Many people turn to the Internet for decorating-related shopping. With great sales, fast shipping guarantees and excellent customer service, Web sites are offering consumers equal - or even better - experiences than their retail-storefront counterparts.



Some shoppers go to retail storefronts to check out the merchandise, but not to buy. They know that they can often find an online price that's cheaper, even with shipping and handling charges. So, don't hesitate to head to your local decorating or furniture stores. You'll be able to look at the merchandise closely, ask questions about its quality, and figure out if the pieces will work together to create a good new 'look' for your room.

Then, when you get home after an exciting day of browsing and note-taking, you can search the Internet for sites that sell what you want. Google, easily the most popular search engine in the world, makes this easy with the 'Froogle' service. Simply go to the main Web site, type in what you're looking for, and click on 'Froogle.' The next page will give you all the information you need to make a good buying decision.

-Web sites that sell the product, or something very similar. Now you know where to go if you want a certain clock, a red armchair or even a painting.

-Photos of the merchandise. These are typically stock photos, not uploaded by each of the businesses selling the products, but they're very handy for making sure that your search results have listed the goods that you want.

-Comparison prices. From the lowest to the highest price, Froogle search results gives you a very good idea of how much you can expect to pay.

-Merchant ratings. Other users rate each Web site, with comments and stars, so that you know which e-retailers to patron and which to avoid.

Froogle also lets you refine results by price, brand name, merchant name, and other variables. Results for 'digital camera' can be refined by number of pixels, for example.

The main disadvantage to using Froogle is that the merchants upload their catalogs to the Google servers and, in many cases, forget to update them. You have to double-check at the seller's Web site to ensure that your new toaster cozy is really only five dollars instead of eight.

Other Web sites do similar things. A few of the most popular include:

Pricewatch.com - billing itself as the world's first comparison-shopping search engine, this is a great place to look for everything from furniture to electronics to toys.

Shopping.com - a fast, user-friendly site that helps you find quite a few home furnishings and decorations - among other things.

MySimon.com - another good site for home furnishings and almost everything else you can imagine.

You should do at two or more sites because they each include different merchants. Many will be the same, but you never know when you'll find a truly great deal that isn't listed with your first-choice search engine.

When you find a merchant, always check the user ratings and feedback before you make a purchase. If the overwhelming majority of other shoppers are satisfied with their experiences, you can shop confidently.

You should also check out each site's privacy and customer-service policies. This will only take a few minutes, but can save you hours - or even days - of frustration if something goes wrong.