Decent fabric, a large variety to choose from, reasonable to free ship/handling, and timely delivery. Prefer they use PayPal. Have never had a problem, I've had to deal with.

I'm a value shopper, so price (including shipping) is probably foremost. That doesn't mean I will buy anything that is not good quality. I generally only buy only from manufacturers that I know and like. The web site has to be user-friendly and quick to navigate. I don't bother with ones that sell by the half-yard or the quarter-yard (who are they kidding?) I want to see how many yards of a fabric are available, so I don't put 10 yards in my shopping basket only to find out after the purchase that they only have 2 yards available. I love having lots of search features, by color, manufacturer, key words, etc. I prefer to know the manufacturer's name for the fabric, together with all the information needed to specifically identify that design in that particular colorway, because often I'm trying to find "more" of something I already have. Then I want the site to be dependable and to promptly answer questions. Free shipping if I hit a particular $ point always tempts me to buy more. ;-) And I would prefer to be able to use paypal. I also like PriorityMail, because the boxes come quickly and are reasonably priced. Like Ckcowl pointed out, shipping has to be related to the actual cost to ship something.

I look for all of the above. Store reputation is important and I get that from here and reviews.

First, they must take Paypal if it is a place I have not shopped before.
Second, is the search features. I have dialup and get frustrated if I have to load 20 pages to find 1 fabric. I will stop looking and go somewhere else.
Third is the price and shipping. I want free shipping over 30 or $50. And like others mentioned, it should be related to the weight of package. I also want to choose shipping method.
Fourth, the fabric info should be complete and detailed because if I am shopping online it is because I cannot find what I want locally. I also want to know in what country it was made - all the info on the bolt end.

All the above .
Enphasis on PayPal and international shipping.
I do not order when flat rate envelope shipping is not available.
Shipping rates adds to the order for tax purposes. On large orders I ask them to slipt it in as many as envelopes (6-7 yds) it fits.

for many years while living in remote areas of Alaska I did ALL of my shopping online!
I can tell you that what I look for most is the EASE of using the website! I do not want to click 3 dozen boxes to actually get to SEE the fabric I am interested!
A really good web page/site is 100% necessary!
Second comes good reliable security, third is a great check out cart system!
After than, quality goods at a reasonable price.

Just the basics mam, but really sound/good basics are all a site needs!

For me, in no particular order, the following are important:
● Clear, attractive, up-to-date, easy to navigate website - it's the first impression and should show the owners really get that concept
● Clear pricing - minimum order amount, unit size, quantity discounts (if any) ... would love to see more sites give quantity discounts, even if just on full bolts
● Email, phone, and postal contact information - direct email connection is the best
● Newsletter or email list sign-up for newsletters and/or sale notifications
● Complete descriptions of fabrics offered - manufacturer, pattern repeat, yardage available, etc
● Sharp, good-sized photos large enough to show fabric patterns
● Clear policies, easy to find on site - shipping, returns, backorders, samples
● Ability to order by phone or mail - ability to call with CC# instead of entering it online after ordering
● Exceptional search capabilities so guest can locate exactly what they are looking for without going screen by screen
● Some evidence of the owners' personal touch - photos, a welcome message, 'about us', that kind of thing
● Physical location of business, city and state, clearly placed on the home page - customer should know, before ordering, how far goods will have to travel
● Exceptional customer service - if a shop goes the extra mile for me, they have a customer for life and I do not hesitate to recommend them to others

Price is important, of course, but if a shop has all or most of the things listed above, I will pay more per yard to shop there.

Selection.

Price.

Reasonable shipping costs.

Nothing that is out of the ordinary, like a website that tells you everything is 25% off but the regular price will ring up when you check out and they will adjust before shipping. If I can't see the true price before I put my credit card in, I just don't bother.

Wow, you gals have really come up with a lot of great points! Keep em coming!

website ease of use, good quality of images with consistent relative size and multiple views on a large print, including measuring stick in the photos, some kind of help with color, like a roll-over micro-view, a design board to place fabrics next to each other, wish list in addition to cart, notice of how much is left on sale fabric, fair shipping charge and prompt shipment.
And for those times when I need to speak with someone on the phone, a friendly and knowledgeable LQS sort of salesperson.