Why do these sites spend so much time and effort reviewing products for you? Many user-generated review sites exist, but most are motivated by profit. There is a lot of money to be made in reviewing – and then selling -- consumer products.

Many of these sites offer price comparisons (like price comparison shopping engines, discussed later), after the product reviews, so you can immediately buy the product after you discover what you want. Other sites may not offer price comparisons, but will have links to a couple of major retailers offering that product. Search Tip: If you want a broader selection of reviews, enter “review” along with the product description in your search engine.

(Note to business owners: If you have a Web site selling products, consider adding product reviews to your site. Product reviews are full of content that will result in higher search engine rankings and greater customer traffic. See Level 4.)

There are four major types of review sites and most offer options to later purchase the product.

1. Professional reviews: These sites have professional testers who use products in lab environments and compare them against industry standards, often grading products on a scale of 1 to 10 and highlighting recommended products. One major advantage to these sites is that you can review products by very general categories, or by desired features, even if you have no specific models in mind. The C|Net site often reviews products before they are released onto the general market, and updates its reviews whenever new versions of the product are released.
2. User reviews: Sometimes products test well in a lab, handled by experts, but don't do as well in real life. These reviews are written by consumers like you. Epinions, the original user opinion site, has reviews about everything, from motorcycles to MP3 players to Miami beaches. Epinions reviews may be found on their Web site or on SuperPages.com.
3. Site reviews: Once the Web's largest retailer, Amazon.com, offers a tremendous collection of user reviews for every product it offers, as well as numerous descriptions. Like several other shopping sites, Amazon encourages users to review products, and recognizes power reviewers.
4. Vertical reviews: For some items, generic review sites don't give enough information. A vertical review site deals with only the type of product you are considering purchasing. Steve's Digicams is the perfect example of a vertical review site. It offers all the information you could ever want when comparing and rating Digital Cameras.

One of the best price comparison engines, available through SuperPages.com, is Shopping.com (formerly Dealtime). It is the oldest and most comprehensive shopping engine available. The site offers user reviews and rankings for products and user reviews and ranking for merchants. It even breaks those rankings down into different aspects of a business, like customer service and on-time delivery. Shopping.com can compute your total costs include shipping and handling, and offer an extra discount in the form of cash back to registered users.

A nice feature of Shopping.com is the ability to search by feature (like digital cameras with at least 3 megapixels), and review different products and the range of prices for them at different retailers. Shopping.com also offers guides and lists for the undecided shopper.

BizRate and ResellerRatings both offer extensive customer reviews of nearly every online merchant. BizRate focuses more on the bigger merchants, while ResellerRatings rates smaller online stores.

Here are some examples of smaller places you can shop:

•  In addition to hosting auctions, eBay provides virtual storefronts for active members. Products in these stores can either be bought at auction or a set price.
•  Amazon offers the option of purchasing items from other sources. Search for the product you want and select it. Underneath, there is a line that reads "Used & new from (price)," which lists the condition of the item and who is selling it. These items do not qualify for Amazon shipping promotions.
•  CraigsList is like a national bulletin board. Organized around major U.S. cities, members offer everything you could want for sale. There are no fees to list products and no shipping costs (you pick the item up), but relatively few products are available when compared to the giant selling sites.

•  You can save more money by shopping through a cash-back site. By using a link from one of these sites to the retailer where you plan to make a purchase, you are refunded a percentage of the purchase price. Shopping.com (provided by SuperPages.com) offers a cashback program for its users.
•  You can also save money on certain products with rebates from the manufacturer. Search for rebates at RebatesHQ and WheresMyRebate.
•  Deal forums are another way to save some extra money before you purchase. Search for your product in the forum, and read what the forum members recommend to save even more money. Check out sites like Fatwallet and AnandTech.

•  Cash: NEVER send cash through the mail! There is too great a potential for the money to be intercepted or the seller to claim it never arrived.
•  Money orders: For several years, most eBay transactions were settled with money order payments. These are more secure than cash and provide a paper trail of their purchase and redemption. However, they must be physically delivered to the recipient, usually by mail.
•  Checks: Some sellers will accept personal checks, but many more don't -- or require that they clear your bank before the item is shipped. Like money orders, they also provide a paper trail but must be physically delivered. However, if need be, you can stop payment on a check before it is cashed.
•  Credit Cards: Provide excellent records but not all merchants accept them. Payment is immediate; you usually can provide the account number, expiration date and billing address over the phone or on a secure site. Make sure the transaction uses Secure SSL. Look for a padlock icon on the bottom right side of your browser. Check to see of it is verified by a third-party like Verisign. In many cases, the card companies limit your liability for fraudulent transactions.
•  Escrow: Usually used for transactions exceeding $500, escrow requires the money to be held by a third-party service. They should be subject to the same scrutiny you give the seller.
•  Wire Transfers: Bank-to-bank transfers put the money directly in the seller's account, but can be hard to recover in the event of fraud. Instant cash wire transfers, such as MoneyGram and Western Union, are not traceable and could be used in fraudulent transactions.
•  PayPal, BidPay, etc.: These instant payment services have become extremely popular because of their speed and convenience. You can send money from your bank account or a credit card. These services require both parties to be registered with them, providing an extra level of security. However, some sellers don't like the fees they charge.

•  You should be aware of payment options (see above), shipping & handling charges (fixed rate or dependant on weight/zone) and return/exchange/refund policies (Is there a time limit? Who pays return shipping? etc.).
•  Once you complete a transaction, you should print and keep a copy of all receipt or purchase information. In most cases, the seller's site will provide a printable page. If not, tell your printer to capture everything on your screen.
•  Finally, be aware of each site's privacy policy. Some sites sell your information to other businesses! This is usually divulged in fine print under "Privacy Policy."
•  If you have any questions, ASK before you BUY.