At one time, buying craft supplies was often limited to what the local store was stocking. This in turn often dictated the kind of craft that you took up, especially if you weren’t easily able to get to the next town or a larger craft supplier. This has all changed with the Internet however, with craft suppliers offering an online ordering service which allows crafters to choose the crafts - and the products - that they desire.
The Internet has also enabled crafters to be able to see which new products are being introduced, the current trends in their particular craft, and often instructions on how to use these products so that crafters can purchase the craft supplies necessary for any project, and have some idea on how to use them.
Another advantage of purchasing craft supplies online is that often these are actually cheaper than they are sold in retail outlets and traditional small craft stores - especially with the dedicated online stores who have very few overheads and so can pass their savings onto the customer.
On the downside, the crafter loses the personal touch of being able to talk about a project with the store owner, or to seek advice from them about a particular product, but what is gained is a wider variety of craft supplies at a more reasonable cost. For most crafters this selection will far outweigh the loss of personal contact, especially with the rapidly increasing amount of mailing lists for people passionate about their crafting activities.
To a crafter, craft supplies aren’t just a necessity, they are precious items that are collected, and squirreled away until such time that the perfect project comes along - and having access to the Internet has opened up an entire world of craft supplies just waiting to be plundered!