ecommerce

Amazon Suffers Rare Service Outage

In the wake of its earnings report Tuesday, Amazon's share price went up. But this afternoon, Amazon has mostly been down -- not just the stock, but the e-commerce website's homepage, which has intermittently been offline.

Think Online Retailers Charge Us All the Same Price? Think Again

One of the best things about shopping online was how easy the Web made it to compare prices so you could be sure you were getting the best deals. Not anymore: Now, many companies are using your personal data to decide what prices to offer you for their products.

The 10 Best Tools to Guarantee You're Getting the Very Best Price

Nobody wants to pay more than they have to for what they buy, and with all the deal-finding tools out there, there's no reason you should have to. From barcode-scanning apps to browser extensions that automatically seek out lower prices and coupon codes, here are a some of our favorites.

Target to Match Prices of Amazon, Walmart.com Year-Round

Target announced a bold new price-match program Tuesday, promising to give customers the same deals they find on online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.com. The new policy is similar to the one Target tried during the 2012 holiday shopping season.

Missed Free Shipping Day? You're Not Out of Luck Yet

Monday was Free Shipping Day, and if you're not done with your holiday shopping, you could be forgiven for thinking you'd missed out on your last chance to get free shipping on gifts. But don't fret: There are still ways you can dodge those pesky shipping fees.

What Amazon's Latest Sales Tax Deal Means for Shoppers, Retailer

Residents of Massachusetts will pay a little more to buy gifts on Amazon.com next holiday season. In its ninth such deal, Amazon has agreed to collect state sales tax on purchases made from the Bay State. Could these moves by states cost the e-commerce giant its edge on pricing?

How I Saved 50 Percent by Using Kmart as Its Own Showroom

The retail trend of showrooming is exemplified by the shopper who visits a store like Kmart to get a real-world look at a product, then goes online to buy it from a competing e-commerce site at a better price. But what if the Kmart competitor offering the best price is Kmart.com?

Investing.com Is 2012's Priciest URL, but the Real Money Is in Sin

This week, financial news company Forexpros.com shelled out $2.45 million to acquire the Investing.com domain name. That's the biggest URL price tag of the year, but when it comes to the most valuable Internet properties, it's not money that sells: It's sex, alcohol and gambling.

The Christmas Shopping Battle: Early Winners and Losers

The battle for your holiday spending dollars is well under way, and it's not too soon to start handicapping 2012's likely winners. Some may be obvious (like Amazon), but others may surprise you. Here's how the holiday shopping season is shaking out across the retail landscape.

Get Free Shipping on Cyber Monday, and the Other Days, Too

Today is Cyber Monday, when retailers offer tons of great deals online. Just one problem: Mostly, they'll mean having your purchases shipped, and customers hate shipping costs more than any other part of e-commerce. Here are the best ways to dodge those pesky shipping fees.

How to Get the Best Deals on Cyber Monday

On Cyber Monday, U.S. consumers are expected to empty their wallets of more than $1 billion, Merchants are offering some of their best deals, and it's time to take advantage. Here are a few strategies that should help you land the lowest prices.

Happy Holidays: You've Been Hacked!

It's never a good season to leave your online accounts vulnerable to hacking attacks or theft. And when the holidays roll around, the scammers aren't taking vacation: They're boosting their efforts just as you already face extra risks.

Is Cyber Monday Obsolete?

It was only seven years ago that some clever folks at Shop.org decided to promote e-commerce with its own version of Black Friday, and Cyber Monday was born. But in our smartphone- and tablet-powered world, holiday shopping is getting more "cyber" every year. Does online retail still need its special day?

Amazon Prime Goes Subprime with Add-On Free Shipping Gimmick

Amazon has a new plan to get consumers to buy more: Its "Add-on" program enables the e-tailer to offer free delivery on "thousands of items at a low price point that would be cost-prohibitive to ship on their own." But wait -- isn't that just like Amazon Prime? Not exactly. Here's why.

Online Shopping (and Fraud) Likely to Soar This Holiday Season

When it comes to holiday shopping, there's one trend you can count on every year: Online sales will grow like gangbusters. But whether you're on a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone, it's important to remember that buying online carries extra risks of identity theft and fraud.

Amazon's Sales Tax Advantage May Soon End in Massachusetts

In a move designed to level the playing field for local retailers on the cusp of the make-or-break holiday selling season, Massachusetts is maneuvering to collect state sales tax from e-tailing behemoth Amazon.com, according to the Boston Herald.

Sales Taxes for Online Retailers Move Closer to Reality

Brick-and-mortar retailers have long complained that e-commerce sites enjoy an unfair advantage since they don't have to collect state sales taxes, allowing them to offer lower prices. The Marketplace Equity Act would change that -- and it's gaining momentum.

Bargain Shopping Simplified: Is This App the Answer?

When is a bargain not a bargain? When the hidden costs of finding it outweigh the lower price. Costs like shipping, or gas, or your extra time. NetPlenish aims to solve all that for the real best deal, and eliminate the biggest hassle of online shopping, too: the annoying checkout process.

EBay Stalls the Engine of Its Auto Sales Unit

Once ballyhooed as "the Internet's largest marketplace for buying and selling all things automotive," eBay Motors' numbers have been slipping. But eBay's attempt to goose profits at Motors looks more likely to put them in reverse.

Online Shoppers' Big Peeve: It's Such a Pain to Pay

What really aggravates people about shopping online? Believe it or not, it's that it isn't easy enough to pay. Nearly 3 out of 5 people surveyed cited the annoyance of having to enter (and re-enter) their personal data as a major nuisance of buying on the web.