Why I (Mostly) Don't Use Shopping Comparison Sites

[mandy]

... I just don't use shopping comparison sites such as Froogle, Shopping.com, and Shopzilla very much. It got me thinking why:

* The big sites such as Amazon.com and eBay have such a wide variety of stuff--and in both cases to varying degrees, provide a wealth of information about prices and features--that I don't generally need to go somewhere else to find comparisons on the products.

* ...while I can sometimes find significantly better prices outside the major sites, the lower level of trust in those sites reduces that advantage substantially. It's not that I necessarily feel I will get ripped off by anyone but the majors, but that I don't know how fast the delivery will be, what the return policies are, and the like. That requires a discount factor...

full article: http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/t...ly_do.html

[bargainbloodhound]

... I just don't use shopping comparison sites such as Froogle, Shopping.com, and Shopzilla very much.

Either do I.  I'll check Yahoo Shopping, but for the most part shopping comparison sites annoy me and I usually end up buying from a merchant listed on Amazon.

I do think the shopping comparison sites have a lot of work to do before they can become main starting point for online shoppers...especially Froogle which has been filling up with crap from affiliates (since the other shopping sites charge fees they generally don't suffer from this problem)

* ...while I can sometimes find significantly better prices outside the major sites, the lower level of trust in those sites reduces that advantage substantially. It's not that I necessarily feel I will get ripped off by anyone but the majors, but that I don't know how fast the delivery will be, what the return policies are, and the like. That requires a discount factor...

Uhh he lists Amazon and eBay as the major trusted sites but he seems to be describing perfectly every reason why I and many others do not shop on eBay.  Every survey I've seen (and my own experience as a seller) has also shown that people are willing to spend more to buy an item from a web site store then they would be willing to pay on eBay precisely because of the reasons he lists.

[xppman]

REAL online shoppers are NOT stupid.
They know IT's all advertising and boasting things that no one can deliver.

Remember the FREE shipping on the 23rd of December and guaranteed delivery by the 24th promises of the dot com days?

What a crock of  IT...

He says eBay is a major trusted site?

Trusted by who? The tooth fairy?

Apparently MANY online shoppers do NOT feel this is the case.

I wonder how much he made to boast a MAJOR "site" that has been flat in
REAL sell through for almost two years for so many?

[bargainbloodhound]

Remember the FREE shipping on the 23rd of December and guaranteed delivery by the 24th promises of the dot com days?

They could afford to do that because their business plans didn't include the word "PROFITS"...it didn't take them long to figure out that every business plan should include that word. 

Trusted by who? The tooth fairy?

Must be the tooth fairy.  I know for a fact that Santa Claus shops at Amazon.com and not eBay. 

[xppman]

They could afford to do that because their business plans didn't include the word "PROFITS"...it didn't take them long to figure out that every business plan should include that word

And that is why so many went belly up so fast.

[Angel]

Quote
Trusted by who? The tooth fairy?

Must be the tooth fairy.  I know for a fact that Santa Claus shops at Amazon.com and not eBay. 

Well this Santa Claus shops everywhere except ebay.  Search is horrible, 1000's of listing come up and its mostly not what i'm searching for and even if you do find something, you have to jump through hoops to buy more then 1 item...its nuts!! 

I go to any other site and a nice little shopping cart holds all my items until i'm ready to checkout. Oh and I dont have to wait to find out about combined shipping, no waiting on some revised invoice, (its magical) all the figures are right there in front of me, I pay and im done.  No muss no fuss, simple and easy. 


Angel