Jim Karpen Tips

October 2000

No doubt local retailers fear the Internet. And no doubt they are less than enthusiastic about an Internet column that frequently touts online shopping. So to be fair, before we tout online shopping once more, let's look at the marked disadvantages.

First of all is returning defective merchandise. When I bought a phone at Wal-Mart and didn't like the sound of its ringer, they took it back, no questions asked. When I bought a bells-and-whistles phone via mail order and it didn't work, I stuck it in a drawer rather than return it. For some reason I dislike the idea of taking time to package something and ship it back. And now I have a phone in the drawer that doesn't work. I certainly didn't save any money on that one.

Second is the inability to see the product. I have many unread books on my shelves that I never would have bought if I had looked at them first. Often the brief description, whether online or in a catalog, makes it sound as if it's exactly what I'm looking for. But then I get it and realize that it's not what I want.

In addition, there's service. Some types of products, such as a computer, require ongoing support and advice. Better to consider buying local for that if you think you'll need further assistance. And for items such as clothes, there's the matter of fit. Twice I've purchased shoes from a catalog, and both times regretted it.

Given all that, I still end up shopping online for various items and like the convenience and price. And I'm excited about a shopping portal that I recently discovered. PricingCentral.Com indexes all the best price-comparison search engines and shopping bots in a comprehensive directory.

Its categories include Automotive, Baby, Books & Entertainment, Computers, Electronics, Finance, Fun & Games, Gifts, Health, Home, Jewelry, Office, Pets, and Travel. If, for example, you're interested in buying a book, you click on that category and it lists the price comparison search engines for books. These include AddAll, which searches 41 online bookstores for the lowest price, taking into account tax and shipping. As another example, the Auction category includes AuctionWatch, which searches hundreds of auction sites.

In my opinion, the best price comparison search engines include CNet Shopper, Pricegrabber, and MySimon. They present the results in a very effective table format and not only tell price but also shipping cost. They also include vendor ratings.

PricingCentral also includes links to many of the best online vendors, such as Buy.com. There are some dead links, but PricingCentral seems more up to date than similar directories.

© 2000 by Jim Karpen, Ph.D. (#235)