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A Billion Sites on the net, which one is for YOU?Mar 17 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Books
The Bottom Line It's a simple process-- just follow the rules!
This review is going to help you find a shopping site on the internet. ("How to Pick a Shopping Site") Granted that the subject of this essay is "What You Should Know About Shopping Sites," but after I clicked on this subject, the description was provided as "How to Pick a Shopping Site." Step 1 : Finding a Site To start, you need to first find sites. There are billions of sites there...but you have to find them first! Who to Listen to? Welcome to the World, where everyone has his or her own particular taste. Mary likes Amazon.com, Beth hates Amazon.com but likes Staples.com, Sean hates Amazon and Staples but likes Wal-Mart.com, Cynthia hates all, but likes CandleMart.com and George only shops at the brick and mortar stores, because he thinks all the stores on the internet are out there to cheat him out of his money. So, who are you suppose to listen to? The answer is our Rule #1. Rule #1: Never listen to any-one-person, when it comes to shopping online. Listening to someone is like asking them to PICK a favorite color for YOU, which is senseless. Everyone has different experiences with everything. It is possible, that your friends, Melissa and Jean purchase The Beatles 1 CD from Amazon.com, at the same time on the same day but one gets it in a week with no problems and the other gets it three months later with hassles. How? Melissa used a Web Certificate and Jean used her Visa. Everyone has different preferences, and since there are tons of options online, everyone will end up with different results. Merchant Comparison Sites? BizRate.com provides ratings and reviews for thousands of top merchants online. Why not go and read over there, and pick out the best stores? I mean, each merchant is rated by at least 1000 members, so you are surely going to get the entire scoop on the merchant! WRONG! This is not even the last site I would recommend to you for getting information on merchants. Most of the merchants at Bizrate.com are rated 4 stars or above-- how are you going to pick one?! Rule #2: Don't rely on Merchant Comparison Sites (Shopping Guides) for merchant ratings. I am not saying that you should not use these Merchant Comparison Sites, but that you should not rely on them for Merchant Ratings. Merchant Comparison Sites are useful for only confirming that the merchant you are shopping at will not fraud your Credit Card. Sites listed here have the general services which will make shopping easier. Search Engines Several years ago, it would be impossible to search the web and get precise results. Now there are about 100 popular search engines, and YOU have hundreds of options available. So, what are you waiting for? Search your way to a store! If you are looking for a "Tie", find the Category "Apparel" and keep on narrowing your search. Rule #3: To find new sites, search for them. Do not think that those banner advertisements are going to link to every single good site that exists. Think of it this way: GAP advertises a LOT, a lot of their money goes there, to make money they charge you double the price. A company that keeps its advertising costs to the minimum will have lower cost items than a company who spends a fortune at advertising. For most Search Engines, the listing is Free and Unbiased. Out of all Search Engines on the web, my recommendation to you would be Yahoo.com, because it really is easy to use. Step 2 : Checking the Site Now that you have a bunch of sites on your list, you want to cut it off, so you are only left with one. This is an easy process, but requires some work. Just follow the rules below! Terms of Service & Privacy Policy These two documents are the most boring but important documents that you can read on a website. If you are concerned about your information being sold over the Internet, you should definitely read the Privacy Policy. It will list information such as how the company will use your name, email, address and your Credit Card Number. Though not required, look for a company which is a member of I the BBB and Trustee, because they have some requirements that not everyone can meet. Rule #4: You should always skim, if not print these documents out because they will help you understand what the company does when you place an order and the information you provide them. They will certainly save you an arm and a leg if you get in some kind of trouble with this company. Shipping Services & Charges Hey, Amazon.com offers a book for only $55, and 1BookStreet.com offers the same book for $57. So, the better deal is Amazon.com because it meets all of the rules above...I mean that's how you arrived at the store! Wrong! Amazon.com has high shipping charges, while 1BookStreet.com is giving you free shipping. So, the better deal in this case is 1BookStreet.com. If you want the Flowers delivered the same day, and the company that you are making the purchase through does not deliver the same day, I would suggest looking for some other company. You want to look for a company that does not limit your options. Now, look through other companies that you have searched for, and find a site that is willing to deliver the same day. Shipping is going to be high, but if you want it delivered the same day, you will have to pay. Rule #5a: Read through a Company's FAQ's to find about their Shipping Charges & Services. If you find a site which gives a book for $2.99 but has the shipping charges of $6.99, it is better to purchase the book offline or a site with lower overall charge. You should think of the item costing you $10 rather $3. (include shipping charges) Coupons Note: I'd like to thank susiee for this section. (Coupons) While you were searching, somehow you ended up on FrugalRewards.com which lists hundreds of coupons for different merchants online! Some of these coupons actually are for the merchants on your list. They range from $1 Off to 50% Off! Heck, that could save you hundreds of dollars. The Computer is going to cost you only $2,001.99 instead of $2,200! Who would have thought THAT? Rule #5b:Search for coupons and deals for each merchant on your list. Most of the time, this can save you a great deal of money. For example, if Amazon.com has something for $100, with a shipping of $20 but a coupon of $30 that item costs you only $70. Compare this to a site that charges you $75 for the item, with $10 shipping. Amazon.com is much cheaper in this case. Most of the merchants also have newsletters. These newsletters usually list the coupons that a merchant has-- subscribe to these newsletters to be notified of the latest deals. Epinions.com and Other Sites You are narrowed down to only 7 sites, and now need to find out which one would turn out to be the best. You want to get advice from someone else now, because you don't know which one to pick! Since in Rule #2, I mentioned that you shouldn't rely on sites like Bizrate.com or opinions about others...you are left on the island all by yourself. Rule #6: This one is an amendment to Rule #2. You go back to a site like RatingWonders.com and read Customer Reviews of the site you are going to be shopping at. Read the reviews that recommend the site and don't recommend the site. Make a mental note of what the Customers liked and disliked about the site. Step 3: Telling Others Now, that you have placed your order at the site and bookmarked it, you want to start your review of the site. Mention how the experience was-- did they provide a Graphic Catalog? Was it easy to find the product you were looking for? Was the site easy to use, meaning did it load fast or easy? Did you get a confirmation when you placed an order? After you recieve the order, add on the review whether the shipping was as promised, and whether the product was as mentioned on site. When you write the review, don't exaggerate anything. Tell everything as it is. Readers want your personal opinion, but they don't want too much of it. P.S. Everyone has their own certain tastes and preferences. I didn't mention everything that I like to see in a merchant, because everyone is not me. Personally, I like it when the merchant lets me track my order online, provides gift services, has a toll free phone number, etc. This makes my shopping experience even better. If you wish, you might also compare the services a merchant offers.  |
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