Shopping Online

December 7, 1999

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Frank Fiore: That is really up to the merchant. Some will ship to another address and others won't.

Blueyes: I have no idea what I want to get my husband. Is there a site that has gift ideas geared towards those that are hard to shop for ?

Frank Fiore: Try going to a site called "What to Buy for Christmas" at www.whattobuyforchristmas.com. There will be a top ten list for 'Him', and you can shop for all 'Him' products there.

Wess: Where can I find product reviews and comparisons?

Frank Fiore: First place is called the Active Buyer's Guide at www.activebuyersguide.com/. They do a lot of product reviews there - electronics, appliances, family and lifestyles, sports. Another place is Epinions at www.epinions.com. What I like about this site is that it has opinions from real shoppers about places they have shopped. I would direct you to my site then for more product reviews - onlineshopping.about.com/library/blcompare.htm

Kee: How can I get the best price and/or receive a discount on my purchase?

Frank Fiore: There are a couple of different ways, like shopping bots - MySimon and BottomDollar. There are two companies, www.mygeek.com and www.respond.com. Both of these sites will take requests from shoppers, send them to their participating merchants, and the merchants will bid on the product you want. Another site is called www.bargaindog.com.They will send you out a customized email newsletter that lists the latest deals, clearances and sales from leading online merchants. These newsletters are customized to your interest.

Nestor33: What are "e-coupons" and how do they work?

Frank Fiore: An e-coupon is a coupon that you can download from the web, print on your printer, and take to a real world store. The first site where you can get these is www.valpack.com. Valpack is now on the web. Another one is www.supercoups.com. You put in your zip code and the product you are looking for. Another one is Coupon Directory at www.coupondirectory.com.

Sharla: What is "digital cash" and how does it work?

Frank Fiore: It's a software-based payment system that allows you to send payment from a personal computer, like using American Express Blue.

Marianne: What is aggregate buying and how can I take advantage of it?

Frank Fiore: Aggregate buying is like co-op buying, where a group of people gets together to buy a product; and as more people get together, the lower the price goes. Some of the sites where you can do this are www.accompany.com, actbig.com and www.mercata.com. When you use these, prices drop as more people sign up to purchase a particular product.

CHrgIT: What are "shopping bots"?

Frank Fiore: Shopping bots are comparison shopping engines. Examples again are www.dealtime.com, www.bottomdollar.com, and

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