What is an e-directory

asks Brandon

A. An e-directory is a portal for online shopping, where every online shop within the directory has been vetted for its credentials and security. Allegedly, it is a safe place to shop on the Internet. A good e-directory will also review an online retailer, pointing out its good and bad points - so that you can be aware of these before you choose to shop with them, eg it will highlight delivery charges if they are too expensive etc.

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Q. Can you recommend any good e-directories

A. The following (in alphabetical order) are easy to use and are all UK-focused:

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2020 Shops

This is a great place to start if you plan to shop via an e-Directory as it is completely independent, so all site reviews are "warts 'an all" accounts that are rated out of 10. All its shops are arranged in categories and cover the following: computing, electrical, food & drink, health & beauty, home & garden, movies, music, toys & games, video games, books, clothes & jewellery, films & video, finance, gifts & flowers, sport & fitness and travel.

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This site also has a great Q&A section, which is good if you're new to online shopping, auctions and a price comparison facility. When I tested the latter it found me Nick Hornby's latest book, How To Be Good, for �8.99 (RRP: �16.99) at WH Smith and Catatonia's new CD - Paper Scissors Stone - for �8.99 (RRP: �14.99) at CD WOW.

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Other features include a discussion forum, shop vote, shop watch and competitions. Its advice/help section also gives information and advice on topics such as returning website purchases, buying electrical goods etc. This site also tells you what to look out for when shopping online, and how to spot a good shop�-�eg one that doesn't make you register before you look around and one that has a secure, encrypted area for credit cards details.

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Safedoor

Safedoor (part of Securicor) is so sure that its portal is safe to use that it guarantees to refund any money not covered by a card issuer, if a card is used fraudulently. It also keeps any personal details you provide on the site, including credit card payment details, offline. This means that when you go to pay for items in any of the shops included, you click the Safedoor button on the retailer's website, your order is then transferred to SafeDoor where it matches it up with the details in your account. It confirms the sale with the retailer and then bills your card later in a secure bank transaction.

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Another bonus of using this site is that it does not give your email address out to any of its retailers, so you don't get bombarded with junk mail. The only downside of this site is that it doesn't have enough retailers on board yet, as it is a relatively new portal - but given time it will give the others a run for their money.

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Shopsafe

This is another good e-directory as it only includes online shops that have secure connections and includes details on their delivery times, range of goods and prices. Its shops are split into categories, it is an eclectic mix that includes: alcoholic drinks, arts & collectibles, books, music, electrical goods, fashion, flowers, finance, food & drink, gadgets, games, garden & DIY, health & beauty, computing, furnishings, insurance, jewellery, mobile phones, pets, software, toys and tickets.

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Shopsafe rates all of its 800 shops out of five, but its only drawback is that it reviews all of its shops well - none are criticised - so that its reviews don't actually ring true. It does, however, have a unique top ten listing of online shops. Top shops featured include: www.gobazaar.co.uk, www.sportsretailers.com, www.comet.co.uk, www.dialaphone.co.uk, www.borderart.co.uk, www.wellbeing.com, www.tesco.co.uk, www.amazon.co.uk, www.chipsworld.co.uk, www.clareflorist.co.uk.

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Shopsmart

This site lists and rates 1,000 online shops in the UK. The site is easy to use and has a sophisticated and polished feel to it that also gives you confidence about shopping online. The site is sponsored by Barclaycard, which also provides you with security, as you believe it to be safe to use your credit card on it as a credit card has endorsed it.

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As with most good e-directories, shopping on Shopsmart is free as the site is funded by promotions, referral fees and advertising. It is also safe to use as it only lists shops that use secure transactions to encrypt credit-card information. In addition, all shops publish a UK contact address and telephone number for added peace of mind.

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This site also has sections on FAQs, online shopping advice, price comparison and an online shopping tutorial. Its price comparison facility is second to none, not only did it find me Nick Hornby's How To Be Good for �7.64 at Tesco, it also reviewed it and included much of its press coverage, too (similar to reviews on Amazon), which was an unexpected bonus.

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Shops on the Net

This directory includes over 18,000 sites and is Europe's largest shopping portal to date. Not only that it has been going since 1997, so has built up a dedicated customer base in that time. This portal is very fast and sophisticated, using icons to denote the benefits of each and every site e.g. an icon will tell you if a site is secure as soon as you open it. It also includes information on delivery times, delivery overseas and whether a site is a member of an online shopping trust.

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On the downside, as this site is so big, it doesn't have the personal feel of the others and its site reviews are quite bland, which is the price of professionalism I guess.

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By Karen Anderson