shopping on Overstock.com

Last night I was up stupid-late (as in: how stupid was it to stay up that late?) puttering around on the computer. I got sucked into the vortex of cyberspace when I went over to the Disneyland website and started looking at restaurants, trying to figure out if we should make some reservations before we get there. While checking out the Disney site I had this nagging feeling that there was something else I should be doing, and it finally occurred to me: finish up the shopping for the kids. Since the Disney trip is the present this year, I didn't have to do much, but I still wanted them to have a few stocking-stuffers to open on Christmas morning.

In this house, that means books, DVDs, and music -- so off I went to Overstock. Shopping at Overstock is a trip, but you can come away with significant savings, so it's worth it if you have a little patience.

First of all, you need to accept that Overstock's user interface is weak and sometimes downright difficult to use. Unlike the glamorous, easy-to-navigate Amazon.com, Overstock is not streamlined and is barely categorized. Also unlike Amazon, Overstock has a weird assortment of products with lots of certain things and none of others -- on Amazon, you can find just about anything. So if you approach Overstock expecting an Amazon-like online shopping experience, you're likely to be frustrated, but you don't have to be.

Before you start shopping, search for a deal. I did a Google search on Overstock online coupon and found one for 10% off for everyone, plus $1 shipping, at MeanBargains.com. Usually the "coupon" is programmed into the link that opens the Overstock.com window for you, so don't use a bookmark to get to Overstock.com if you can get there from a coupon site.

Ready to shop? It helps enormously to know what you're looking for at Overstock. Because of the relative lack of organization, browsing on Overstock for any length of time can be extremely tedious, even if you have a high-speed internet connection. So use the "Search" box and be as specific as you possibly can to limit the number of items you have to browse through.

If you're just curious about what they're offering, you may be presented with hundreds of pages in any particular category. When you start to drill down on any particular item, you're likely to be underwhelmed with the amount of product information, and the lack of user reviews. Here's where you can take opportunistic advantage of all the other online shopping sites, leading to my third suggestion: open other windows to search for more information about any product you're considering, without interrupting your shopping.

For example, I shopped for new calendars for my kids -- they each get one to hang up in their rooms every year. You might not even realize Overstock offers calendars, because it's not obvious on the main page; they're folded into the "Books" category. There are 42 pages of calendars, with 24 shown per page -- far too many to browse through! So I used the search feature for specifics like "dinosaur calendar" and was able to limit the number of choices I had to consider. But -- many of the calendars had "no image available," and I won't buy a calendar that I haven't seen! That would be ridiculous! What if the pictures were ugly?

So here's what I did, and what I recommend: for each calendar I seriously considered, I copied the ISBN number into the clipboard. You can easily do this by double-clicking on the ISBN number to highlight it, and then using Ctrl-C, Edit/Copy, or your computer's keyboard shortcut to put the text in your clipboard. Open a new window and in that window, search for the ISBN number you just copied: in the search text box, type "isbn " and then press Ctrl-V (or whatever your shortcut is) to paste in the ISBN number you just copied. For products that don't have an ISBN, they usually have a UPC or other unique product identifier; use that instead, substituting "upc" in your search string for "isbn." If there's no number at all, use the entire product name as your search string.

Invariably, many results will come up, on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, or WalMart.com. All of these sites contain more information, and often more photos, than Overstock.com does. Choose a likely candidate and see what that source has to say, and use that information to make your buying decision.

When browsing through a huge category like books or music, search by author or artist to narrow the field. If you want to know whether or not a particular CD or book is any good, use the technique above to find reviews. I wanted to find some new books for the kids but didn't want to just blindly order something based on cover art; the editorial and member reviews at Amazon were very helpful. (Do keep in mind that you shouldn't take any reviewer's word as gospel -- look at the entire body of reviews to try and get a balanced view or understand different likes and dislikes.)

Over the years I've had very good experiences with Overstock.com for everything from books and music to toys and bath towels. Perhaps the most important advice I can give is to use restraint when shopping! Browsing around Overstock, you are sure to see some fantastic bargains -- that's what the site is all about, after all. But do your research and make sure what you're buying is really what you want. One example: be wary of inexpensive cashmere; it's likely to be single-ply and disappointing.

I've never had to return anything, so I have no knowledge of or experience with the return policy; if you're wondering whether or not you'll like something, check the return policy before you buy.

Last but not least, shop early and allow time for shipping, because media-mailed items can take more than 2 weeks to get to you.

I've saved a lot of money buying just the right gifts on Overstock.com. It takes a little work, but I come from a long line of bargain hunters. Why spend more when you don't have to? You know you want to...shop Overstock.