Check going rates for electronics

As you prep your holiday shopping list it is important to get an idea of what the going rate is for an item. That way you know if the price in front of you is low or not, no matter how big the sale might be. PriceSpider.com makes this easy.

The site, as suggested by Tightwad Tod at Consumer Reports, focuses on electronics and gadgets. For any item, the site tells you how much various retailers, online and brick and mortar, charge. Enter your zip code and it will calculate shipping, too.

One of the coolest features is comparing how the price for that item has fluctuated over the past six months. For any item, click on the "Overview" button on the left to see how the price has changed.

Next to the price for each seller is a red or green arrow showing whether the price has risen or fallen compared to a week ago.

For the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW, above, the price has been as high as $400 since May and is now selling for about $340. When I last checked Amazon has it for the lowest price, at $282 including shipping. All but one retailer have dropped their price for the camera recently.

Bookmark the site or add it to your favorites for handy reference during the holidays.