[Risa]

I have made online purchases from Amazon with no complaints, but I can't say I'm really experienced with online shopping. Although I realize shipping and handling are the price I would pay for saving time and gas by purchasing online, I don't know what a 'fair S&H price' would be or even if I would be pleased with the service and/or product.

For those who enjoy the results of online shopping, I'm curious about which online sites you would recommend regarding service, pricing (including shipping charges) and quality of the products.

Any tips you might offer to a rookie online shopper? What are your favorite online sites?

[SusaninNJ]

I'm far from an expert but I use Amazon, Lands End, LL Bean, National Geographic and greatergood.com. I look for free shipping and this Christmas it's very common. I always use secure sites and I pay with one credit card which I monitor very closely. Avoiding crowded stores and parking hassles is my main motivation.

Merry Christmas!

[NJ Teacher]

There are sites that offer coupons you can use for online and in-store shopping. One is www.couponcabin.com and another one, I think, is www.coolsavings.com Sometimes, they are for free shipping and handling, other times, they are for deep discounts. I also shop QVC quite a bit, and they have great customer service. I bought a silver bracelet in the fall, and the clasp turned out to be faulty. I lost the bracelet on the first wearing. I didn't think there'd be anything they could do for me, but I decided to call them and try. Well, they refunded the total cost of the bracelet for me, even though it was my loss. I find that they send things out very quickly, and they have a good selection of a lot of different types of items. It's www.qvc.com

[TexTeacher]

always google "ouline store name" + "coupon code" before you shop online. You will find codes for % off or free shipping. Sometimes it takes a little searching and trying different codes before you can find one that works.

[MissTrace]

I love shopping online, mostly for shoes! My advice for shopping for anything online is reading the company's return/exchange policy carefully before buying. Also, I often google the name of the item I'm looking for, generally some comparison sites come up where you can see what the price is at a few stores, as well as shipping costs. A lot of places offer free shipping, so compare base prices and the price they want to charge for shipping. Have fun shopping!