Easy Online Bargain Hunting

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

December 10, 1998 / 11:15 AM EST / CBS

Instead of waiting in line this holiday season, how about going online? An estimated 17 million Americans are expected to shop using the Web this season, up from 10 million last year. CBS This Morning gets some cybershopping tips from an expert, Preston Gralla, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Shopping.

"There are great bargains to be found," Gralla says. "There are thousands of Web sites out there. They all want your business. Because of this intense competition, you can find bargains on about anything you can imagineÂ… clothing, electronics, toys. You name it, you can get a great deal."

Here are some of Gralla's favorite Web sites:

Bottomdollar.com.
This is a shopping robot. It searches across the Web to find bargain sites, such as Wal-Mart's, and display the best prices for your comparison. Gralla suggests you use several of the robots for big purchases in order to make sure your search is as comprehensive as possible.
Dealaday.com. "The great thing about this site," Gralla says, is "you can get designer clothing at amazing discounts. You're talking 30 percent, 80 percent discounts."
Acses.com. This site is for a shopper who has a book in mind, knows the title, and wants to find the best price available. "It goes out and looks at 25 different book sites. It comes back and reports to you on the lowest price, including shipping costs."
Presentpicker.com. This site is a help for the shopper who is stumped about what to buy for some people. Enter information that describes a person, their personality and special interests. Up pops a list of suggested presents that you can purchase right there.