CNET Offers Some Helpful Online Shopping Tips

Here's a useful video from CNET.com I ran across recently, that offers some good advice for those of you who'll be doing your holiday shopping online:

Shopping Online This Holiday Season? Read This

If you're going to be doing any online shopping this holiday season, you'll want to read this:

Online Shopping Tips from OnGuardOnline.gov

What's the old cliche? Better safe than sorry!

CBSNews.com Has Some Important Online Shopping Tips

Here's a video I saw the other day on CBSnews.com that offers some good online shopping tips:

Gift Giving Made Easier With These Tips From WSJ.com

Here's a video I stumbled upon the other day at WSJ.com that points out some great sites that might make deciding what to get for friends and family a little bit easier:

Good News For Online Shoppers

If you're the type who shops online, especially this time of year, here's some news that you'll welcome: According to this video on The Wall Street Journal, looks like free shipping is becoming the norm, at least for the holiday season!

CNN Offers Some Online Security Tips For Cyber Monday

Today is Cyber Monday and if you're going to be shopping online, you'll want to watch this video I found at CNN.com before you shop:

Coupons With A Social Networking Twist

Have you head about a site called Groupon? If you like coupons, and you're a fan of online social networking it might be right up your alley. Want to learn more about it and how it works? Just watch this short video they created:

Learn How Groupon Works! from The Point on Vimeo.

Online Buyer Beware

If you're an online shopper you really need to see this video I stumbled upon at CNN.com. It just might prevent you from becoming a victim of what are known as "cash back" schemes.

Must-See Cyber Monday Links

Today is Cyber Monday. What's that you ask? Well, think of it as Black Friday for people who shop online. Here are a few notable "Cyber Monday" related links I found on the Web:

• Wikipedia's entry for Cyber Monday - Want to know who coined the term "Cyber Monday?" You'll find the answer and much more right here!


• Forget Black Friday, Here's Some Cyber Monday Tips - This helpful article by Lynda Baquero (via nbcnewyork.com) is a must-read, before you click your way to those online deals.


• Help needy pets on Cyber Monday - Are you a pet lover who likes to shop? You'll want to read Jill Rosen's latest post from the blog Unleashed (via The Baltimore Sun).

So, what's your opinion of Cyber Monday? Deal, or no deal? Sound off in the comments section!

Uncle Sam's Got Some Savvy Tips About Internet Auctions

With the holidays fast approaching, you might be thinking about buying and/or selling via an Internet auction site. And why not? It can be a great way to score a bargain, or raise some extra cash for gift giving. But beware, these types of sites are not without their dangers.

So, what can you do to protect yourself?

Here's something I found over at OnGuardOnline.gov that might help. It's a tip sheet that covers the basics of Internet safety at online auction sites, including steps you can take if you've been victimized. Here's the link:

Internet Auctions - OnGuard Online

Your best protection is knowledge, so be sure to check out these great tips before you place your next bid!

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Has Some Great Online Shopping Tips

Pretty soon, the holidays will be upon us and that means online shopping will start to pick up. If you're going to be one of the millions of people buying stuff online this year, you'll want to read these terrific tips I stumbled across in a fact sheet published by Privacy Rights Clearinghouse:

Online Shopping: Be Safe & Smart

Smart, common sense advice, along with plenty of fascinating info you might not know about, too. It's a must read if you want to be a savvy online shopper!

How Savvy Are You About Online Auctions?

If you're new to the world of online auctions, you need to learn that there's a lot more to them than the simple act of buying and selling. And this fun interactive game from OnGuard Online can help:

The Action Auction Game

Online Holiday Gift Guides Can Help You Pick The Right Gadget

If you have someone on your gift list that likes tech gifts, and you're not up on the latest gadgets-that can be a problem. But thankfully, the Web can help!

Several sites have put together holiday gift guides to help you make the gadget lovers on your list happy this Christmas season. A good example is CNET'S 2008 Holiday Gift Guide. They've rounded up a list of the latest gadgets that are sure to please everyone on your list!

These types of Web based holiday gift guides, especially from authoritative sites like CNET, can be a big help if you're in the market for tech gifts and not sure where to start!

The Fifth Online Safety Video From AARP AND Google

Here's the fifth online safety video from the collaboration of AARP and Google. This one offers some important online shopping tips.

Think You're A Savvy Online Shopper?

Today is "Cyber Monday," the day the online holiday shopping season "unofficially" takes off, so it's appropriate to point out a game designed to test your skills at spotting risky online offers. The game is featured at OnGuardOnline.gov, a government Web site that educates the public about online security.
Here's the link:

Online Lineup Game

See how savvy you are!

How To Save Time When Researching A Product Online

If you've ever used the Web to research a product you were thinking of purchasing, you know that it can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, you have access to a tremendous amount of online reviews. On the other hand, that's precisely the problem-there's an overload of information and it simply takes too much time to sift through it all. Wouldn't it be easier if someone did that for you? That's exactly what a site like ConsumerSearch.com does.

ConsumerSearch.com editors take a look at top reviews of products across a broad spectrum of categories, then they summarize the findings of those reviews and determine which products are best based on those findings.

Using a site like this just might save you some time when you look to the Web to research a product.

Online Shopping With A Twist

Are you high on the idea of online shopping because of the convenience but not so keen on the shipping charges that might apply? Or maybe you just don't like the idea of having lots of packages arrive at your house-especially when you're not sure if you're going to be home. Don't you wish there was a compromise?

There is. You might be interested in a program that more and more retailers are adopting these days-the option to shop for products online but pick them up at the store.

Here's a list of retailers that offer this option on their Web sites:

• Best Buy
• JCPenney
• Sears
• Walmart

These so called "buy online, pick up in-store" policies might allow you to take advantage of some of the best things online shopping has to offer while helping you avoid a few that are not.

Price Protection For Online Purchases Made Simple

How do you try to save money when shopping on the Web? Do you "clip" online coupons? Are you in the habit of using price comparison search engines? All good ideas, but what about the price protection policies offered by many online retailers? Have you been taking advantage of those or do you consider them too much of a hassle?

In the past, watching to see if the price dropped on an item you purchased online was tedious. Now, thanks to a site called Price Protectr it's gotten a whole lot easier. Currently if you make an online purchase from one of 68 stores that support the service, Price Protectr will check to see if the price drops and send you an e-mail alerting you if it does.

Simply visit Price Protectr, follow their easy instructions and you're on your way. Check out this service before your next online purchase!

Uncle Sam's "10 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping Online"

With all the hype surrounding so-called "Cyber Monday" and online shopping in general this year don't let security take a back seat to finding a good bargain. Educate yourself on what you have to do to make online shopping a safer experience.

To that end, read the FTC's recent consumer warning:


10 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping Online


This handy guide offers both obvious advice like, checking out sellers to make sure they're reputable, to advice which might not be so obvious like, turning off your computer once you stop using it to decrease the chances of falling victim to scammers.

Be sure to read the entire document before you shop online this holiday season!

How To Raise Money For Cancer Research Just By Shopping Online

You probably already do at least some of your shopping online just for the convenience, or the discounts, but did you know that by shopping online you could also raise money for important causes like cancer research? If you shop through a site like CharityMall.com for example, a portion of every purchase you make is donated to cancer research.

Here's how you can fund cancer research by shopping online in three easy steps:

1. Go to CharityMall.com and select from hundreds of online stores.
2. Make an online purchase at one of these stores.
3. Every time you make a purchase from a participating retailer a portion of the proceeds will be donated to cancer research!

That's all there is to it! Shop for the things you want and help fund a cure at the same time!