When you buy a product at a brick-and-mortar store, it should come with an implied warranty. This unwritten assurance says that if the product doesn’t do what it’s supposed to, or if it malfunctions or fails within an unreasonably short time for that product and the price, the retailer is obligated to correct the problem – no matter what the retailer’s return policy is.

Retailers, however, can dodge that obligation if they conspicuously inform customers, generally in writing, that they disclaim the implied warranty or mark a product “as is” or “with all faults.”

While many brick-and-mortar retailers still honor implied warranties, our review of several online-shopping Web sites found few providing any such assurance. To be sure, the “terms and conditions” on these sites detail loads of protections, but they’re for the seller, not the buyer.

Read these terms and you may discover that everything is sold “as is,” or that purchasers must abide by rules of a distant state, where you agree to go if you sue. And many sites have disclaimers that seem to erase protections you get at the retailers’ brick-and-mortar establishments.

At Target.com, you’ll find that you assume the risk of loss or damage to merchandise when the shipping firm picks it up, not after delivery.

It might be a safer bet with these retailers to buy goods – especially big-ticket items – at the stores, not off the Web. Meanwhile, guard against these other potential hazards of online shopping:

¢ Check return policies. Some Web sites charge restocking fees as high as 25 percent, and others don’t accept returns of opened merchandise.

¢ Protect your privacy and security. Read a site’s privacy policy. It might tell you the site sells customer data, which means your e-mail inbox could get jammed with spam. As for security, when entering personal data, make sure you’re on a Web page that triggers a security icon (such as a closed padlock) on your browser. This indicates a secure connection for transmitting sensitive information.

¢ Pay with the right plastic. When you pay by credit card, your liability for unauthorized purchases is $50. Also, you can dispute charges for items that arrive broken or aren’t what you ordered. You can’t do that with a debit card. Likewise, debit cards may not cover fraudulent charges if you don’t act fast enough.