Online retailers

With economic uncertainty tainting everyone's holiday spirit, consumers are bracing to stay within their budgets -- especially when it comes to holiday shopping. This year, experts say, gift-givers will find some of the best deals online.

"Online shopping will be second only to discount shopping for customers in terms of finding value for their money," said Steve Lemelin, regional leader of consumer business for Deloitte. "For that very reason, it's the multi channel retailers who are going to fare better this season."

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and now CyberMonday. Launched several years ago by shop.org, an organization that promotes online retailers, CyberMonday features special sales and free shipping to complement the discounts in brick-and-mortar retailers on Friday.

While much attention on Sept. 29 was fixed on the failed bailout vote in Congress and its impact on the Dow Jones industrial average, tech stocks also came under pressure.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq dropped 199.61 points, or 9%, to 1983.73, the third-largest percentage decline ever. The Sept. 29 tech-stock rout was eclipsed only by the Black Monday crash on Oct. 19, 1987, when the Nasdaq plummeted more than 11%, and Apr. 14, 2000, when it tumbled 9.7%.

D-Link Systems Inc. wants to sell more to businesses that have tighter purse strings these days.

The Fountain Valley-based maker of networking gear, part of Taiwan's D-Link Corp., is pitching its routers and other products as a cheaper way for budget-conscious businesses to expand their networks.

The company's selling point: We're cheaper than Cisco.

D-Link's less expensive prices could appeal to small and midsize companies that have seen their businesses slow this year, crimping their ability to spend on technology.

How can anyone be a shopaholic in today’s economy?  Trust me, it is possible; just follow me around.  You simply need to know where to look and what to look for.  With popular blogs like www.budgetfashionista.com, www.fashionisspinach.com, www.glamchic.com and www.styleitless.com, it is easy to get great style advice and learn a lot about shopping on a budget.  In my online exploration, I have discovered

Ann Wood was thrilled last January when her eBay store, Willow-Wear, had its best month ever, grossing around $33,000. In February, however, Wood experienced a sharp drop-off in sales. Since 2004, Wood has run the home-based business, listing and selling high-end jewelry, clothing, shoes, bags, and antiques for more than 40 clients around the country. She works four to six hours a day, and had sales of about $250,000 in 2007, she says.

Have you ever tried to buy something online, only to be blocked from doing so because you were in the wrong country?

That could be set to change, at least within the European Union, where the trade bloc's consumer protection chief will begin a new campaign Friday to tear down barriers to commerce across national borders.

Banks have been disappointing customers in many ways lately -- tightening mortgage lending standards, paring back home-equity and credit-card lines and lowering savings interest rates -- but they're receiving higher marks for at least one thing: their Web sites.