LiveManuals
Here's an interesting idea: customer support manuals for all kinds of appliances and equipment, accompanied by interactive, functional product simulations. Here product owners or prospective customers can access animated demonstrations that look, sound and behave like the real product, so you can learn how to use the product or try it before you buy it. The site also allows you to create your own product portfolio, so you have quick access to user manuals and can store all your model numbers and warranty information for easy reference. You can also use the site's database to find a repair center nearby. Thousands of products are supported, including appliances, electronics, home audio/video, office equipment, telephones, photography, presentation devices, printers, scanners, and wireless devices.

Consumerama
Here's a good place to look for consumer alerts, news, advice, and commentary. This website has a large directory of consumer protest sites, plus reports on current class actions, boycotts, and government investigations. Visitors can participate in the consumer forum, find free expert advice, and consult a handy one-page consumer guide reference. Some of the site's features are Common Sense Lite, which provides another look at Marketing Hype; Employed and Annoyed, comments from disgruntled employees; the Flame of the Week consumer complaint; and The Naked Mole-Rats of Marketing Award for excesses in sales and marketing. In addition there are special reports on topics such as corporate crime, lemon cars, and funeral ripoffs. The slogan of the site is "Avaritia Facit Bardus" (Greed Makes You Stupid).

WirelessAdvisor.com
The United States is divided into 734 cellular markets and 493 PCS markets; there are more than 300 cellular phone and PCS phone companies in the U.S. This website was started as a free unbiased service to help consumers make wise choices among the many cellular, digital PCS and wireless phone companies. You can enter your zip code and get a list of all the carriers serving your area. There are also articles to inform users about the various kinds of wireless phone service; an alphabetical guide to U.S. wireless carriers; a list of phone manufacturers; a glossary; recommended books; and some international wireless information. Interactive areas include regional discussion forums, wireless newsgroups, and free classified ads. http://wirelessadvisor.com/

Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO
This site has full-text versions of hundreds of U.S. government consumer publications, which can be viewed online for free or purchased as printed copies. The site is searchable and publications are organized by category; categories include cars, children, education, employment, federal programs, food and nutrition, housing, health, money, small business, and travel. There are also some multimedia files and the Consumer Resource Handbook. The site is available for both text and graphical browsers.
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/

Seattle Children's Online Store
At the online store of the Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, you can do some holiday shopping while helping a good cause. The store has gifts, clothing, marketing and specialty items, and children's safety products (like bike helmets) at good prices. Money raised goes into a fund to pay for medical care that families cannot afford. The site is available in both text-only and frames versions.
http://www.seattlechildrens.org

Christmas98 - The Total Guide To Christmas Online
This holiday website has ideas for gift giving; recipes; gift baskets; holiday decorating and party ideas; and family fun. Visitors can send digital cards, post a greeting, visit the "North Pole," or send a letter to Santa. Learn about holiday traditions like eggnog, lighted trees, caroling, and the holidays of Chanukah and Kwanzaa. The Christmas events and entertainment section lists films, TV specials, and books. There is a list of charities where you can donate to make the holidays a little more special for someone else. And if you're going away for the holidays, look here for discount airfares and travel planning.
http://www.christmas98.com

The Netique Internet Gift Boutique
This website features elegant gifts for holidays and special occasions. As a plus, the Netique site also offers useful information on gift-giving customs, including corporate gift-giving and international gift-giving. Not sure what is an appropriate gift for an Asian client? Attending a party given by a South American hostess? Refer to the article on international gift-giving customs to avoid a cultural faux pas. Then you can shop for gifts from various countries, holiday and anniversary gifts, baby gifts, corporate gifts, food gifts, computer and office gifts, home and kitchen gifts, pet gifts, wedding gifts, and more. As a one-stop shopping service, Netique also wraps, prepares handwritten cards, and ships.
http://www.netique.com

Cool Freebie Links
This comprehensive guide to freebie, contest, and sweepstakes sites was started by avid freebie hunters who got tired of websites that were hard to navigate, took too long to download, or posed as freebie sites but really weren't. Each link listed here is reviewed and rated, to help users find good-quality, well-maintained, family-safe sites quickly and easily. Cool Freebie Links is updated daily, and members can subscribe to a free newsletter.
http://home.earthlink.net/~juramark/cfl/freebees.htm

e-Toys, The Biggest Toy Store on the Web
Want to avoid shopping crowds? For holidays and kids' birthdays, try this online toy store. Here's a selection of over 1,000 items, including brand name toys and children's books. The toys can be searched by category, brand name, age group, or price. Editor picks, toy awards, and expert toy reviews help parents to find quality toys. There is a section of toys for under $20. Parents can pick a toy to enhance a particular developmental skill such as fine motor, gross motor, language, math, social/emotional, etc. Categories of toys include sports, dolls, stuffed animals, action figures, games and puzzles, educational toys, arts and crafts, software, and more.
http://www.etoys.com/

Computer4Sale
Computer4Sale is a free interactive classifieds directory where the public can buy and sell anything related to computers. Look here for complete systems or components, hardware or software. Anyone can search the ads and buy; you need to become a member only if you want to upload items for sale. Membership is free, and gives you a password to post, update, and remove ads. Buyers who respond to your ads will be given the contact information you specify; buyers deal directly with the seller. Extended search features allow buyers to search for items within a certain locality. For users crossing international boundaries there is an online currency converter. Other useful features are links to hardware and software reviews, computing tips and tricks, downloadable free software, and buyer's guides on the Internet.