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Comparison Shopping

Comparison shopping online can save you money, time and trouble. Spending a few minutes on the Internet not only increases your odds of finding the best product at the best price without driving from store to store, it also leaves you better equipped to recognize bogus offers. Pricing items at reputable Web sites can give you an idea of how much something should cost, thereby helping you identify too-good-to-be-true online offers.

Shopping search engines can help you sift through the overwhelming amount of information online to compare products and decide what to buy. Consumer Reports mentions froogle.google.com, shopping.msn.com, shopping.yahoo.com, www.shopping.com, www.bizrate.com, and www.mysimon.com as useful product search engines.⁵

Before you buy, follow these tips to shop smart online:

• Use more than one search engine and compare the results.
• Factor in shipping and fees before deciding which company offers the best price.
• Read the privacy policy, return policy and any other buyer protection program posted by the company from which you are buying.
• Pay attention to exactly which company you are buying from: some sites sell products for other merchants who have different policies.
• Make sure your purchase is made on a secure server and be on the lookout for con artist's tricks.

^{5. Consumer Reports, Where the Buys Are: Shop like a pro--confidently, with no hassles, and super fast--using our exclusive guide to finding bargains on the Web}