Comparison shopping sites help you find three things: The lowest prices, the best products, and trusted merchants. How Comparison Shopping Works A comparison shopping site works like any search engine or directory. You find a product by model number or name, and the comparison shopping site displays a list of online merchants selling the item. You are able to sort the list of merchants by rating, price, store name, or stock status. Simply click on the ‘buy now’ link or merchants name to buy the item or obtain additional information. Comparing the Comparison Shopping Sites All shopping sites offer very similar services in terms of quality and quantity. Therefore, we highlight the pros and cons of each site. Comparison Shopping Sites Froogle.com Pros: more listings than any other shopping site, so you get a more diverse selection of merchants and prices. Cons: since there are so many items listed, it can be hard to narrow your search. In addition, a reliable merchant rating system is not in place. Shopzilla.com Pros: The best and most reliable merchant rating system available on the Internet. Cons: The prices and merchant selections are not as diverse as other shopping sites. Shopping.com Pros: Many merchant and product reviews from professionals and amateurs. Provides a lot of information for consumers. Cons: The prices and merchant selections are not as diverse as other shopping sites. NexTag.com Provides a lot of price information for consumers. Organizes data according to lowest price by default. Cons: Navigation can be a little tricky. InStore.com Pros: Best for AOL users accustomed to the AOL interface. Cons: Difficult to find the lowest price. YahooShopping.com Pros: Many merchants, low prices, reliable ratings. Cons: Web site interface can be a little cluttered. PriceGrabber.com Pros: Great for filtering and finding the right product at the lowest price. Cons: The prices and merchant selections are not as diverse as other shopping sites. Best Bets It is very hard to just recommend one comparison shopping site. No single comparison shopping site finds the best deal every time. Our conclusion: Use as many of the comparison shopping sites as you can, until you find that unbeatable deal for the product you want. If you only have time to use three, we recommend Froogle.com, Shopzilla.com and Shopping.com. Additional Considerations 1) Just because a site has the lowest base price on a comparison shopping site, make sure they are not adding hidden fees such as outrageous shipping costs when you check out. While uncommon, some ecommerce sites purposefully list very low prices on a comparison sites, and after they draw you in, charge $30 for shipping. How to combat: Your best bet is to confirm shipping at checkout; or only scan the price comparison site for reputable merchants. 2) Paying a little more for better service is recommended. Many online comparison shopping sites offer ‘feedback’ ratings of listed merchants. In general, they are an excellent way of indicating how well you will be treated or maltreated by a company. If a merchant is seriously flawed, or has a history of bad service, you should avoid doing business with them. 3) Learn how to rearrange your search results using the ‘sort’ function. By default, the results are generally displayed according to the highest bidder. Since that company is paying more for your business, it may translate into higher prices for you. You can simply ‘sort by lowest price,’ to find the lowest price. 4) Use multiple comparison shopping sites for all their features. Not only can you save a buck or two, but you can obtain more information on product reviews, merchant ratings and more. Each site offers something different for each product, and make sure to compare the information each site provides in addition to their lowest price.

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