Sophie N.

I really enjoy the community on Chow Hound. I have found them to be much more open and friendly to new-comers than other food sites which can be a little snobby.

There is just something I love about Heidi Swanson's cooking blog. Her writing makes me feel like I really know her and I want to try all the delicious food she makes and go with her on her adventures. Highly recommended for all foodies!

Similar to Zazzle.com, CafePress is a great place to get custom tee shirts made for gifts. Their web interface is easy to use and the prices are not too bad. I like making cute shirts for baby presents!

Zazzle can be a good place to make custom tee shirts for gifts. You can design your own using their website, or you can upload a picture. The shipping is quick and the prices aren't bad. My biggest complaint is how slow their web interface can be. I've ordered 3 times, but the last time I gave up because their site was so slow and I used CafePress.com instead which is also good.

I would stay away from this site - they are using fake HackerSafe and VeriSign badges. Real badges should like to real McAfee and VeriSign pages. Looks like they might be based in China.

Watch out for this site - it looks like they are using a fake VeriSign badge.

These guys are a work at home scam. Please stay away!

Here's a link to the FTC's info page on this stuff: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/invest/inv14.shtm

This site looks like a debt relief scam. Be careful!

Here's a recent article on these types of scams: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/*******/ns/business-consumer_news/

These sweepstakes sites, Publisher's Clearing House and others, really make me angry. They target the poor, under-educated and elderly, promising big cash prizes and playing on their hopes and dreams, when in reality all they are trying to do is sell magazine subscriptions. People would be better off keeping their money in a savings account, government savings bonds, gold, or anything else. The odds of winning the $10M prize are 505 million to 1. So that means if you played every day it would take you 1 million years to have even odds of winning.

Please stay away!

More information:
http://contests.about.com/od/sweepstakes101/tp/publishersclearinghousefaq.htm

This is a known phishing site - please do not visit! (Google Chrome will alert you!)

Personally, I think UGGs are a little over-priced, but if you want to buy them this is the only real site to get information and make purchases (all the other sites sell fake or stolen uggs).

Same deal as other fake UGG sites... there is a great post about the only way to get real UGGs in Australia here:

http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.uggfactorystore.com?rid=2f9bf857cf*******f98f0b131e*******e

Hey everyone, I'm sorry to tell you, but these guys sell fake UGGs. There is a great post about the only way to get real UGGs here:

http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.uggfactorystore.com?rid=2f9bf857cf*******f98f0b131e*******e

Hey everyone, please steer clear from sites that offer to pay you for things like this. They are scams. Here is a link to the FTC's info page on work at home scams: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/invest/inv14.shtm

I'd be wary of this site - they charge a retainer and/or fee of $49-$150. If they were so good you'd think they would work entirely on commission. You're probably better off doing research online and trying to get the money back yourself.

My husband swears by this site and he is obsessed with home theater equipment. In fact, maybe a little too much so... anywhoo, he spends a lot of time on AVS forum and says it's the best because members get deals. I poke around a little too and there are a lot of helpful people who seem to know what they're talking about.

Have I mentioned how much I love Craigslist? I really do. I've used it for everything from hiring movers to buying and selling furniture, and it's always been a good experience. Partly, it may have to do with my location (Seattle) but Craigslist is really a great free service.

I've had one very good experience which is when I sold my car. I listed it on Craigslist (free of course), had 5 people see the car, received 3 offers, and ended up selling it to a very nice woman for slightly higher than the Blue Book value. If Craigslist exists in your area, I'm not sure why you would use any other site!

I've read that Ripoff Report has engaged in some shady business practices.

Here are some pieces about them on the news:
http://www.sitejabber.com/redir/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5waG9lbml4bmV3dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMDctMDItMDEvbmV3cy90aGUtcmVhbC1yaXAtb2ZmLXJlcG9ydC8=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHAcf1fYknE
Here's their Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripoff_Report

I would be very cautious of sites like this - work-at-home offers are often scams and are in fact too good to be true. Please read more on the Federal Trade Commission's website: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/invest/inv14.shtm

Search multiple search engines at once and help animals in need! - I realize Dogpile might just be another company with a silly sales gimmick, but I've totally fallen for this one. The service is a meta-search, which means you type in your search and Dogpile uses Google, Ask.com, etc to give you results. Not that interesting, but each time you search, a small amount of money is donated to animals in need (dog search in rescue)... yeah I know I'm a sucker, but I love dogs. <img title="Embarassed" src="/javascript/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-embarassed. Gif" border="0" alt="Embarassed" />