It typically strikes about two seconds after you’ve clicked on the “Complete Order” button: the nagging feeling that if you had just looked a little harder, you could have found the same thing cheaper elsewhere. But who has time to check out prices on dozens of websites? You do, if you use a comparison-shopping site.
These sites find all the online vendors that are selling what you’re looking for, letting you quickly
compare models and prices. Once you decide on a merchant, you click over to its site to place the order.
Real Simple’s road test of these sites found that some are better for comparing prices on specific items (a particular book or CD, for instance), while others appeal more to virtual window-shoppers, who want to see, say, every green cashmere sweater being sold online. The sites are free, so whatever you’re shopping for, make them your first stop, and save yourself hours online — and, better yet, hours in line.
Battle of the Megasites
To find out which comparison-shopping websites deliver the best selection, prices, and overall experience,
Real Simple went looking for a few items in eight different categories. The following chart shows the sites that worked best. (With the exception of books and kitchen accessories, the winning sites sell other categories of merchandise, too.) Keep in mind that search results — both price and selection — can change daily.
Best Home Site: Pricegrabber.com
www.pricegrabber.com In this category, comparison-shopping sites offer many items, but most are sold by only one vendor. So when you find those perfect wineglasses, you’ll have to settle for the price given by the one vendor that sells them. PriceGrabber.com is no exception, but its ease of use and large selection of brands and models set it apart.
Selection/Price A search for 200-thread-count twin bedsheets yielded about 100 options in the $11-to-$25 price range alone. A hunt for handheld vacuums turned up dozens of models. Martini glasses came in 34
styles, though each was available through only one seller. Mikasa Cheers Colors glasses, listed at $67 for a set of four, were on sale for $40.
Shopping Experience Browse categories like “Home and Garden” or type in keywords, such as “martini glasses.” You can also specify a price range. Search results can be sorted by popularity, price, price with tax and shipping included, or the seller’s customer-review rating. Detailed product descriptions, including battery life and suction power of vacuums, for example, are available. One complaint: The handheld-vacuum search returned both vacuums and accessories, in no particular order. 
