THUMBS UP: Shopping Web Sites Hunt Bargains for You

Wall Street Journal

Move over BizRate. Several up-and-comingWeb sites are positioning themselvesto outperform the averageonline deal purveyor, according to the. Combing theInternet for the cheapest prices aroundon anything from apparel to electronicsand more, these newcomers offer newfeatures that give veterans like YahooShopping and Froogle, Google's answerto the bargain hunt, a run for theirmoney. Become.com links consumers tothe Web sites of more than 7 millionproducts from 500 merchants. Althoughit only encompasses 2.5 million,Smarter.com provides pictures of theactual products and direct links to theWeb page on the merchant's Web site,and you can narrow your search by pricerange and brand. In reaction to growingconcerns over Internet fraud, BuySafeShopping.com provides up to $25,000of insurance from an independent thirdparty with its Bonded Shopping^™.Dealers are carefully screened by a comprehensiveBuySafe inspection to verifythe seller's identity and capabilities. It'snot just consumers who benefit fromcomparison-shopping Web sites, ofcourse. Merchants gain greater visibilityby listing their products, and bargainshoppers get the best prices around.