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Do you love it or do you avoid it? Depends what I am buying, I would rather shop online than in store, but would rather do my research or try things on in a store (if a pushy salesperson comes my way I'm out of a store sooner than you can say pushy salesperson).
What are your reasons for doing so? Ease of use. I don't do well in crowds when trying to find something to buy. I also don't do well with websites that are cluttered with content (for example; tigerdirect) unless I know exactly what I'm looking for and am just shopping based on price.
What sites do you prefer and why? Amazon.com. The wishlist functionality is great. I toss books, movies, and CDs in the list, and occasionally just decide (I want to dump $50) on books, and go through my list. I would rather go to a small local used-bookseller and buy mountaineering books when I get this whim, but I'm generally not driving by a bookstore when it happens. When in the middle east Amazon WAS the only company that consecutively successfully shipped to APO addresses without packages mysteriously getting lost, or falling apart on their way. It would take 2-3 weeks every order, where with other companies it could be 2-3 months before I saw anything (if I did see anything). When back overseas I will order ALL my books through amazon.
Is there anything that convinced you to buy something when you normally wouldn't? (Evil question, I know.) I used to check slickdeals everyday, and sometimes a sale would convince me to buy something I knew I was getting for cheap. Now, steepandcheap is my downfall, but I've gotten better at ignoring those. When it comes to shopping for deals, I'll probably stick to the local sales at local stores at the end of each season (better deals anyway, and I get to see the product before buying).
Are there any website features that you enjoy that help you shop? Most of the tools that "help me shop" get on my nerves. I like simplistic navigation, search functions that work, and not having to fill out my CC information multiple times over because one thing messed up, but also don't like having that information retained and saved to a profile. For example, I shop Old Navy.com simply to buy underwear and funny pajama bottoms that I can wear around town and be obnoxious. Easy to browse to what I need, and they almost always have a quarterly sale on those items so I can get them very cheap even with shipping.
How do you research what you are going to buy? Books, Music, and Movies are easy. I pretty much know what I want before I buy.
Electronics, stereo equipment and such I buy in person from small independent strictly electronics stores that focus in certain areas (solely car stereo, or home theater). These are generally big purchases for me, and I want expert advice from multiple people before I pick what I buy.
Computers, research online from various websites, and then use pricewatch.com to pick where I buy parts from (I know exactly what I plan to get before I go to pricewatch).
Clothes, I avoid buying online, but things that I know will fit and be comfortable I buy online. I never buy shoes online (no matter what sale is going), and never buy pants online (unless they are hiking pants or pajamas). I sometimes by t-shirts, but anything remotely fitted I will go to a store and buy.
What kind of products do you buy? Electronics? Media? Clothes? I think I answered that in the question above. I try to support local music stores and book stores, but sometimes can't find what I want there, movies I almost always buy online.
What's the most "personal" (something that you're picky about and usually need to check out in person before you buy) item that you've purchased online? Snowboard jacket and pants. Couldn't pass up a 50% off discount, and no stores in town stocked the jacket I wanted so no option to go see it before I bought it. If they didn't fit I would've sold them on eBay for a few more dollars than bought for.
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In the Absence of Information People Make Things Up.
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