The 1999 Online Shopping Guide

BOOKS MUSIC VIDEOS

AMAZON.COM [Star] The mother of all e-tailers, this easy-to-navigate site offers books, music, videos, cards, toys, electronics and auctions. Its simple, user-friendly site design, excellent customer service and on-target product recommendations make it the best of its kind. www.amazon.com

BARNESANDNOBLE.COM Shop online for everything you’d expect at their stores–minus the cafe. You’ll find deals on music, magazines, software and books. www.bn.com

BOOKSMITH Support both the new economy and independent booksellers at once. This indie sells titles in subgenres like goth and jazz age. www.booksmith.com

BORDERS.COM There are 10 million books, CDs and movies for the picking here. And Borders will let you return online purchases at their retail stores. www.borders.com

JESSICA’S BISCUIT If you’re looking for a cookbook–best-selling, unusual or out-of-print–this site is your best bet by far. www.jessicas.com

POWELL’S BOOKS This site boasts a huge collection of used, out-of-print, rare and autographed books. A search service tracks down out-of-print titles. www.powells.com

CDNOW Plus: this huge site’s gift registry takes the guesswork out of shopping for music. Minus: no customer service number is posted. www.cdnow.com

K-TEL.COM Known as the online source for “as seen on TV” music offers, K-Tel.com also serves up videotapes, custom-made CDs and auctions. www.ktel.com

MUSICMAKER.COM Why suffer through someone else’s Christmas mix? Create a unique CD here with only your own holiday favorites, from Bing Crosby to the Beach Boys. www.musicmaker.com

THURSDAY’S GOLDEN GOODIES Vinyl fans, you’re not forgotten. Stop by for nostalgia-inducing records in varieties like Doo-Wop and the British Invasion. www.thursdays.com

TOWER RECORDS A superstore takes its urban sensibility on the Web with music, videos and DVDs. Can’t find what you like? Get a custom-made disc. www.towerrecords.com

BIGSTAR.COM Film buffs will appreciate the incredible breadth of offerings here on videos, DVDs and laser discs. Search quirky categories from anime to zombies. www.bigstar.com

DVD EXPRESS This site for movies, music and DVD-ROMs also answers all your burning home-entertainment questions, like what exactly is a DVD player anyway? www.dvdexpress.com

REEL.COM You’ll find more than 100,000 films here, including used movies at good discounts. Check back in for suggestions based on your past picks. www.reel.com

TOYS GAMES

ETOYS [Star] Gift wrapping, wish lists and smart ideas for presents at any price help a harried parent shop on this time-saving site. A handy search tool sorts movies, music, toys and more by category, age and price. www.etoys.com

ARCHIE MCPHEE Turn here for weird and inspired pop-culture gifts like Star Wars Pez dispensers and Elvis playing cards. www.mcphee.com

CATCH THE WIND This is the site for classic toys and gifts that take flight, from box kites to boomerangs, wind socks and 32 different types of yo-yos. www.catchthewind.com