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Shopping Links
Auction Sites
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eBay. Be
careful using auction sites. Know how much the item you want to
purchase is really worth before placing a bid. I have frequently
seen items sell for more on eBay than they would cost from
Amazon.com,
Froogle, and other shopping
sites. I have seen used items sell for more than the cost of new
items.
Books
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Alibris.
Although Alibris is listed first, it is probably my least favorite of
this group. They do a great job, but they don't have the
selection that can be found through Bookfinder.com. Watch out
for high shipping costs.
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AllBookStores.com. "At AllBookstores.com, we help you find
the lowest book prices on new and used books by comparing prices at
more than 2 dozen online bookstores. Our price comparisons include:
Shipping Cost, Shipping Time, Sales Tax (when required), Availability
and Condition (New or Used)." Although one may find a better
selling price through another bookseller meta-search engine, this one
gives you the complete pricing information.
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Barnes & Noble.
Sometimes Barnes & Noble offers good deals on shipping. When the
shipping deals are combined with discounts they can be the best deal
on the Web.
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Bestbookbuys.com. This resource was suggested by the
Writing Doctor, Nancy
Yanes-Hoffman. It is similar to Half.com, but checks
different resources for the best prices.
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Bookfinder.com.
When I am looking for a hard to find book I will go to Bookfinder.com.
However, I always double check Half.com to see if the same book is
available there. The reason why I double check is because of the
shipping and handling costs charged by Bookfinder.com's members.
Sometimes the shipping costs are outrageously high. Remember
that the
U.S. Postal Service has book rates (media mail) that are very
inexpensive.
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BookPrice.com.
"Booksprice.com is a free service of finding the best price on books
and textbooks among the major online stores. Our real time engine can
help you save as much as 80% from the retail price on new & used
books. We have introduce innovative features and tools like finding
the best price of several books together, which might reduce the high
shipping costs and save even more money." (New
5/07)
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Chambal.com.
"At Chambal.com we compare new and used book prices across major
online bookstores. we compare prices of books across major
online book sellers in real time.Various other services provided by us
are:
1. Rare Book Search.
2. Audio Book Search (We will be adding e-books also shortly).
3. Searching prices from ebay.
4. Spelling suggestions to users when they key in wrong spellings.
5. Search by both UPC code (13 digit) and ISBN (10 digit).
6. Search for multiple versions / releases of same title."
Chambal is a meta-search engine of bookstores. You can input a
title and find out what dealer if offering the best selling price.
However, Chambal does not list shipping costs and these can vary
greatly from one book source to another.
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Half.com.
Half.com is the online bookseller that I go to first when looking for
a used book. Their prices are great and their shipping fees are
consistent and reasonable. Their sellers are nearly always
truthful about the quality of their books.
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Amazon.com.
Sometimes, Amazon.com has good buys on used books. You have to
pay attention to the new book listings to see if there is also a used
version of the book available.
Camping Supplies
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Sierra
Trading Post. Since the first catalog that Sierra Trading
Post advertised in Outside Magazine, I have been buying shoes,
clothing, and camping gear from them. Their prices are
outrageously inexpensive. My wife, Tina, once bought hiking
boots that once listed for more than $130 for as little as $19.95.
They have a good online catalog and their customer service is
excellent.
Computers
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Newegg.com.
Newegg has very good deals and great customer service. This is
where I shop for computer equipment when I have to be certain that I
am getting a quality product.
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Nextag.com.
This is often the second place I go to look up prices on computer
products. What I like about them is that the offer real
comparisons that take into account local taxes and shipping.
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Pricewatch.
Pricewatch is the first place I go when I am looking for the lowest
price on computer hardware. They don't always have the best deals,
but when they have the best deals, they are the lowest price on the Web.
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Tigerdirect.com.
Tigerdirect.com often has very good deals on almost anything related to
computers. They have good customer service and they have consumer
ratings for products.
Everything Else
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BestWebBuys.com.
Another shopping meta-search engine price comparison site. This
is usually the last price comparison search I look at, but it is
always worth a look.
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Froogle.com.
Google's shopping service. Watch out for extremely low priced items
or items from sellers that do not state clearly the terms of purchase.
There seem to be a unnecessarily high number of scammers on Froogle.
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Nextag.com.
Nextag.com also has price comparisons for a wide range of products outside
of computing. What I like about them is that the offer real
comparisons that take into account local taxes and shipping.
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Pricegrabber.com.
This is another meta-shopping search engine that does comparison shopping
for you.
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Streetprices.com.
This site is becoming more popular and is sited often. Used in
combination with the other shopping meta-search engines, you should be
able to find the best deal possible.
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Yahoo Shopping
is where I shop more than any other place on the Web.
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