Retail Shopping

Product Review Sites

Considering the purchase of a new skincare product or a 50" HDTV you found on sale? Find out what other consumers and experts have to say about a product before you buy.

Epinions

Epinions, the first and largest product review Web site of its kind, is a useful shopping tool. Everyday consumers write personal reviews on products and services. Though contributors are compensated based on the popularity of a review, Epinions does not provide monetary incentive to review bias.

• Pros: Extensive product reviews, well-rounded information
• Cons: Credibility varies, lack of editorial standards

ConsumerSearch

ConsumerSearch has earned many accolades for providing useful and credible, product and service reviews. Unlike Epinions, ConsumerSearch writers are selected by the company and must meet certain criteria in their submissions. "Reviewing the reviews," is the company slogan and they are doing a nice job of it, comparing conflicting reviews and analyzing results. Many retail shopping reviews are written by experts, thus providing a valuable service.

• Pros: Credible, useful, easy-to-find information
• Cons: Limited reviews, may favor data from commercial sources

Local Retail Shopping Savings

For local or in-person retail shopping, the following services are available to provide you with the latest sales and price comparisons.

ShopLocal.com

Did you miss a sales flyer? Want to compare prices at your local discount stores? ShopLocal provides both online sale flyers and comparison shopping information for your area. Just enter a zip code and conduct a search. The service is free and makes finding sales easy.

• Pros: Sales ads from local retailers, provides retailer list and search options
• Cons: Limited, but growing, number of retailers

Frucall.com

Frucall is a pioneer in the voice and text messaging-based, price-comparison market. Frucall's free, retail shopping service is designed to compare products found in a particular store with other local and online retailers. Enter a barcode via your cell-phone and receive comparison prices or order products directly over the phone.

• Pros: On-demand price comparisons
• Cons: Barcode required, vendor selection unknown

Comparison Shopping Online

Comparison-shopping websites are a booming industry. According to Forbes, Experian, a credit report company, bought PriceGrabber.com for $485 million dollars. Some comparison shopping sites have a purchase price upward of $600 million.

One reason for the popularity is that no single service is entirely sufficient, providing room for competition. Some provide the best prices but are difficult to navigate and extra features, such as vendor ratings, vary. Yet other services provide comprehensive information for niche' industries, such as electronics. The most popular and useful comparison search engines, with notable features and disadvantages, include:

• Shopzilla: Comprehensive vendors and product listings. Cons: Refine searches to improve results.
• PriceGrabber: Bottom-line (shipping and taxes included) prices, ease-of-use. Cons: Unrated results, limited vendors.
• Shopping.com: Easy-to-use, many brand names. Cons: Unknown vendors, Amazon Marketplace dominates results.
• Froogle: Includes eBay listings, competitive pricing, search by zip code, linked to Google Maps and Google Checkout. Cons: Irrelevant results, difficult to navigate.
• Yahoo! Shopping: Comprehensive vendors, ratings, reviews. Cons: Difficult navigation.
• Edeals: Coupons and coupon search for popular retailers. Cons: Limited vendors.
• CNet.com: Professional reviews, advice, bargains, reputable vendors. Cons: Limited to computers and electronics, competitive pricing varies.
• MSN Shopping: Easy-to-use, competitive pricing, such as Overstock.com. Cons: Limited vendor selection, offers little advantage over competitors.
• BizRate: Easy-to-use, refined searches. Cons: Limited vendors.
• PriceWatch: Minute-by-minute price comparisons, price trends, competitive prices. Cons: Limited to computers and electronics, vendors' reputation may be unverified.

Buyer Beware

Sometimes it is worth paying a few dollars more for the peace of mind a well-known retailer provides. Some comparison shopping sites, such as Yahoo!, offer a money-back guarantee. This is important as some shopping services include results from both individual sellers, such as eBay or Amazon, as well as retailers. For best results, adhere to these practices when retail shopping online:

• Review the vendor's purchase, refund and warranty policies.
• Look for high ratings, but don't depend on them exclusively.
• Verify vendor reputation with the Better Business Bureau.
• Check for e-commerce certifications such as TRUSTe.
• If in doubt, search the company name via Google with the keyword 'scam' or 'complaint.'
• Ensure shipping, tax and related charges are included in the price.

Conclusion

Online retail shopping is generally safe and reliable and offers an efficient means to comparison shop. Do a little homework first, including by reviewing LoveToKnow's product articles. Additionally, use credit cards with adequate online buyer protection. For the e-commerce wary, consider small purchases using a pre-paid credit card or comparison shop online and purchase locally.