Compare prices at MySimon.Com, PriceWatch.com. Shopping.com promises good prices. Oupost.com offers free overnight delivery AND good prices. To locate items and compare online prices use shopper.cnet. -- Using that I bought something from buy.com--the price was good and the shipping timely.
Actually, most of what I buy over the web is genealogy stuff ; see my genealogy pages for that. And I'm not a bidding tpye person (except when playing Bridge... see my bridge pages for that), but here is what I have found useful so far:
I liked the much advertised Amazon dot com -- when I needed some books I could order them and they were quickly mailed. The prices plus postage seemed to add up to more or less what I would have paid in the bookstore. They have a good selection too and I like to read the "reviews" before I buy; not quite as good as thumbing the book, but better than buying it cold. I can go to these places in person, but it is nice to have Barnes & Noble and Borders on line too. Another place to buy CDs is CDnow.
I happen to like JC Pennys --and I don't like to spend time shopping. I'd like it if they would put their whole catalog on line and let people shop from there, with free shipping to the store and free returns. At any rate, you can buy some things on line from them online (not that I do).
I was looking for a place to buy lids to hot cups -- neither Sam's Club nor Gordon Foods had them-- and I found a site named Keysan that offers all kinds of supplies (mostly paper and office). It had the cups and lids I wanted... now I just have to decide if I want 1000 of them.
You can shop from the TV shopping network QVC through their website. The one item I checked was not a great price, but some people I know swear by QVC. And it sure is easy.
My son's school (Clonlara) makes a profit if you order from Bull Frog Candle Company through us. These are great candles-- if you want me to order you some, let me know. Of course you can also order directly from the web site, but the only way Clonlara gets a profit is if you order from us and I get it to you. If you live in Ann Arbor or around here, consider doing that please !
There are several sites for cars. Because Rachel is now working for Ford (or will be soon) I'll probably take advantage of the family advantage, but still, it is good to compare. Some car buying sites: Autobytel,* Autoweb, Carpoint, Carsdotcom * (includes information from the car guys), CarsDirect (I doubt I'll buy a car directly from the internet, though) and Carsmart. And to research cars 1)Edmunds, 2) Kelly Blue Book 3) Intellichoice. You have to pay for complete information on Intellichoice... probably the other two are the same.
For used cars, use the sites marked with an * above and Auto-connect.
Giving credit where credit is due, I lifted all these links from an article in the October 99 PC World. "Shopping for Wheels on the Web" by Phil Patton pp. 201-.