Shop and Sell Online

The Internet has created a new marketplace where people can buy or sell items online. This is known as e-commerce. Anyone with a product can sell it or auction it without a storefront, and no matter what you’re looking to buy you can almost always find someone who has exactly what you need. This doesn’t only apply to goods but services, too, like booking travel.

Many sites have made it safer and more secure to make purchases online, but be sure to see the “Stay Safe” section for ways to protect yourself and your money on the web.

Craigslist

Craigslist is the online equivalent to the “Want Ads” in newspapers, organized by location right down to your hometown. Here you can find a place to live or even a place to work. It’s also a place to find a plethora of services such as musical or language lessons. And that's just the tip of the Craigslist iceberg. Here are the main uses for Craigslist:

Craigslist For Sale: This is probably the best known section of Craigslist. Here, you can find great deals on used items from furniture to electronics. You can also sell your own stuff here too.

Craigslist Jobs: The best jobs can be found easily at Craigslist. All you need to do is find your city, then click on the job category that most interests you. Many job specialties are represented here, including non-profit, technical support, education, and more.

Craigslist Real Estate: Again, all you need to do is click on the city that you're interested in and find the "real estate" link. Here you can find a house or apartment for rent or for sale. You can also find roommates and shared housing opportunities.

Craigslist Free: Craigslist has a free section where you can find free furniture, technology, and other goods.

eBay

eBay is an online auction house where buyers make bids on an item over a period of a few days. At the end of the auction period, the highest bidder “wins” the item, although often there is an option to “Buy Now” for a set priced if you don’t want to risk losing an auction at the last second.

eBay has worked to build a reliable site where people can trust that the items they win will be sent promptly, and that items they sell will be fully paid for. To create a positive environment, eBay uses a system where buyers and sellers can rate one another after a transaction. If a user gets enough poor ratings, it sends a warning signal that they are not safe to buy from or sell to.

PayPal, a secure way to transfer money online, is often used to ensure that buyers and sellers act fairly during a transaction. It is a wise decision to use PayPal when possible in order to avoid fraudulent users.

Freecycle

Freecycle is a free to belong to network of 6,737,000 people across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer.

Travel

The Internet offers a whole new way to book travel, giving you a great level of control over selecting exactly the right flights, accommodations and ground transportation you require. Controlling cost has never been easier, as travel sites allow you to compare several packages at once to find the best deals.
It might take some patience to get used to the sites, but travel customer service representatives are very accessible and helpful over the phone. Here’s a list of great travel websites to get you started:

Expedia
Travelocity
Kayak
Hotels.com
TripAdvisor.com

Another tip is to purchase tickets online directly from low fare airlines such as Southwest Airlines or Jet Blue who often have special Internet fares to encourage online booking.