Do you love it or do you avoid it?
I generally prefer it to shopping in stores.
What are your reasons for doing so?
I don't like standing up. Stores make me do that...
It's just more convenient. Shopping for most electronic media, it's cheaper. Shopping for electronics generally, it's easier - I have easy access to reviews, it takes very little effort to compare prices. Shopping for clothes, I'm tall and it's hard to find clothes in my size. It's easier online.
What sites do you prefer and why?
Like others, I prefer Amazon.com. I appreciate their reviews. I like the "Customers who looked at this also looked at that" feature. I like the free shipping. They are reliable and their site design makes it appear as though amazon is reliable and will be around for a long time. They don't appear to have sold my name and address like other sites have in the past.
I like thoughthammer.com for boardgames. They are a small company, they link all of their products to boardgamegeek.com reviews, they are cheap, and they have excellent service - personal responses to email, etc.
Generally, I like websites that have user generated reviews and comments.
I like
http://www.pendemonium.com/ for pens and paper. Their website is horrendous, but they are reasonably priced, they have products others don't, they email me personally when a product I want is in, and generally they respond with personal emails.
Is there anything that convinced you to buy something when you normally wouldn't? (Evil question, I know.) I've bought products from companies I wouldn't have otherwise when I found that they donated to charities I appreciate-
http://www.planetbike.com/, for example.
Are there any website features that you enjoy that help you shop?
I mentioned several above.
How do you research what you are going to buy?
I like to find websites and forums run by hobbyists/enthusiasts in the particular product area.
www.avsforum.com for home theater related topics
boardgamegeek.com for boardgame reviews.
www.dpreview.com/ for digital camera issues.
What kind of products do you buy? Electronics? Media? Clothes?
Electronics, media (cds, books, dvds), clothes. When I lived in Boston, I bought most of my groceries online from Hannaford's Homeruns.
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? Produce.