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Shopping Sites

Some groovy online stores can be found on this site. However, here are a few that either are not listed, or stand out among the crowd:

• If you're looking for a good place to download individual songs or whole CD's for low prices, then check out the Amazon.com MP3 Downloads Store. Amazon has made deals with the major record labels, which means that they've got all the songs you know and love, and for dirt cheap prices too. They regularly offer free songs, monthly $5 albums, along with other discounts. Plus, you don't need any software to download songs, but you will need their small software to download albums. Once the few preferences are set though, the software mainly stays in the background until you buy and download a whole album. Most songs are $0.89 or $0.99, and albums range between $5 and $10, with some a bit more. Unlike other MP3 sites, Amazon doesn't restrict your use of the songs/albums you buy and these are not protected MP3's either. This is a model I can and I regularly support by buying music. Some of the artists I have bought include: DC Talk, Motley Crue, Metallica, the "21" movie soundtrack, and more.

• Enjou Chocolat is a chocolate store in Morristown, New Jersey. They have the traditional chocolate bars and truffles, as well as hand made chocolates of all descriptions. For instance, you can get chocolate animals, vehicles, glasses, baskets, and more. If you can't make it up to Morristown, then you can order your chocolates online and have them shipped to your door.

• J&B Medical is a company that seeks to provide medical care products to both people and pets. Many of their products are sold at a substantial discount from what you might pay elsewhere. For instance, a 3 month supply of the Frontline Plus flea product for dogs weighing 44-80 pounds costs $33. The same medication might be up to $25 more at your local vet's office. Check them out!

• Blind Bargains is a site where you can bid on items from EBay related to blindness, visual impairment, or anything else. In essence, this site gives you a more accessible alternative to the EBay site for searching for and bidding on auction items. You can also find low deals on blindness related items sold by individuals or other merchants.

• If you need another hsopping portal, then check out the National Federation of the Blind of Texas's online store. At nearly 1,000 stores and sites, you're sure to find something that you like here. And, a portion of your purchase helps the NFB of Texas.

• For those overseas, check out Discount Online Shopping, Shopping in the UK.

• Amazon Anywhere is a stripped down version of the main Amazon.com site. If you're tired of wading through all of the other stuff on the main site just to get to search results, then this might be a good alternative. Note that this site may not include information you might see on the main site, but it is a good site as far as accessibility goes.

• The Amazon.com Site for the Blind/Vision Impaired is a new "store" that Amazon has setup which has products especially for the blind and low vision populations. Though some of the "products" they've chosen to include in this department raise questions in my mind of why they chose them, all products truly are for these audiences. To read more on what my opinions are of their new store, check out my blog, linked further down this page or on the Blogs to Watch page, on the 6/15/2006 entry.

• Austin Grocer is a site that I've browsed and ordered groceries from. Its very accessible. If you live in the Austin area, then check this site out as a great alternative to traditional shoppping, and let someone else do the dirty work for you. Austin Grocer can also ship things nationwide.

• Pet Meds is a site that lets you order products and medications for your dog, cat or horse. You can either order from the site or call their toll-free number: 800-pet-meds, or 800-738-6337. Among other things, they offer free USPS Priority mail shipping on orders over $39. They also offer many medications, such as Frontline Plus, below veterinarian prices. Check them out.

• Woot is an accesible shopping site that offers a different product, new or refurbished, for sale at midnight each day. They also have a blog and podcast you can subscribe to for the same daily product sale information. You can find the blog link on the Blogs to Watch page.

• Froogle gives you a Google-like feel that allows you to search for low prices on many popular products, and connect directly with their associated merchants and purchase the products.

• EBay, though a resource that many have heard of, is a great resource. Sometimes called a "garage sale," EBay has many different kinds and sorts of products, from the new to the hard to find. While EBay is an auction site, and safe shopping should always be your number 1 concern, don't let a fear of someone getting your information keep you from this site. If you do, then you'll miss out on many great deals, and on things that you might really enjoy and might not otherwise find anywhere else.

• Compare prices and get reviews for online merchandise by going to Shopping.com. You can search directly for a product, or browse by catagory.

• Coffee Anyone? has a wide selection of coffees and teas from around the world. They can also include Braille labels for no extra charge.

• Now you can order all your adaptive products and books from the National federation of the Blind's Online Store. They have a range of products, from games, to household items, to cooking materials, and all points in between. Note that there is no warrentee on anything ordered through NFB's product catelog. There are however return and refund policies if something should not function as it should. See site for details.

• Fetch Book Info: this website allows you to search for and compare prices of new and used books from dozens of different online bookstores, such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Textbooks, and many more. You can even click on a "Buy Now" link and go to the individual site where you can buy the book immediately. this site is very accessible and amazingly free of the clutter you might find on the other mainstream sites. Check it out.

• The Funds for Writers eBooks Page has many books for aspiring writers. Though this site leaves a little to be desired as far as links labeled in a clear manner, the author has recently made many of her books available to blind/low vision people in Word (.doc) format, instead of the challenging PDF format. Hopefully, more eBook vendors will do this since many blind people, including me, have trouble accessing PDF files.

If you know of a site that is accessible and/or usable by the blind and would like to see it added, send me a note via the Feedback Form. Happy shopping, :)