Its well known that you can buy anything on the Internet. People now use major shopping sites to buy things as varied as houses, cars and holidays. But the risks associated with online shopping still stop many from entering into this world. Savvy Online Shopping is essentially a how-to book explaining how to take advantage of the good opportunities and ignore the risky ones. This is more than a book for novices - those who do shop online still tend to stick with the major sites and, therefore, this book calls attention to the smaller ones, those that specialise in a particular item Author Freeze has written several teach yourself computer manuals and approaches this book with the same chatty style expected in the Dummies or Idiots series. This book is more than just a directory of sites. It covers security and privacy concerns, how to do research, online price guides, shopping bots and payment methods. There is a whole section devoted to the trials and triumphs of online auctions which gives tips on where to get the best price (for both the buyer and seller). As each area is covered, Freeze offers many sites to check out, though there are a few big ones missing. The book doesnt just deal with Beanie Babies; there are big-ticket items such as houses and cars as well.

Because Microsoft publishes Savvy Online Shopping, the reader might be forgiven for thinking in order to use the tools and sites Freeze discusses is to use Microsoft products such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft WebTV or Microsoft Passport. While Microsoft is pushed heavily, there are other (mostly unmentioned) options.

Savvy Online Shopping concludes with a bunch of added extras. Hints for finding coupons, rebates and freebies; researching and buying more expensive items, such as cars or computers; and for downloading digital purchases, such as electronic books, music and software The combination of Freezes chatty style and the well-designed layout and content make Savvy Online Shopping well worth a visit to Amazon.