Guide to Shopping Online

Imagine holiday shopping with no crowds, endless selections, and even stores fighting to give you the best prices. Then imagine doing it all in your comfy warm pajamas.

It's not only possible, it's happening now. Consumer Reports says over 40% of adults will shop online this season. There are retailers offering discounts, coupons, bonuses, and free shipping just to try to get your business online. With more and more competition among web retailers, holiday shopping online is a very smart thing to do.

The best places to get the best deals are comparison shopping (compshop) sites. You are not limited to certain stores as in some shopping guides. In compshop sites you click on a particular item and a list of webstores will come up, showing current prices for the item you selected. You can then choose the best price or get special bonuses, such as free shipping.

I have chosen a few comparison shopping sites using the criteria of 1) design & organization, 2) ease of purchase, 3) extra savings opportunities such as coupons, and 4) unique features. They are listed in no particular order.

Pricing Central's name just about tells it all. It is one of the most comprehensive compshops, pulling from over 100 shopping search engines and over 300 internet retailers. You can also comparison shop for airfares, hotels, car rentals, loans, insurance and even cars. They also offer coupons.

Price Grabber is well-organized and easy to use. I was excited to see they have a ShopGreen store for the environmentally-concerned. They have a great Holiday Shopping Guide that helps you shop by price as well as relationship, personality, and last-minute gifts. They also include a how-to-buy guide for items such as cameras, jewelry, and clothing. You can also shop by delivery date.