The Best Places to Shop Online for Furniture, Clothes, and More

While at the mall, my son and I saw a vendor flying a small motorized helicopter. It was amazing how it hovered in the air like a real one would. Of course, like every other child watching, he wanted one badly. "How much is it?" we asked. Not too surprisingly, it was over a hundred dollars. I was very surprised however, when the next day my son proudly announced that he had found the same helicopter online at Amazon.com for only twenty-some dollars. I had to see it to believe it, and I did. Wow! Of course we ordered it right away, and it is sooo awesome!

From our experience, Amazon is a great place to go when you know exactly what you are looking for already. Now, whenever I want to do some comparative shopping, I always go to Amazon first. More often than not, I find a better deal there, and am able to choose from a number of sellers. The option of buying an item "used" is also available for some items like books, and for a cheaper price. However, be mindful of shipping costs, as some sellers overcharge for shipping. On the other hand, Amazon offers FREE shipping on some items.

After searching the stores for decently-priced quality sheet sets, I gave up and went online. I ended up at Overstock where I eagerly purchased four sets of so-soft, microfiber sheets for less than one hundred dollars. It also helped that the customer reviews were plentiful and seemingly very honest and uncensored. I knew what qualities I was looking for, but did not have a specific brand in mind, so those reviews were very helpful.

I have found that Overstock.com is a wonderful place to order products for your home. From comforters, sheets, and pillows, to ottomans, art, and small appliances, there is a wide assortment of high-quality items to choose from. I also really like the fact that shipping on Overstock is always $2.95, no matter how large your order. Items always come very quickly, arriving only a couple of days after your order has been placed. Everything is packaged nicely and is always in perfect condition.

Overstock does offer refurbished items as well. I have never purchased these items and do not have any experience in this area.

If you are like me, you get a thrill out of buying an $80 sweater for only $7! That is exactly what you can do at Christopher & Banks online. Go directly to the "sales" tab and start shopping. Their clothing is true-to-size and the pictures show a fairly accurate portrayal of each product. They have a wide range of clothing styles for all ages of women. I personally love their modern cardigan-style sweaters. Last year, my best purchase, was a cashmere/wool-blend, black winter coat for only $10. The tags said $110!

Don't worry about returning items. Take a trip to your local mall - there should be one there. Their sales staff are the friendliest I've met, and process returns quickly. I actually look forward to returning an item, so that I can look around. When I see items I like that aren't on sale in the store, I make a mental note and look for them on sale at their online store.

While Christopher and Banks offers petite and regular sizes, the CJ Banks affiliate online store offers plus sizes. The stores are very similar in every way, except sizing, making shopping on either site extremely easy to do.