The wide world of online shopping

Often, says Mendelsohn, shopping online is like a treasure hunt. "You can find the most incredible, special unique items."

Shopping for a daughter who is considering a law career, The Dollar Stretcher publisher Gary Foreman found a T-shirt that featured legal terms with humorous definitions. He knew she'd love it. And he couldn't have found it without the Internet.

"It's not something you'd find locally, because there's not a big enough market locally," Foreman says.

Browsing the Internet's shelves
So just what is available online?

"Anything that has a make and model number, that doesn't weigh more than 100 pounds," says Robert Krughoff, president of Consumers' Checkbook, a nonprofit consumer magazine.

Even a few things that weigh much more are out there, too. Dedicated online shoppers say they find a much wider variety of products than they can when shopping locally. The only items that are especially problematic are products that you need to see, touch or try first.

Want to have a little fun electronically window shopping for something totally out of the ordinary? Here are some Web sites Mendelsohn recommends.

• Distant Replays -- Sports jerseys and apparel for just about every team and sport from any era.
• Mixed Greens -- Not what you might think. It's an art site. "You can buy incredible art online from emerging or renowned artists," says Mendelsohn. "A fun site."
• Hometown Favorites -- Nostalgic comfort foods. Want to order a gift basket of the candies you remember from childhood? This is the place.
• Pop's Wine and Spirits -- An online wine shop. "Terrific selection and terrific prices," says Mendelsohn.
• Lunar Embassy -- To the moon, Alice. If you want to own a genuine piece of lunar real estate, this site is selling it. Mendelsohn picked up the perfect gift for a friend who truly had "everything on this world," she says. "It was the hit of the night."
• Canfora -- Handmade, jeweled sandals from Capri. "You can't stop looking at your feet when you have these on," says Mendelsohn. "It's an incredible luxury item. You'll never find these any place else."
• Tastes of Chicago -- Real Chicago deep-dish pizza straight from the Windy City. "They freeze it and send it overnight," she says.
• Igourmet -- "An excellent site," she says. "Everything across the board from sweets to caviar to pates."
• Earthy Delights -- Specialty foods for chefs and gourmets. "Organic fresh vegetables and produce," says Mendelsohn. "Fabulous stuff."
• Synergy Diet -- A "low-carb, low-cal supermarket" online, says Mendelsohn. And perfect if you've spent too much time shopping on the food sites listed earlier.

While it's fun to explore the abundance of offbeat products, sometimes online shopping serves a basic need.

When Mendelsohn couldn't get a reasonable estimate to repair her washing machine, she headed to Repair Clinic, researched the problem, ordered a $4 part and fixed it herself. "It was empowering," she says.

Many times, online shopping is all about managing your time, Mendelsohn says. Even if you're only ordering something as mundane as vacuum cleaner bags, she says, "being able to shop at 11 at night after everyone is asleep and have the boxes delivered a week later is exceptionally convenient."

But even for online fans, the Web is never a complete substitute for real-life retail. Though Kasser buys "almost everything on the Internet now," she admits there are still times she likes to shop the mall. "And I don't think I'll ever give that up."

Dana Dratch is a freelance writer based in Atlanta.