices that can arrange delivery to the customer’s home, place of work or other locations.Prices are low with e-commerce shopping because the human element is removed and often the consumer can make a purchase without paying annoying and costly sales tax.Loose leaf specialty tea is a particularly attractive product for e-commerce. There are a wide variety of tea choices that can be included on the tea e-commerce site and, in addition to tea products, many suppliers offer high quality accessories.E-commerce sites can also provide value added information that the consumer needs ranging from in depth articles about tea and the history of tea to caffeine levels and compatible menu choice that enhance the tea experience. Some sites even provide for customer feedback that allow the consumer the ability to rate the product and service.Some e-commerce suppliers make ordering and trying the tea even easier by offering packaging that includes sampler packages (avoids the high cost of trying new flavors and blends), attractive tea tins, and ½ lb and 1 pound packages for bulk buyers. Of course, as the quantity of tea increases in each package, the unit cost of the product decreases.Loose leaf tea is also easy to ship and store and has a long shelf life so in these days of rising fuel prices, the cost impact of shipping becomes minimized.Some tea e-commerce sites are particularly good at promoting their products on the market by creating links and providing rich content that is used by search engines that list the sites. This type of promotion is definitely value added in that only new, fresh content about tea is rated by the search engines. In addition, those sites with relevant content links are counted by the major search engines.In the end, however, it is the quality of the product and service that create customer satisfaction. If the product is low in quality or the service of ordering and shipping is substandard, aggressive promotion will not create business in the long run. Successful specialty tea e-commerce sites offer the highest quality products combined with the most efficient, customer oriented service.When buying specialty tea through an e-commerce site always look for quality tea products from a site with a reputation for customer service and satisfaction.