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myGeek.com  myGeek.com is one of several sites
that let buyers post the exact items they’re looking for and then sit back and wait for sellers who have the products
in question to contact them. One of the site’s nice features is its ability to obtain an instant answer from a
seller of a particularly popular product based on the site’s knowledge of that seller’s inventory. That way, you
don’t have to wait for a response.
Mercata  One of the trendiest ways to shop online
is to use “demand aggregation” to get the best deal. The concept is simple: If a gang of people can get together
to make a volume purchase of laptops, VCRs, or anything else, they’ll get a better deal. This method of shopping
isn’t for everyone because you can’t be sure how low the price will go, and you may have to wait several days to
find out; but Mercata is also valuable as a research site because, like an auction site, it can give you a good
idea of how much a particular item should cost in the current market.
mySimon  This is the shopping bot to beat. An
Editors’
Choice winner, mySimon.com queries so many sites (more than 1,500--it
looks at 15 for tea alone) that it does a better job of finding the best deal than other shopping agents do. It
offers dozens of categories that cover just about any item you’re likely to buy on the Web. You can also search
auctions (such as those at eBay) and classified ads. mySimon searches all major merchants, and advertisers are
denoted by their logos.
Productopia  Productopia goes to the
trouble of teaching you about the category you’re shopping in before it sends you off to shop at recommended stores
(or dispatches a bot to shop for you). Be informed: Read the tutorial and visit the discussion group before you
decide which watch, pants, or garden tractor you want. This site makes it much easier to make an informed buying
choice. Coming soon: more consumer comments and ratings.
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