Been there, bought that

There are many instances when we go to new places for shopping, window shopping, or visit a new restaurant. In times like these, we always look for those people who have already been there or at least can give an idea about the good and the bad features of the place.

My 3 Cents (http://www.my3cents.com) is one such web spot which builds on this very concept. The phrase ‘my 3 cents’ is indicative of the fact that everyone can contribute their opinion to this website for the benefit of those who are planning to buy something or have already bought. These opinions basically pertain to various products, retail outlets, websites of electronic shopping and much more.

The website features reviews of various products that different people have used and websites that they have visited. When you are about to venture into an unknown domain, for instance, Amazon.com for the very first time, you may not have an idea about how to navigate on the website. Here, you can read about the experiences other people faced with the same website. You will then have a better idea about the reliability of the publishers, what the payment options are, and of course, which scams to watch out for.

My 3 Cents itself is a very extensive website. The best place to start would be the drop-down box which reads ‘Reviews by category.’ Here, you can select the product category for which you want consumer advice. There are loads of products here from ‘Food and Health’ to ‘Travel and Credit cards’. Just select your desired category and read other consumers’ opinion. For your convenience the reviews are categorised by informative, compliments and complaints, so you immediately know which way the review is going.

Of course, it is important to remember that this is not a local website, which means a lot of reviews of products may not be relevant. But there are quite a few which you will discover as you probe deeper. Many different websites, where people do electronic shopping, are reviewed extensively as well. For example, eBay, Amazon and MacDonald’s have been covered here.

Other features of the website include consumer review updates, where follow-ups of the reviews are posted, so you can have an idea in case a product improves or declines in quality. There is also a consumer news blog, where you can post your comments and read others’ views as well.

Overall, this is a pretty useful website for anyone who wants a word of advice. Moreover, you can also share your experiences or reviews by creating an account here. This will give some local flavour and make it even more relevant to the people of this country.

To read consumer reviews of a wide range of products, log on to http://www.my3cents.com