Sometimes when I am scanning the web, I may overlook the obvious. I was reminding of the obvious by an intrepid internet shopper this last month who pointed out Half.com and when I went back to look it over…. Well I loved the deals.

Half.com is an online market place, like Ebay where buyers and sellers come together. This isn’t an auction, prices are fixed, but the discounts on retail can range from 25%-70% off with most products hovering around 50% off.

Unlike Ebay, you can’t find anything and everything here. Half.com is limited to books, music, movies, video games and game systems. There is more than enough to look through in each category in both new and used. Besides the description and price they also rate the item for quality. But, like Ebay, Half.com is easy to navigate and straight forward to purchase or sell.

With back to school on my mind, I looked through the Textbooks superstore section. Here I compared a bunch of “Biology” (Hardcover, 2004) by Jane Reece and Neil Campbell. The Range of quality went from Acceptable to Brand New and the prices went from $64-$156 with the highest prices being in the acceptable range.

I also priced some X Box game system and found prices ranging from $75-$240. Some new, some refurbished all well described and a few with games.

Half.com is a useful source both for comparison shopping, evaluating market pricing and getting great deals. Start you hunt here and you may nab your best deal on your first visit.

www.Half.com