Savvy Online Shopping (Eu-Independent) [Paperback]

Jill T. Freeze (Author)

Book Description

Series: Eu-Independent | Publication Date: October 27, 2000

Are there better bargains on line? Is it safe to shop the Net? With "Savvy Online Shopping", consumers get the inside track to finding the best products at the best prices. The book jumps right to the heart of privacy and security matters -- using plain, nontechnical language to explain which technologies help keep the consumer's wallet safe while e-shopping. Bolstered with this information, readers learn how to use Web technologies to shop smarter and safer on line, zoom in on deals, know what to ask an online seller (either merchant or individual) before agreeing to a purchase, shop at online auctions, make money while shopping on the Net, and exercise their rights as online consumers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You can buy anything on the Internet. You also can beg, borrow, or (gulp!) steal anything on the Internet. Jill Freeze explains how to take advantage of good commercial opportunities while minimizing risks in Savvy Online Shopping. Read this one if you're keen on finding bargains, and suspect that you're not getting the whole picture by visiting only well-known sites that advertise a lot. Freeze calls attention to dozens of relatively small sites, most of which specialize in something like Beanie Babies or antique items. She also explores the world of online auctions, and offers tips on where to go to get the best price as both buyer and seller.

There's more to this book than directory listings. In large part, it's a guide to commercial safety online. Freeze explains how to check out vendors before you commit to purchases, and how some scams have worked in the past. She also introduces a concept that might be new to many veterans of online shopping: shopping agents that search for the best price on a given item across many stores. A lot of her advice is common sense, but she backs it with references to the tools that you need. --David Wall

Topics covered: Online shopping for consumers and small-time sellers. Transactional security, payment methods, and other technical subjects get attention, while softer (but perhaps more important) topics like product research and vendor trustworthiness receive heavier coverage.

From Booklist

Most consumer advice for buying online has heretofore recommended where to shop. Freeze, who has written several "teach yourself" computer manuals, emphasizes how . Noting that 55 million Americans have already made at least one online purchase, she details the advantages of buying from home (or work). She also addresses concerns reluctant shoppers might have about privacy and security, and she includes an understandable explanation of "cookies." She then shows how to find "nearly anything" online and covers how to do product research using the Internet. She discusses online price guides and comparison shopping and makes suggestions for evaluating "seller legitimacy." Freeze devotes a whole section of her guide to online auctions. She concludes with a miscellany of hints for finding coupons, rebates, and freebies; for researching and buying more expensive items, such as cars or computers; and for downloading digital purchases, such as electronic books, music, and software. This guide is published by Microsoft and because of that a novice following Freeze's advice might assume that the only way to access Web sites is to use Internet Explorer or Microsoft WebTV. David Rouse
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (October 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735611416
• ISBN-13: 978-0735611412
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,791,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and entertaining introduction to shopping online, March 22, 2001

By 

Soozie4Him (Chicago suburbs) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Savvy Online Shopping (Eu-Independent) (Paperback)

Jill Freeze does an outstanding job in explaining the world of shopping online to people who might want to try it, but is concerned about privacy and safety. This is the perfect book to read if you've wanted to try online shopping, but need more information first.

Jill's style is entertaining and the book is quick-moving. You won't realize how much information you've accumulated while enjoying reading about the ins and outs of shopping online!

I highly recommend this book for newbies to shopping online. Jill explains everything clearly step-by-step. She also includes how to shop at Ebay and other online auctions. Most newbies would prefer to start their online shopping experience with something a bit easier, like buying this book at Amazon, for example, but everything you need to jump into the Ebay auction world is there if you decide to do that!

The book discusses how to look at the "big ticket items" online as well - things like houses and cars and colleges! You can do research online even if you end up buying the product at the local mall.

Jill Freeze is visually impaired and she is a perfect example of how online shopping makes life easier for SO many people in SO many different situations. I have been shopping online for a few years now, and have bought stuff from lots of e-tailers, including Amazon (yes, it was the first, and my favorite!), Webvan, Ebay, Half.com, Lands End, Drugstore.com, and many others. There's very little that you can't buy online, actually!

Jill discusses how to research the item you're looking to buy - she gives you lots of websites to check, but I found that she left out a few of my favorites:

BizRate.com - gives detailed reports on the different online stores - comparing on-time delivery, easy navigation of the website, prices, quality of items sold, etc. Yes, Amazon is very highly rated on Bizrate.com!

DealOfDay.com - looking for a deal? Check out what special offers are available at the online store of your choice ($10 off a $50 purchase, for example!)

BestBookBuys.com - My favorite thing to shop for online (and off-line, for that matter!) is books, and this website is the best for finding which store has your book at what price. You type in the title, author, or ISBN number, and it looks at about 30 different bookstores online and comes up with an easy-to-understand chart giving you the price (lowest price first), shipping cost, tax in what states, and best of all - AVAILABILITY of your book! Many shopping bots leave out this important fact. You can see the bottom line price - including shipping, and how soon your book will get to you. If you find that Amazon is your best bet for your latest must-have book (and it often is, all things considered), just click on "Buy" and BestBookBuys.com will take you right to the book detail page on Amazon (or whatever other e-tailer you click on) and there you are! Before buying from a bookstore that you aren't familiar with, check it out at Bizrate first.

Thanks, Jill, for a complete guide to the wonderful world of shopping online!