1,001 Deals And Steals: A Guide To Online Classifieds
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wouldn't last. Sure, and they said television was a passing fad, too!
As we all know, just the opposite has occurred. There's a television
in every household, and more than likely, the homeowner bought their
television online-along with his books, music CDs, clothes, and maybe
even his home.
Internet shopping is bigger than ever. You can find anything and
everything for sale online. Many times, you can find it cheaper online
than anywhere else. Internet shopping offers so much more than a
discounted price tag, though.
Imagine a shopping mall where there are no lines, where there are no
jammed parking garages, and no pushy sales clerks. This is no land of
make believe. It is the Internet, where you can discover unprecedented
selection, convenience, and opportunities. Online shopping gives you
the luxury of browsing hundreds of stores from your living room, while
saving on time and frustration. It provides you the chance to compare
prices to your heart's delight on a near limitless selection of brands
and models.
For even more benefits, try your hand at classifieds and auction Web
sites. These sites are like yard sales and flea markets rolled into
one. Unlike retail shopping sites, they offer:
Access to super secondary markets. Take your pick of secondhand or
brand-new wholesale goods at steeply discounted prices. The vendors at
classifieds sites can get away with it because they aren't paying high
rent for a storefront or a warehouse. And in many cases, you're not
paying taxes.
Tools to locate unique and rare collectibles. Imagine a classifieds
site to be like a sunken pirate boat, laden with cultural artifacts,
hard-to-find heirlooms, and priceless antiques. The Internet is your
deep-sea vessel, sonar, and oxygen tank all in one.
Reach beyond your neighborhood. Search through the inventory of a
vendor from your home town, or if you don't find what you're looking
for there, try that fellow in California, Texas or Canada for that
matter.
Close relationships with vendors. You deal with real people-not big,
impersonal corporations-when you buy on classifieds sites. They can
provide more details about the product, which you can then use to
bargain for a reasonable price.
Despite this bounty of benefits, you might still be hesitant to dive
into Internet shopping. Don't be embarrassed. You have good reason to
take your time and weigh your choices. According to the U.S. Federal
Trade Commission, Internet fraud tops the list of the thousands of
fraud cases that happen every year. In some ways, WWW could stand for
the Wild West Web, in that anything goes. Vendors can be villains in
disguise, and there aren't any online Wyatt Earps to protect you from
these bad guys. You're on your own.
But give yourself some credit. You have the common sense it takes to
survive the WWW. It is the same commonsense that helps you make the
most of your money on your standard shopping trips. Become familiar
and comfortable with an online vendor before jumping into a purchase.
Ask questions and do a bit of research.
After doing your research, you'll feel more confident in searching for
your online booty. To refine your findings and whittle your list to
only the exceptional sites, look for these additional qualities:
?A focus on local shopping, so you can feel more confident buying from
neighbors.
?Free education and advice on safe purchasing.
?No-cost and easy browsing through available merchandise.
?Search tools that let you prioritize items by category, location, and
distance.
?A straightforward pricing system that avoids the haggling and risk of
auction bidding.
?Quick price comparisons among different vendors.
Unbelievably, a few trustworthy, practical, and exciting Web sites
exist that have all of these features. To find these websites, simply
browse through Yahoo's directory under the classifieds category. The
best of the online classified sites offer these services free to
buyers such as you. Some of these sites can link you at no charge to
your neighbor selling the antique lamp that you've been hunting for or
that retiree looking to unload an incredible piece of real estate-or
the cowboy looking to sell his big-screen television.