Here’s why.

The new comparison shopping site covers a comically large amount of topics, a small fraction of them being: credit cards, law schools, fast food items (the highest-calorie dish was a shock),laptops, soda, baby strollers, beaches, tequila, and airlines, plus camcorders, dirt bikes, and handguns (or as we call it, an Alabama vacation).

And yes, that is a small fraction.

But there’s no quality sacrificed for quantity. Each category has rating units specific to that topic – megapixels for cameras;  tasting notes for whiskey – and each specific item has its own page full of product info and tips for comparison shopping.

The site’s quick-glance Smart Ratings rely on a slew of experts from every field or an average of customer reviews from popular shopping sites.

And that’s why it’s Best in Show.

Until we found Slice, we didn’t think it did.

But one look at the e-purchase organizer and we were sold (no pun intended). The app syncs with Gmail and Yahoo! accounts to scan order and shipment confirmations and compile an organized list of every purchase you’ve made along with a map of where current shipments are right now.

The site also catalogues your transactions, giving you easy access to purchase history, receipts, and return options. Use the Slice & Dice tool for a bird’s-eye view of your spending habits, complete with a pie chart depicting favorite merchants and shopping categories.

For tracking on the go, Slice has Android and iPhone apps available for free.

In other words, it’s flush with possibility.

That’s the idea behind Bureau of Trade, a virtual yard sale that scours eBay and Craigslist for the coolest rare and vintage finds.

Curios are organized by standard categories (timepieces, bags, art, objects, etc.) but also by J. Peterman-esque groupings like The Orient and American West.

Each item comes with a concise editorial blurb; the whiskey barrel pictured here is ”suitable for aging your linens” and “not suitable for doing Niagara Falls.” Daily roundups with tongue-in-cheek titles (e.g. The Look of Mormon) highlight Bureau of Trade’s emphasis on discovery with a healthy dose of kitsch. Example: a Kennedy-themed dispatch ranges from a $30,000 thank-you note signed by JFK to a $30 ice bucket from The Ambassador Hotel.

Stuff you’d never look for, but are sure happy you found.

Or something like that.

In any event, that song was onto something. And curating an Internet-wide wish list is easy with Wantworthy’s handy bookmarklet, which adds items from any web shop to your dream haul with a simple click.

Categorize picks by type and add them to a collection: “Basics,” “Favorites,” and our personal favorite, “When I’m Rich.”

You can also add to your anthology from Want Worthy’s selection of Monthly Picks like the Splurge and Save, which features nearly identical items form opposite ends of the price spectrum.

The hardest choice? Deciding what to actually buy.

But like that other song says, “Shoppin‘ ain’t easy.”

We’ve been banned from all electronic stores in a 15-mile radius.

To make finding cell phones, tablets, TVs, laptops, or cameras incredibly easy, Sortable only displays the best matches to your specifications for the amount you’re willing to spend.

Not sure what you’re looking for? Easily compare top-rated devices (you might be surprised to see four tablets ranked higher than the iPad2) and narrow down your list by must-have features and sacrifices you’re willing to make.

There’s also a standalone comparison method to see how the new goody you’re eyeing stacks up.

Registered users have a Wikipedia-like ability to update and edit device specifications, and Sortable is currently accepting suggestions on which product category they should branch out to next.

Our local car dealership will be happy to hear it.

Or do none of the above and use GiftRocket, a nifty little service that disguises your cash as a gift card good at the business of your choosing.

So instead of sending your sister a $50 bill (or a $50 gift card to Applebee’s) you can choose a business you know she loves and buy her an e-certificate there in the amount of your choosing.

When she’s ready to redeem it, GiftRocket will transmit the amount via PayPal, electronic bank transfer, or old-fashioned paper check.

Of course there’s no telling what she does with the money after that. But at least you know she’ll like what she gets.

Rule number two of the internet: check out GoodRx, a website dedicated to helping you find the best prices on, well, prescription drugs. This is the real deal. For starters, they have choices beyond the “little” and “blue” variety. And best of all, they’re not trying to sell you anything.

All you have to do is enter your location and prescription, and GoodRx will compare the prices of major (and legit) online pharmacies with–get this–prices from your local pharmacies.  They’ll also keep you updated on manufacturer discounts, state discount programs, and more.

We’re still pretty sure you shouldn’t give any money to any deposed princes. But if we find any evidence to the contrary, you’ll be the first to know

If you’re ready to turn those idle digital photos into fine art, there’s CanvasPop. The site lets you create customized artwork on high quality canvas from just about any photo, all for a very reasonable cost.

Creating your artwork is as simple as uploading your image and choosing the size canvas you’d like, though CanvasPop offers tons of options to customize your new artwork, like multiple panel displays, filter effects, custom sizes, and framing.

We especially love the ability to upload photos from Facebook, Instagram, your phone or just about anywhere without having to worry about the resolution or print quality: CanvasPop’s in-house designers will work with you and your image (and filters, if necessary) to make sure your art is wall-worthy.

And to help you express yourself, CanvasPop is offering a free 8″x10″ canvas for Netted subscribers simply for liking them on Facebook. Those looking to go big can forgo the free canvas, and instead get a $49 credit toward a larger size.

We’re hoping the home decor upgrade will get us bumped up the waiting list for “So You Think You Can Design With the Stars.”

For expert wine advice, we turn to Lot18 to guide us to the best selections at the best prices. They work hand-in-hand with distributors and well-known wine producers to bring fantastic wines directly to you.

The Lot18 team of procurement specialists are not messing around, either. They’re a collection of former 5-star sommeliers, winery owners and Masters of Wine candidates, making them some of the leading experts in the world.

They’ve also put together a great list of wine accessories, like glasses and decanters, as well as independently produced food items like artisanal cheeses, specialized salt and imported Italian pasta. It’s like they’ve curated the best dinner party you haven’t thrown yet.

The site is currently invite-only, but Netted subscribers receive immediate access, and the first 500 readers to sign up will receive a $15 credittoward their first purchase. Plus, anyone who orders between today and Thursday will be eligible to win a Lot18 credit between $10-$100. Winners will be selected hourly between 10-6PM Eastern each day and emailed with notification.

Now that the magical mysteries of finding amazing wines have been solved for us by this team of amazing curators, all we have left to do is figure out how those magnets work.

Well, they’re all on OpenSky and it turns out they would all probably be talking about their favorite sales. OpenSky’s a whole new marketplace bringing together experts and celebrities to create a highly customizable shopping experience.

You can pick and choose which curators to follow, from Alicia Silverstone and Molly Sims to Guy Fieri and Tom Colicchio. Each one gives you special access to limited-time sales on products they like and wholeheartedly recommend.

Tons of sales are spread across food, health, design and style categories, so you can easily sort by your interests to find sales you’ll love. Whether it’s Ming Tsai’s ceramic knives or Cynthia Rowley’s sunglasses, there’s always something popping up on sale that the experts can’t live without.

Netted readers can get in on the action with a $10 OpenSky credit just for signing up. Plus, one lucky reader who signs up will win a $500 gift certificate to use on the site.

We’re off to cook up Tom’s Wagyu beef — no gravy necessary. Or was it hop on the gravy train and start beef with Tom? We’ll probably figure it out later, but our priorities right now are all deals all the time.

Thankfully, the fine folks at RedBubble have helped us update our wardrobe and our home decor. They offer quality prints and clothing, with everything from framed fine art photos to the illustrated nerd references we love.

Whether you’re in search of Dalek depictions or sweeping scenic landscapes, everything you need to make your life beautiful again is here. And since winter’s right around the corner, we’re stocking up on typography-themed graphic hoodies and robot illustration long-sleeved shirts.

Netted subscribers can stock up too, with a 10% discount on your order when you enter code “Netted” at check-out.

Without RedBubble, we never would have been able to go from infant to teenager to adult to better-dressed adult with the heart of a teenager.

Whimventory strives to make sure you get what you want with their universal wishlist. The well designed service makes it easy to add items from any online store you’re visiting.

Once you’ve signed up and installed the browser bookmarklet, adding items to your list is as easy as clicking a button–you never even have to leave the site you’re visiting. Whimventory is simple to use, meaning whoever you pass your list along to will have no problem following it…unless they’re intentionally trying to make you angry with a bad gift.

If you’re planning a wedding, getting psyched for the holidays or simply being a smart shopper, Whimventory is a great way to keep everything organized. Even if you’re not planning on sharing it with family, it’s a good way to remember what purchases you may want to make for yourself.

We’ve added everything from pint glasses to powerboats to our lists. We know that long-lost oil tycoon relative will come forth sometime soon.

That’s why we like Sign Post, which takes a social networking approach to online deal hunting, allowing you and other community members to post, rate and recommend bargains.

Deals are broken down into easy-to-digest categories (shopping, food and dining, etc.) and the site is set up with easy to scroll through photos (a major graphical improvement over most daily deal sites).

Right now, NYC, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco are covered, with more cities on the way.

Sign Post’s real strength is the comment section below each deal, where other users leave feedback about their experience with the venue or this particular deal. It also doesn’t hurt that the site is aesthetically pleasing.

It’s like the Internet giving a group hug to your wallet.

To beat the system try Chintzee, a service that allows you to monitor Amazon price changes and receive alerts when prices goes down.

Monitoring the price of a specific product is as easy as searching for it on the site (either by name, Amazon URL or Amazon ID number).

Once you find what you’re looking for hit the “Watch” button and then choose to be alerted about price drops either by email or Twitter DM (or you can scope out each item’s price history).

You may also end up finding deals you didn’t realize you were looking for, as the site lists each day’s top price drops.

Unfortunately, the price of tattoo removal seems to be way more consistent than the prices of Amazon items.

The downside to the convenience of e-commerce has always been the shipping costs.

To lighten your holiday burden, take advantage of Free Shipping Day, a one-day event where more than a thousand merchants are offering free shipping (with delivery by Christmas Eve), taking place today.

The event runs through the rest of today (Friday, December 17) and ends at 12 a.m. EST tonight.

Some 1,100 merchants participate, including Barnes & Noble, Apple and L.L. Bean, which means you should be able to find something for everyone on your list.

And the guaranteed delivery before Christmas means you can rest assured that your gifts will arrive in time to make it under the tree.

Use it as an excuse to stay home and perfect your spiked egg nog recipe.

To avoid gift gaffes, we recommend Svpply, a site that conveniently curates great products from tastemakers and stores that are decidedly non-mainstream.

All types of high-design consumer products are showcased, including clothing, accessories, home furnishings and technology.

Registering for an account allows you to use the “plus” and “follow” buttons to add the items and tastemakers you like.

Whenever you visit the site, a “news feed” of new products will be waiting for you.

The people who add the items each day are hand-selected, which is how the site maintains its quality control.

And to avoid the deluge of bad gifts that are inevitably coming your way, you can share your personalized profile URL with friends and family as a not-so-subtle wish list.

Finally, a way to get high on your Svpply.

To avoid this, try keeping your wardrobe fresh by signing up for ShopLikeKings, an online retailer offering a sale-a-day on men’s apparel.

An email will alert you to each day’s sale, which starts every day at noon and goes on for 48 hours.

All the basics are covered, including denim, tees, button downs, outerwear, hoodies, shoes, and accessories (there’s even the odd gadget sale).

The best brands in the premium, street, surf, and skate industry are tapped for products. And deep discounts (up to 80% off retail) mean that you’re getting a steal on your purchases.

You can now retire those Gap khakis.

Special For Netted Readers
Enter the code “Netted” at checkout for a savings of $10 on purchases of $30 or more.

For an alternative try Slant Shack Jerky, fine purveyors of artisanal, customized beef jerky.

First you select a size—they offer ¼ pound ($10), ½ pound ($18) and 1 pound party packages ($35).  Next you select from USDA choice or organic grass-fed beef, both of which come from a farm in Vermont (grass-fed costs a bit more).

But the real fun is in choosing from their marinades, rubs and glazes (these include
“Hot & Smoky” sauce, garlic powder rub, “Jerk McGurk’s Wild Rubdown,” “Smoky Sanche’s Dusty Trail,” and a brown sugar or spicy pepper glaze.)

The indecisive can choose from the Chef’s Choice menu, which features an array of variety packs.

Delivery takes about two weeks (each order is handcrafted), which is just about the time your Turkey leftovers will run out.

Special For Netted Readers
Enter the coupon code WEBBYJERKY at checkout to save 15% on your order. Offer vaild until 12/6.

Enter Garmz, a new service that allows everybody to become a fashion designer (and to buy items from undiscovered designers).

To get started you upload your designs.  (Garmz has tools to help you with your presentation).

The Garmz audience then votes on them.  Successful designs are eventually produced and distributed by Garmz, at no cost to the designer.

If you aren’t interested in designing clothes you might still enjoy voting on the work that others add.  (Think of it as your chance to be like Tim Gunn on Project Runway).

And, of course, there is an entire shopping aspect to the site, which gives you a chance to buy from up and coming designers first.

Consider it the anti-Gap.

Enter ShirtsMyWay, a service that lets users design their own dress shirts using an interactive model, with prices starting at $59 per shirt.

(The service is currently only for men but women’s shirts are coming soon; still, it’s a great gift idea for the fashion-challenged men in your life).

To get started just select “Design My Shirt.” You can customize every aspect, and they claim they offer seven trillion combinations.

All the design features and tailoring options are free (price is based your fabric selection).

As you go through the process all of your selections are shown on an interactive shirt (with a 360 degree view).

Because the site is so precise and detailed, ordering a shirt takes a little time, and you’ll want to do some measurements on a favorite shirt for the sizing part of the process (including cuff diameter and hip width).

And while it goes without saying, you’ll also want to wear pants with your new shirt.

10% Discount For Netted Readers
To take advantage of a 10% discount simply place your order and then email support@shirtsmyway.com with your order number and “Netted 10%” in the subject line. The offer will be valid until November 5^th, 2010.

Enter AHAlife, a sale-a-day website that features items from unique designers around the world, curated by some of the brightest minds in the industry.

After you create an account, you’ll begin receiving emails alerting you to each day’s sale item.

They offer one inspiring item for 24 hours, and their product list runs the gamut from fashion and food to home décor and gadgets. (If you miss a sale you can buy past items, as availability allows).

AHAlife also tells the story behind the making of the product, along with a designer profile and sometimes a video or audio slideshow that takes you inside the creative process.

It’s like having Tim Gunn as your personal shopper.

Prices.  They go up and they go down.  This is what makes a market.  The goal, of course, is to catch them on the “down” part of their movement.

Short of running the Federal Reserve the best way to do this is with Price Protectr, a free service that tracks the prices of items you’re thinking about buying, ensuring you pay the lowest price.

The service makes it simple to watch prices, keep track of purchases, and even get rebates on top of price drops.

To use it you simply paste the product information page for a particular item into a box at the Price Protectr site (this is usually the page where you’d add the item to your shopping cart).  Then you add your email.

When the price drops they’ll email you.  Already bought something now available at a lower price?  You can use the service to get the difference from any of their 160 supported stores.

For serious shoppers there’s the Price Protectr Toolbar, which offers one-click checking, deal alerts and more.

Alan Greenspan could have used this service…

Enter Giiv, an online gift-giving service that allows you to virtually send gifts (or “giifts,” in their parlance), via text message.

Start by visiting the Giiv website and choosing a retailer or selecting a gift category. Their offerings are broad, ranging from “food and beverage” (think two-dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts) to “shoes and clothing” (gift cards to Macy’s).

Once you’ve found the perfect gift, simply select it and enter the cell phone number of the recipient. Once you’ve purchased the item, the recipient will instantly receive a text message with a gift code to redeem it in a physical store or via the store’s webiste (depending on the gift).

The service is completely free to use, but Giiv does charge a small service fee for some items.

Finally, a way for a cell phone to make you a hero.

Special Offer For Netted Subscribers
Giiv is offering the first 500 Netted subscribers a 20% discount on all “giifts” site-wide.  Enter the code NETTED20 at checkout.  The offer will be valid for two weeks.

For those in search of unique designs, there’s CustomMade, a marketplace that presents hundreds of talented artisans specializing in, well, custom made home furnishings.

If you’re looking for a specific piece of furniture or item, simply click “Find Artisans” and browse the categories. Almost everything you’d ever need is covered, from lighting to cabinetry to metal work to completely built homes.

You can also search by location, if you’re looking to hire someone in your area.

If your project is large or still happens to fall outside of any of the categories listed, fret not. An in-house interior designer is available to match you up with the right artisans for the project.

Think of it as really good design that happens to be within reach.

Being the recipient of a gift is dicey business.  Unless the person knows you really well, chances are good the present will go astray.

Thankfully, there’s the Amazon Universal Registry, which allows you to create your own personal wish list in one convenient market place.

Simply create an Amazon account (if you haven’t already for some reason) and drag the “Add to Registry” button to your browser’s bookmark bar.

From then on, simply click the button whenever you’re viewing a product that you’d like.
You can add to your list from any site, not just Amazon.

While Amazon has dedicated sites for wedding and baby shower registries, the business of registering isn’t just for these occasions anymore (read: It’s okay for dudes to do it).

When you’re creating your list, simply click which specialized registry you’d like to create, enter your name and begin building your list. Amazon offers guides to suggest items you may never have known you needed.

Of course if you still want to risk letting friends and family freewheel it, that’s your perogative.

For all your custom paper-based needs try online stationer MOO.com.

Their affordable mini-cards, greeting cards, stickers and postcards have been a favorite of designers and creative types for years, thanks to a focus on luxurious paper quality, customizability and attention to details like color correction and printing technology.

And now, with the launch of The Business Card Project, MOO is aiming to rid the world of bad-looking business cards. (Spoiler alert: they do exist)

The initiative, designed to help small businesses give their old cards an extreme makeover, runs through July.  (The entry form and rules can be found here).

MOO will choose 500 winners, giving away more than $250,000 worth of design services and products. Assuming you like free stuff, this is a contest worth exploring.

Of course, if you want to continue handing out cards that don’t speak very highly of you, that’s fine as well.

American Au Naturel: Since there’s a very good chance that you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors this weekend, we recommend Abe’s Market, an online marketplace for natural products from independent sellers around the country. Each seller has a profile that outlines their business practices and the products they sell, from coffee to cleaning products. Consider your barbeque sauce and bug spray needs covered.

Hitting the Beach: If you’re spending your weekend near a body of water, avoid the embarrassment of wearing the same bathing suit as your friend with Shortomatic, a service that allows you to make your own custom board shorts (cost: $99). You can upload your own photos and artwork or choose from a gallery of submitted one-off shorts.

Modern Pyrotechnics: If you’re stuck inside this weekend for some reason, or if your local weather isn’t cooperating, you can still enjoy the quintessential 4th of July experience with some Virtual Fireworks. A tad cheesy? Sure. But so is the real thing, often. And, at least Roman candles are finally safe for work.

We’ll be back next week with more non-nationalistic ways to make your life easier through the Internet.

Happy Fourth of July,

The Netted Team

Now, thanks to Gift Card Granny, you can purchase popular gift cards for as much as 50 percent off the original price. (Yes, you can put this in the “terrible name, great service” file).

The site is basically a mega-store of gift cards from major retailers, arranged so that you can easily see how much your discount will be.

The size of the discount varies by the retailer, though all of the cards are priced at less than what you’d pay by going directly to the store.

You can also sign up to have coupon codes sent to you via email through their partner site, Coupon Sherpa.

Also:  We won’t tell anybody if you end up buying a few cards to use for your own shopping.

To clean out while doing good, try Freecycle, a grassroots non-profit “gifting movement” of people who give away (and claim) stuff you might normally toss in the trash. The hook: everything is free.

To use the service, you’ll need to sign up for an account with a Yahoo! ID (if you don’t have one, get one). Next you’ll look for a group near you by entering your locale in the search prompt. The network has nearly 8 million participants worldwide, which means finding a local group is easy.

If you have items you want to give away, simply post a listing (these are similar in style to Craiglist postings). Other Freecycle members will contact you via email to claim your stuff.

When you see items you might like to claim for yourself, the system works in reverse—you contact the poster and arrange to pick up your new item.

You know what they say–reduce, reuse, Freecycle.

For a more tailored shopping experience, try Makers Market, an eclectic online marketplace curated by the creators of Make and Boing Boing.

The product offerings tend toward the tastefully unique, with a focus on technology, science and the cleverly crafty, such as a clock made from old computer components (pictured, at right).

The site also offers jewelry, clothing and home furnishings.  And everything is made by the individual “makers” (not some factory in China).

Each maker is hand chosen, ensuring that everything available is up to a certain level of quality.  And the site’s design is clean and appealing, which makes the experience even more artful.

Makers Market doesn’t require you to sign up for an account to peruse the site or make a purchase. So just start browsing

Father’s Day is coming up.  And what dad wouldn’t love a set of towels featuring a hand-drawn diagram of a pinball machine?

Enter Lifebooker, a free service that allows you to search for appointments, browse exclusive deals, and book services from the best health and beauty businesses in your area. (The service is only in LA and NYC for now, but will be expanding soon).

Once you sign up for a free account, begin searching for appointments in categories ranging from hair treatments to full body massages to personal training.

And, yes, they have a section for dudes.

The site provides a variety of filters to apply to your query, including time of day, discount percentage, and price range. Each listing provides basic information about the venue and treatment, along with reviews for each specific service it provides.

Lifebooker even gives you “Reward Dollars” every time you book an appointment that can be put toward paying for future services.

The only one who may be unhappy with Lifebooker is the guy who does your hair at Supercuts.

To solve your TSA woes, try 3floz, an online boutique dedicated exclusively to selling travel-friendly beauty/grooming products that meet airport security requirements.

Unlike drug stores that stock mainly cheap or generic travel-size products, 3floz carries petite versions of the brand-name products you know and trust.

While the site is heavy on luxury beauty products, it also has an extensive selection of practical, everyday items like deodorants and sunscreens.

They also have some handy pre-sorted kits that contain everything you might need. And the site offers free shipping on orders over $100.

You can either use them or give up on grooming altogether while you travel–which we don’t recommend.

To help the Republic and save money at the same time, try Retail Me Not, a database of coupons and discounts for more than 50,000 retailers.

Enter a store (or the product/service you’re looking for) in the search bar and scroll through their assortment of coupons. They divide them into Active Coupons—coupons still in use at all (or most) of the retailer’s branches—and Inactive Coupons, which the store may or may not accept.

If you find coupons for online retailers, click on “Visit Store” to log in to their website using the coupon code. For local retailers, click on “Print Coupon” to get a document you can cut out and bring to the store.

For shoppers feeling nostalgic for the most common breed of coupon, click on “Grocery Coupons” to browse printable discounts on your favorite brands of food. You can also find deals on select pharmaceuticals.

Your country will thank you.

The problem, of course, is finding a good curator. Enter RedBubble, a well-designed marketplace that’s filled with the work of independent artists.

Just sign up for a free account and begin browsing through the site’s massive selection of art, photos and artsy t-shirts.

When you select an item, you’ll see comments from other users about the product as well as some basic information about the artist.

Add an artist you like to your “watchlist” and you’ll be notified when they add a new item.

Those looking to create their own masterpieces can easily upload digital files of whatever they’re looking to sell (or at least get feedback on).  The site takes care of the rest.

Rather than charging a commission, RedBubble establishes a base price for each item to cover their costs ($19.95 for a t-shirt, for example) and lets you set your price from there. Any money beyond the base price is yours to keep.

Picasso never had it so good.

Thankfully there’s Measy, a free service that helps simplify the complex process of deciding which digital camera, HDTV, netbook, smartphone or E-reader you should purchase.

The easy-to-use site employs a decision tree process, asking you a series of detailed questions that includes your budget, how you plan to use the device and what your priorities are (in terms of size, picture quality, need for durability, etc.).

Measy then calculates a score based on your preferences.  From there it selects the five models that come closest to matching your score.

You can view their selections in side-by-side comparisons or click on one for more detailed information.  The site also provides links to approved retailers, presenting the store name and the price.

While you”ll likely want to do additional research, Measy is a great place to figure out the range of products that fit your needs, and to figure out exactly what your needs are.

In a world full of choices it’s good to have a service that helps limit the options.

Enter Consumer Search, an About.com service that collects, analyzes and verifies expert and user reviews of thousands of consumer products, across dozens of categories (electronics, health & beauty, home appliances, etc.).

While the site doesn’t review products, they do have a team of editors who curate and organize reviews from a variety of sources, including major publications and sites like Amazon and Epinions.

More importantly, they rank them and create digestible, well-designed lists, providing de facto recommendations.

To start you click on one of their category tabs and then pick a given product (you can also search). They’ll show you the top 3 to 10 best-reviewed items (certain products have more choices than others) with a brief description, along with a summary of the user and expert reviews for each one.

Click on a particular item and you’re taken to a page that displays pros and cons and the site’s editorial analysis, which is their “review of the reviews.”

When you’re ready to purchase, the “where to buy” button will show you a list of retailers and their various prices.

Don’t go shopping without it.

And there’s nothing more annoying than being $1.29 short and buying a $15 DVD out of frustration to round out your order.

Moments like that one call for Amazon Filler Item Finder, an innovative tool that helps you find every item Amazon sells, listed by price.

The site is an exercise in simplicity.  Just enter the amount you’re short and you’ll see a list of products that match the price, starting from cheapest to more expensive.
Click on one you want to go to its Amazon page, add it to the cart, and enjoy your free shipping.

We used the site recently when we were 17 cents short on an order, and it suggested a small pencil sharpener.

It’s best the best quarter we’ve spent in a long, long time.

That’s the notion behind Amie Street, a music site that offers a unique progressive pricing structure that lets you save money for selecting music before it gets popular.

When a new song or album is added to the site it’s available for free or very cheap (the site doesn’t specify a maximum starting price).

The price only goes up as demand for a song increases (in terms of total downloads).  The more attuned you are the cheaper your music prices will be.

And even if you’re late to an artist, the highest price a song can reach is 98 cents (one cent below the starting price for songs on an unnamed service started by a guy who favors mock turtlenecks).

The site also rewards users for recommending new music. If you recommend a song that happens to get popular, Amie Street will credit your account as more users download the track (the amount of credit you receive increases as the song gets more popular).

And, in a nod to its open-source philosophy, Amie Street encourages artists to upload their own music.

In other words, you can finally distribute that demo you’ve had in your desk drawer for years.

That’s the premise behind Reknit, a new service run by an inventive proprietor whose mother has some serious skills with the knitting needles.

Send them an old sweater and they’ll unravel it and use the materials to create a new item of clothing (gloves, a hat, a scarf, etc.)

Reknit creates a different piece of clothing each month. Their current offering is winter hats. Items are selected based on user votes, so if you want to influence their upcoming projects, be sure to vote in their interactive poll.

Because they literally work by hand they can only accept 30 requests (at $30 each) per month.  So sign up quickly if you plan to use the service. It takes them about six hours to complete an order, so the turnaround is rather quick.

Can’t part with that old ski pullover from the 80s? The site directs you to a nearby Goodwill store so you can buy one to use.

Think of it as doing your part to help keep the environment free of ugly sweaters.

To keep your sanity in check, use The Find, a vertical search engine for shopping that puts every product, store, sale and coupon at your fingertips.

The site combs through over 500,000 retailers to offer more than 300 million listings, checking both major suppliers (like Amazon) and local stores.

You can refine your search by price, color, brand and locale. You can also click on the Coupon button to find online discount codes that apply to that product.

If you’d prefer the immediacy of buying the item from a physical store, click on the Local tab and you’ll get a listing (and a map) of shops that are close to you that sell the product you’re seeking. (When you sign up for the site you give them your locale).

Those concerned about sustainable living can use  their Green tab, which only pulls products from select Green retailers (such as Edible Nature and Good Guide).

True shopaholics will appreciate their iPhone app, which tracks your location and searches for goods (and deals) in nearby stores.

A new service called Clearwish lets you keep a dynamic registry of gifts you want (and purchases you recently made). You can index items from any website, organizing them by cost, category or occasion for buying.

More importantly, you can share links to product listings with your friends, loved ones and people who owe you favors.

Once downloaded Clearwish resides in your bookmarks list.  When you see a product you want you simply open the bookmark and click the “Wish List” button. To organize, edit and share your list you go to the “My Wish Lists” section of the Clearwish site.

Clearwish lets you create lists according to occasion (Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Groundhog Days).

In other words, it’s not too early to start putting your list together for Christmas 2010.

Now there’s a new browser add-on called Invisible Hand that makes this a seamless, automatic part of your shopping experience.

Once downloaded Invisible Hand sits unobtrusively on your browser bar.  As you shop it provides a discreet notification when the product you’re searching for can be bought for a lower price elsewhere.

If you want to save money you click on the provided link and purchase the item at a lower price.

The tool is currently compatible with 115 major retailers, including Amazon, Overstock and Borders.com.

Invisible Hand works with both Firefox and Google Chrome, though the company plans to release a version for Internet Explorer in the coming months.

Adam Smith, we can’t thank you enough.

To decorate your walls without breaking the bank we recommend Canvas Pop, a new service that converts your photos into customized works on canvas.

The service is easy to use.  Just upload an image to their website (from your computer, phone, or even your Facebook profile), pick a size and then customize the work as you see fit.

Avoid just having a photo enlarged onto canvas and make use of their many effects. These range from modern pop art to oil painting to hand-drawn sketch (and many others).

When you’re finished they’ll hand make your creation (it takes about ten days) and send you a digital proof.  Once you approve they’ll ship you the final product.

In addition to single work you can split photo into two, three or four panels each. They’ll also frame your.

If you order more than one work the site will ship free anywhere US, UK or Canada. They’ll also reprint your work or send you a full refund if you’re dissatisfied with your purchase.

Try getting that guarantee on a Picasso.

Now you can find out, thanks to a great new service called GoodGuide, which reveals what’s really beneath the labels of 70,000 products, including food, toys, personal care items and household products.

The site offers a massive database of product reviews, expert advice and brand rankings, evaluating supposedly healthy products based on their personal, environmental and social impact.  You can search for a specific product or browse by category.

Dive into a sub-category—household cleaners, say—and you’ll see a ranked list of all the products they review (every product is given a ranking out of 10), starting with the top ranked.
Click on a specific product and you’re taken to a page that has detailed ratings, information on the ingredients, user reviews and a host of details about what goes into the overall ranking.

In addition to these thorough reviews, the site has relevant articles and issue guides. They also have a free iPhone app that allows you to scan the barcodes of various products when you’re at the store for health and environmental ratings.

As far as guides go this one is, uh, pretty good.

No, it’s not magic. It’s thredUP, a peer-to-peer clothing exchange that lets you trade items with other people who also want to clean out their closets.

When you sign up you answer a series of questions (do you live in the city or suburbs? how large is your closet?) that determine how much you have in the way of unwanted clothing and what the “value” of your closet is.

From there you add the items you want to trade to your virtual closet, listing the size, brand, color and condition. Then you tell them what you’re looking for, again specifying brands and sizes. The system uses an algorithm to match your preferences with other users.

Once a swap is engaged you send your items using pre-paid envelopes (they come in packets of three for $25; the service is otherwise free).

If you feel a little odd about taking somebody else’s used clothing, rest assured that threUP claims most of their users only trade new or “like new” items.  In addition there’s rating system that helps maintain quality control (it also allows the system to find good matches for you).

While the site is currently geared toward adults, they’re launching thredUP Kids next month. (The first 1,000 people to register will get to try it for free).

Think of it as the one time you can shop in someone else’s closet without breaking the law.

Netted subscribers can get a 50% discount on their first packet of three thredUP envelopes by adding the code “Netted” in the promo box at checkout.