Most people should consider doing more of their shopping on the Internet.  You can buy almost anything you need online:  groceries, appliances, cars and almost any luxury you can imagine. Let's suppose you transferred one shopping trip per week onto the Internet (let's round this down to 50 trips per year.)  If your average round-trip drive is 10 miles, you'll save $200 per year on the 500 miles driven (assuming 40¢ per mile expenses.)

You can usually find an easy-to-use coupon for about $10 off at almost any online store, at sites such as DealOfDay.com:  use one of those per week and you'll save another $500.  There are also online shopping agents that can make sure you get rock-bottom prices.  You'll probably save at least 10% that way:  a study on Internet bargains by two professors at M.I.T. university concluded that bargain-shopping on the Internet saves consumers from 9% to 16%.  If you move $5000 worth of spending online each year, you'll receive about $500 in savings.

You can also save time by shopping online.  Let's say that your average shopping trip is 1.5 hours long.  Moving it onto the Internet will save you about one hour per shopping trip, because you won't have to drive your car or walk the aisles of the store.  That's worth another $500 per year for someone making $10 per hour.  Shipping costs will raise the price of online shopping by about 5-10%, but most people will get that back in sales-tax savings because most online stores charge a sales tax only for the state where they are located.

If you want to try to save even more money, visit auction sites such as eBay.com:  they sell both new and refurbished items at a steep discount, and you can also buy from many private sellers of used goods.

The more costly the item you wish to purchase, the more important it is to shop for it online.  That's true because the Internet is a great tool to research prices: you can use the Internet to force suppliers to compete for your business and get the best price.  You can also save money on expensive purchases by avoiding the state sales tax.

Read the articles in this section, and you won't have to worry about being gypped by some of the fly-by-night outfits that inhabit the Web...

Shopping agents try to find the best prices for many kinds of products.  We did a quick search for "best shopping agents" at Google, and most of the results returned MySimon.com.  That's been the shopping agent we've generally used.  It has extensive price comparisons, dozens of product guides from Consumer Reports and it's easy to use.

PC Magazine recently rated PriceGrabber.com as the best Shopping Agent, half a star above MySimon.  PriceGrabber doesn't have MySimon's product guides, but it does have a lot of user-created product reviews (much like Amazon.com.)  It lists more stores, and it has categories for both products and services (such as travel and cell phones.)  It does well at incorporating coupons and rebates into the site, giving you another way to save money.

Many Web sites and computer magazines have come out with their own rankings of the best online stores.  Over the years, the site that's fulfilled this mission most consistently is BizRate.com.  They've been evaluating Internet retailers for longer than anyone else, and they do a fine job of giving you all the details you need to know.  They gather over a million consumer surveys each month to find out what people really think about various online stores.  A store's policies for returns and warranties are especially important, because you'll be ordering products "sight unseen."

Here's how to use shopping agents:

	What To Do Now:   Time to complete:   A few minutes per product search Money you'll spend:   $0 What you'll get:   Price comparisons for many different items Step-by-step instructions:  Visit a shopping agent such as MySimon.com. Type in a search term (e.g. "boombox").  Optionally, you can select a category. The results page will show a few results.  To see a wider selection, click on the link labeled "See all boomboxes..." (or whatever it is you search for).  Impressively, they even calculate the shipping and sales tax for you! After you've decide what you want, search for the same product at PriceGrabber.com and/or BizRate.com to see if you can get a better deal, check how well the merchants are rated and read reviews of online stores by actual customers. Further Reading: BottomDollar.com is another shopping agent, and Google is working on its own shopping agent called Froogle. Consumer Magazines, 90-day risk-free trials available The Best Of Online Shopping: The Prices Guide To Fast And Easy Shopping On The Web, a top-rated book at Amazon.com that lists the best stores on the Internet and shows you how to shop them quickly and safely. The Complete Idiot's Guide To Online Shopping, another top-rated book at Amazon.com that shows you how to shop online at stores and auctions.

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DealOfDay.com is one of the best bargain sites on the Internet, brought to you by WorldVillage.  Their motto is, "We've scoured the Net to find the best deals known to mankind", and that's not far from the truth.  The site lists coupons for toys, pets, vitamins, greeting cards, movies, music and much more.  If you happen to be a glutton for punishment, you can check out their humorous "stinky deal of the week."

At CoolSavings, you can get lots of coupons on your computer.  CoolSavings gives you big savings from your favorite stores, online merchants, restaurants, and travel companies. You can use the coupons online, and sometimes you can even print out and use them with local stores.  The site also lists special online deals daily, including free stuff and free trial offers.  CoolSavings is fast and free, and your privacy is guaranteed.

If you want to find more coupons, try Googling it (e.g. search for "Amazon.com coupon" using Google and you'll probably get tons of results.)

	Great Deals Every Day At Bargain Sites   Time to complete:   Just minutes to search for coupons Money you'll spend:   $0 What you'll get:   Coupons and deals for items on sale online Step-by-step instructions:  Click here: DealOfDay.com.  A new window will open with this page. Follow their instructions for deals they list that you like. Further Reading: A similar site is DealCatcher.com, which also lists tons of great deals every day. Consumer Magazines, 90-day risk-free trials available The Best Of Online Shopping: The Prices Guide To Fast And Easy Shopping On The Web, a top-rated book at Amazon.com that lists the best stores on the Internet and shows you how to shop them quickly and safely. The Complete Idiot's Guide To Online Shopping, another top-rated book at Amazon.com that shows you how to shop online at stores and auctions.

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eBay.com has achieved almost total dominance in the online auction marketspace, (perhaps you could try Amazon.com's auctions and zShops if you don't find what you want at eBay.)  At eBay you can monitor ongoing auctions and keep a lookout for items that you really want to collect:  you can even tell eBay to email you whenever an item is auctioned that matches your any search term you specify.

Almost certainly, your local newspaper puts its classified ads online at their Web site.  Local ads have the advantage that you can drive over to the owner's place, examine the item, perhaps haggle over the price and then drive home with it right away.  To find your local newspaper's classifieds site, you could look in the paper. However, it might be quicker to go to your favorite search engine or directory, and type in the name of the newspaper followed by "classified ad" (for example, "New York Times" "classified ad".)  Most classifieds sites will be categorized (sports cars, bikes, TVs, etc.) and some will let you type in the name of any item and return a listing of search results.

Here's how we suggest you use eBay:

	Save Money At Online Auctions   Time to complete:   5 minutes Money you'll spend:   $0 What you'll get:   Price quotes of auction items you want to buy, on the Web or by Email Auction site ideas:  Surf to eBay.com (a new window will open.) There should be a link labeled register near the top of the page, click there to register with eBay. You're good to go, so dream up some things you'd like to buy and start searching! Further Reading: eBay.com is the largest auction site, with over a million items in 800+ categories.  Products sold include collectibles, memorabilia and high-tech equipment. uBid.com focuses on refurbished computers and peripherals.  It sells mostly its own inventory, making it a more reliable auction site than most.  It also offers a toll-free customer service line, extended warranties, and a return policy. NetMarket takes a "shopping club" approach.  You do need to pay for a membership, but they sometimes offer a low-cost "trial period".  NetMarket has both auctions and discounts on retail items. First Auction is a liquidator of computer and electronics goods. Consumer Magazines, 90-day risk-free trials available eBay the Smart Way: Selling, Buying, and Profiting on the Web's #1 Auction Site, a top-rated book available at Amazon.com. Auction This!: Your Complete Guide to the World of Online Auctions, a top-rated book available at Amazon.com. Internet Auctions for Dummies, another top-rated book about online auctions available at Amazon.com.

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The descriptions about products in online stores can't always be trusted, so it pays to get a second opinion.  I once bought a mini-stereo system that was supposed to have an audio input jack, but when it arrived, it wasn't there!  If I'd researched it I would have known.  Amazon.com has always been good about listing actual customer opinions.  Epinions is probably the best site available for comparing products that have the features you want.  Many products are covered, from TV's to SUV's.  You can also submit your own reviews, opinions, and product experiences.

	Compare Product Features Before You Buy   Time to complete:   A few minutes per product researched Money you'll spend:   $0 What you'll get:   Good product information before you buy Step-by-step instructions:  Click here: Epinions.  A new window will open with this page. Continue to follow the online instructions. Further Reading: Amazon.com also has a lot of product opinions. BizRate.com tells you what people think about various online stores when you search for products there. Consumer Magazines, 90-day risk-free trials available The Best Of Online Shopping: The Prices Guide To Fast And Easy Shopping On The Web, a top-rated book at Amazon.com that lists the best stores on the Internet and shows you how to shop them quickly and safely. The Complete Idiot's Guide To Online Shopping, another top-rated book at Amazon.com that shows you how to shop online at stores and auctions.

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SalesHound.com is a helpful resource for your local shopping.  The site constantly looks for sales and promotions at stores in your neighborhood, and lists them all as a free consumer service.  You can type in the names of products you want ("DVD Player", "Vacuum Cleaner", etc.), and get a printable shopping list.  They'll even send you Email alerts when they find new specials for the products you're looking for.  This site also carries product information, comparisons and recommendations.

	Find The Best Prices In Your Home Town   Time to complete:   5 minutes Money you'll spend:   $0 What you'll get:   Sale notices on the Web or by Email Step-by-step instructions:  Go to the following site to sign up: SalesHound.com Further Reading: CoolSavings gives you lots of coupons on your computer. Consumer Magazines, 90-day risk-free trials available The Best Of Online Shopping: The Prices Guide To Fast And Easy Shopping On The Web, a top-rated book at Amazon.com that lists the best stores on the Internet and shows you how to shop them quickly and safely. The Complete Idiot's Guide To Online Shopping, another top-rated book at Amazon.com that shows you how to shop online at stores and auctions.

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You can really save money by shopping at discount warehouse clubs like Sam's or CostCo.  It costs $25-$35 a year, but you'll easily save many times that amount by buying in bulk quantites.  If you join a discount club, use it enough to justify the yearly membership fee.  Caution:  some clubs will charge your membership fee each year, without asking you first or even notifying you (for example, Damark has done that.)  It's a short-sighted tactic that will cost them customers in the long run.

	Save At Discount Warehouse Clubs   Time to complete:   Varies Money you'll spend:   $25-$50 membership fee What you'll get:   Low-cost shopping Step-by-step instructions:  Read this Cheapskate Monthly article about discount warehouse clubs. In your yellow pages book, look under "discount stores", "warehouse" stores, "wholesale" clubs, and "department stores" for discount shopping outlets. Usually you can just go there, pay $25-$50 to join, have your mug shot taken, and you're in the club.  At many "surplus outlet" stores, you don't need to pay to join. Further Reading: CoolSavings gives you lots of coupons on your computer that you can use to shop at discount clubs. Consumer Magazines, 90-day risk-free trials available Buying Retail Is Stupid! : USA : The National Discount Guide to Buying Everything at Up to 80% Off Retail, a top-rated book about discount shopping available at Amazon.com.

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A National Consumers League Survey reveals that consumers are not adequately informed of some basic online shopping facts:

• "69 percent of consumers incorrectly believe that it is safer to pay for an online purchase by check or money order rather than credit card," not realizing that encryption is used to protect credit card numbers.
  
  
• "Federal law requires online orders to be delivered by the time stated or, if no time period was stated, within thirty days."
  
  
• "Only 10 percent of consumers said they were worried that the seller may be fraudulent," though that is actually a greater threat than theft of credit card numbers. A nice-looking Web site doesn't necessarily prove legitimacy.

Most consumers were happy with their e-commerce experiences, but one in five reported problems with online purchases.  Here's a list of the problems that online shoppers may face:

	Online Consumer Self-Defense Explained   Time to complete:   A minute to read this list Money you'll spend:   $0 What you'll get:   Consumer self-defense awareness Common shopping problems:  These are the most common problems reported by online shoppers in the National Consumers League Survey.  You can avoid most of them by shopping only at widely respected online stores. 8%:  Products or services that were misrepresented 6%:  Products or services that were paid for, but never received.  When you shop online, learn when your order is supposed to arrive, and get a tracking number so you can track the delivery progress at sites such as UPS.com. 3%:  Charges that were billed, but never authorized ("cramming") 1%:  Charges that were more than the agreed price Further Reading: ConsumerWorld.org is the Internet's best directory for consumer links of all kinds. Consumer Magazines, 90-day risk-free trials available The Best Of Online Shopping: The Prices Guide To Fast And Easy Shopping On The Web, a top-rated book at Amazon.com that lists the best stores on the Internet and shows you how to shop them quickly and safely. The Complete Idiot's Guide To Online Shopping, another top-rated book at Amazon.com that shows you how to shop online at stores and auctions.

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