Comparison Shopping for the Holidays?

Shopping in one store at a time is so yesterday. At least that‘s what the comparison shopping sites on the web would have you think. Sites such as MySimon, PriceGrabber, Shopping.com, Shopzilla and a host of others are all about giving you the chance to price an item (say the popular TMX Elmo) across multiple stores. You can compare the best pricing and place your order, but it's helpful to know a few things about comparison shopping sites first.

Not every comparison shopping site does business with every store. Each site has its strengths and weaknesses. Some are stronger in the line of toys they carry, for example, while others shine in their electronics offering. If you're a serious comparison shopper you'll want to visit at least two or three comparison sites, especially if it's a big-ticket purchase.

Some are more visually appealing. In the real world you can shop at the bargain basement or shop Bergdorf's. Comparison shopping sites each have a distinct look and feel, too. Some are prettier and better organized than others. Personally, I don't mind parting with an extra $5 for an item if the search is more attractive and better organized.

Product Availability: Let's say I'm shopping at Shopzilla and the item I want turns up in five stores. Well, queried further, I may find out that these stores don't actually have my item in stock; they'll backorder. For the holidays I always double check on popular items to make sure they're really available. Finding the store with the best price doesn't mean beans if they don't have the goods. A good shopping site lists whether or not the item is in stock in a given store. If you don't see it listed, write to the store and ask before buying.

Read Product Descriptions Carefully: In looking for TMX Elmo, I found the best price available and then read the fine print. It was for the French-speaking version. Because the type was small and the screen cluttered, I almost clicked on it.

Taxes and Shipping: Depending on where you live and what shipper the company uses, your sales tax and shipping can tip the scales of which store offers the best price. The best comparison shopping sites will ask you for your zip code and calculate tax and shipping for you.

Store Reputation: Never heard of the store before? Comparison shopping sites offer a real potpourri of experiences. Some stores have recognizable names. Others are online stores only and you may have never heard of them. Still others appear to be individual sellers, ala eBay. If they don't have a URL where you can go and see that they're "for real," you might want to avoid shopping there. The better comparison shopping sites will post user reviews of shopper experiences; they'll often rate the store based on user comments. Finally, they'll allow you to communicate directly with the seller. If you're feeling queasy about a store you've never heard of, write to them and see what sort of response you get. Or, leave the comparison site and visit their URL.

Delivery Wait: You need some assurance that the gift will arrive in time for celebration. Make sure they specify a typical wait time for a delivery.

Return Shipping Policy: If you're not happy with the product what is it going to cost you to ship it back? If you've got to pay an arm and a leg to return unwanted goods (especially true for clothing when you're not certain what you've bought until you touch the goods) you might consider investigating another store with more favorable policies.

At this very moment I'm shopping at the major comparison sites to see who's doing what best. Stay tuned for tomorrow's report.