Can the web really deliver bargains?

For the credit-card-carrying, gizmo-mad tendency, the web should be a shopper's paradise. Despite well-publicised online failures, the shiny box business just keeps on growing: Tesco online now sells camcorders as well as cheddar, and the Comets and Dixons of this world have developed impressive sites (though the advantage is all in less lugging of boxes rather than price savings).

The best online stores have smartened up, giving you shipping costs, delivery times and stock levels up front. They have real people on the end of real phones to deal with queries.

But with so many shops to choose from, how do you know you've got the best deal? This is what price-comparison sites are supposed to guarantee, searching every possibility in seconds at the push of a button. Sadly, the truth is that they only direct users to a limited number of sites, which will be paying a commission.

Looking to compare mobile phone deals? Don't got to ShopSmart. The Barclaycard-owned portal has sold its entire mobile phone section to Car-phone Warehouse. Shrek on DVD? Kelkoo's cheapest price is £17.24, including delivery. Any self-respecting movie buff should go to Play247 and snap it up for £15.99 with free delivery.

Want a Rio 800 MP3 player? Price-runner says Watford Electronics is cheapest, but they don't give you a link to the store. Users have to click on to a retailer information screen and then cut and paste the URL. Why the hassle? Because unless Watford pays, it doesn't get a link. And they are hardly comprehensive, either: comparison sites couldn't find any that sold the new Philips HC890 headphones - though you can find them online.

And it's worth looking offline, too. The electrical and computer retailers scanned by price-comparison sites are run by the same box-shifters that advertise in PC and hi-fi magazines. Whether on your mouse or on the phone, you end up at the same places and find the same prices.

The one place gadget freaks don't want to be is the high street. Dixons charges a whopping £999.98 for the JVC GR-DVP1 digital camcorder - £300 more than the lowest price we found. The net might not be perfect, but shopping in the high street really is a mug's game.

But do you really have to be online to find the best prices? Or can a three-quid geek mag and an old-fashioned phone do a better job than a £1,000 PC and the best of the web? To find out see our price comparisons, top right.

Contacts for stockists featured in table: Digital First: 01494 883399; Technomatic: 0870 5550000; Jungle: 0800 0355355; Watford Electronics: 0870 220 0700; Electro Centre: 0870 7547070; Unbeatable: 01293 543555.

Buying safely on the net

Only use secure sites - look for the TrustUK logo and a locked padlock in the bottom-right corner of your Web browser.
The Which? Web Trader logo shows that the retailer follows a code of practice for safe and convenient shopping.
Check delivery charges and delivery times. Will you have to take a day off work?
Confirm the item is in stock before you order.
Print order confirmation screens and save order confirmation e-mails.
Also check out the latest e-shopping tips on the Government's Consumer Gateway www.consumer.gov.uk.