Comparison Shopping SitesWhat makes comparison shopping sites good? What makes them bad? Which ones benefit you? Which ones benefit themselves? How do they work? What kinds are there? You will find the answers to these questions and more right here. With the increase of online shopping has come the increase of price comparison shopping sites. These sites compare the prices on just about any product or service you can think of. Comparison sites are a very useful tool for the bargain hunter. With so many online comparison shopping sites finding the best one can take some time. It comes as no surprise then that there are sites that compare comparison shopping sites. Price Comparison SitesPrice comparison shopping sites collect prices either directly from the merchant, from data feed files, or by use of a web crawler. The information is then stored in a database. The bargain shopper can then search for a product, the price of a product, and/or a list of merchants that carry the product. When searching for an item a price comparison shopping site may search from newspaper advertisements, online auctions, online classifieds, and/or various websites. They may also offer local, nationwide, or worldwide search results. Most price comparison shopping sites do not charge the user. They make their money from the merchant. Depending on the method of operation the merchant may pay a flat fee to be listed, or a fee for each time a user clicks through to the merchants site, registers an email address, or makes a purchase. The results are then sorted and listed in a variety of ways. Some price comparison shopping sites may list by price, others by the amount paid by the retailer to be listed. Prices listed may be before or after taxes, and/or shipping and handling fees. Make sure if it’s the bottom line price or not. It could have an affect on your bargain. These sites may offer other information as well, like product reviews, company reviews, turn around time, return policies, customer comments, email alerts if the price drops, and /or price history tracking. This is important to help you not only to get the lowest price on an item but also to get the best value on a product and the best customer service. Some price comparison sites cover almost any product and service while others specialize in airfare bargains, books, car rentals, cell phones, credit cards, cds, dvds, ebooks, electronics, energy, gas prices, insurance rates, loans, mortgages, rental rates, tickets for concerts, sporting, and theater events, student loans, or website building and hosting services. Comparison SitesThere are comparison sites that compare things other than prices like banking services, bargain sources, dating services, energy sources, financial services, salaries, wholesale sources, and websites of every type, including price comparison shopping sites. These can help you sort through the multitude of sites available and find your best bargain. When using comparison sites it is important to know how they are rating the merchant, product, service, and/or website. What criteria are they using? Are they comparing apples to apples? Is it based on value, reputation, customer service, and or customer satisfaction? Are they biased or unbiased in their reporting? Do they award the #1 spot to the one that earned and deserves it or do they sell it to the highest bidder? A good comparison site will put the benefit of the user before the benefit of the site or the benefit of the merchants listed. It should offer advice, information, and/ or guidance. If they are selling a product or service they should be using it themselves and not just peddling someone else’s wares. Lets take a comparison site on student loans for example. Granted, the owner of this type of site or one recommending it may not have ever used it or taken out a loan but they should have some credentials or at least know what they’re talking about, A comparison site looking out for the users benefit here would state one way or another that the borrower should seek out and use federal and state grants and loans before pursuing private student loans. It would provide information on savings, scholarships, military, and other types of financial aid. It would include enough vendors to ensure getting a good rate and provide enough information on which to base a decision. Information like the total cost of the loan including actual interest rates, fees, length and terms of the loan. It would include contact information such as telephone numbers, addresses, email addresses, and/or web links. It would not charge the user for using the site. It should disclose what criteria they are using to rank the vendors and if the vendors have to pay to be listed. Vendors with the lowest rates would probably not be spending money to be included in paid listings. If a comparison site charges to be included in their listings and judges fairly you will find the best that that particular site is comparing. There may be a better deal out there somewhere. Even if they don’t charge to be included one comparison site cannot cover every single product, service, or website. Use more than one to increase you odds at bagging a bargain. Mobile Comparison Shopping SitesNow imagine this scenario. You’re at the store and see an item that looks like a deal but you think you might be able to get it cheaper online. You don’t want to drive back home, log on, and search only to find out that the bargain priced item is back at the store. How can you avoid this situation? Ah, the wonders of technology and the innovative mind. You take out your cell phone, or use a pay phone if you don’t have a cell phone, and dial a phone number. Enter the bar code or ISBN number. Within seconds you have your search results. You can even order it right then and there if you think it’s going to get away. This is a service provided by an online comparison shopping site for mobile shoppers. Just register at frucall.com. It’s free (there’s a bargain for you). You can also use text messaging or if you have internet access on your phone you can go to their website. They have other tricks, tips, and in depth how to on their website. Well, There’s price comparison shopping sites and comparison sites in a nutshell for you. They make a good tool to put in your arsenal for bargain hunting. My philosophy is, “So many price comparison shopping sites, so little time.” See you at the next bargain source my friend. Return to Online Bargains from Comparison Shopping Sites
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