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Smart Tools for Smart Buyers

New programs and services instantly find top consumer and B2B bargains--and leave older shopping bots clanking in their wake.

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Of course you buy stuff online. You love the convenience. And you'd like it even more if you could easily get what you wanted at the best price--without clicking constantly from one e-tailer to another to compare prices, shipping charges, and so on. Another thing you'd like: not having to hand out your credit or debit card number all over the Internet.

Fortunately, help is at hand. New desktop tools promise to handle the comparison shopping chores for you--automatically or with a single mouse click. New payment services let you buy anonymously, without sacrificing the convenience of a credit card. Still other technologies help you experience noncomputer products more accurately before plunking down your hard-earned dollars.

Are these new shopping aids and services as useful as they're cracked up to be? We looked at several and found that their helpfulness varied. As with many other new technologies, some kinks remain to be worked out. For example, 3D shopping sites don't work well over dial-up connections. Shopping bots are only as good as their databases. And there are still times when brick-and-mortar trumps cyberspace (see "When Good Deals Go Bad"). Still, the best of these new tools could make Web shopping more satisfying and convenient than it already is.

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