Let's say you are looking for a bestselling novel. You can comparison shop to find the best price, order the book, and arrange to have it shipped to you overnight. The whole transaction can be done in minutes, saving a trip to the store. Better yet, you may receive a substantial discount off the cover price and pay no sales tax. While every site is a bit different, you will find many similarities.
Most sites are like electronic catalogs.
You browse for merchandise in various categories or search for specific items. Once you're done, you review the contents of your cart, deciding whether you want to purchase all of them, or just a few. Your purchases are then totaled. Now it's time to check out. To buy the items you selected, you fill out a form, providing information such as your name, e-mail address, shipping information, and credit card number.