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Look here for online bargains

Distribution center employees America Cubias, left, and Bhupinder Jaggi gift-wrap books ordered from barnesandnoble.com. (MARK LENNIHAN Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Mcclatchy The Spokesman-Review
Distribution center employees America Cubias, left, and Bhupinder Jaggi gift-wrap books ordered from barnesandnoble.com. (MARK LENNIHAN Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

According to Forrester Research, online sales are forecast to reach $27 billion for November and December, up 23 percent from last year. Smart surfing makes for smarter shopping, and here are some sites to get you started:

Retailers

Amazon ( www.amazon.com) was one of the first major online retailers and it has expanded its offerings from books and music to electronics and apparel. Its prices are competitive, if not the lowest, and delivery is usually prompt. Overstock.com ( www.overstock.com), which started by selling surplus items only but has expanded its inventory, is also worth a visit. For three hot gift items – CDs, DVDs and video games – try Deep Discount CD (www.deep discountcd.com), Deep Discount DVD ( www.deepdiscountdvd.com) and the specials at EB Games ( www.ebgames.com), respectively.

Coupons

Coupons can be used online, just as in stores. You typically enter a code at checkout or follow a special link to get a discount, and the offers expire after a stated time. Many Web sites track the coupons that are offered by various retailers, but none is better than Dealnews ( www.dealnews.com). You can search for deals by item or by retailer. Dealnews not only lists coupons but also provides regular updates on fantastic specials that don’t require coupons at all. You can also try the coupon-only site eDealFinder ( www.edealfinder.com) for the occasional special not posted at Dealnews.

Price comparisons

Price-comparison sites let you shop around easily for the best deal online. Just type in what you’re looking for, and you’ll see a list of retailers and their prices, including shipping. The quality of the results varies depending on what retailers the site tracks, so you might have to shop around for a price-comparison site, too. For general merchandise, try Yahoo! Shopping (shopping.yahoo.com) or Price Grabber ( www.pricegrabber.com). For specific items, try Book Finder ( www.bookfinder.com) for books, Music Wormer ( www.musicwormer.com) for CDs, DVD Price Search ( www.dvdpricesearch.net) for DVDs and, for games, Game Spot ( www.gamespot.com; look up a title and then click on the “check prices” tab on the right side of that game’s specific page).