Curlie

Shopping

The Shopping category contains sites for which the primary focus is to allow consumers to select and obtain goods and services over the Web. For more information about this category, please see the Shopping FAQ.

Following these guidelines will allow us to add a site to the directory as quickly as possible.

Find the single most appropriate category for the site. With few exceptions, sites are listed in the directory in one category only.
Suggest the site using its main URL. With few exceptions, we do not deep link sites in Shopping. For example, a site selling socks would be listed in Shopping/Clothing/Footwear only, but not also in (fictional) subcategories of
"Shopping/Clothing/Footwear/Striped_Socks" and/or
"Shopping/Clothing/Footwear/Green_Striped_Socks".
Use the actual business name as the title.
Create a brief description, under 25 words, listing the site's current (not future) content.
Do not use first person verbiage (we, our, us).
Don't bother using marketing verbiage. (E.G. We're the best!, Most awesome site, Check it Out!) Marketing verbiage is removed.
Sites which are mirrors of other sites or that redirect to another site will not be listed. Only the main site will be listed.
Sites that are affiliates or lists of affiliate links that do not contain original content will not be listed.
Sites which are gateways or splash pages to affiliate sites will not be added.
Individual distributors for Multi-Level Marketers are not listed in Shopping.
Non-English sites should be submitted to the appropriate World category.
Sites which are mainly advertising for a local store and that do not offer online shopping should be suggested to the appropriate Regional category.
All sites are reviewed periodically.
Sites in the directory are subject to changes in placement, description and possible removal from the directory, based on this review.

All sites submitted are reviewed by the directory's editors. Sites are listed by the actual business name, followed by a brief description. This description will be based on the information you provide and the review of the website. Sites will be placed in the single most applicable and highest category based on our review. Sites which are continually submitted to the directory, using either a main url, mirrors or sub-pages, will be banned.

Antiques and Collectibles

This category is for dealers specializing in antique and collectible items. This includes both items of considerable age and brand new items which are produced for the primary purpose of collecting. New items whose primary purpose is something other than being collected are listed in other topical areas of the Shopping branch, unless there is a separate collectible market for the items. Also included in this category are sites which sell services or supplies to the collecting community. Please see Recreation/Antiques and Recreation/Collecting for informational sites about these subjects. The alphabar at the top of the "Varied Merchandise" category contains links to many sub-categories about collectible items. Please note that sites are not listed at the top level of this category.

Please carefully review the many sub-categories here and suggest the site to the best category.

Sites not submitted to the proper category will take an extremely long time to be reviewed, due to a huge backlog of submissions.

For this reason, we strongly encourage you to find the most appropriate category before suggesting the website.

Auctions

This category focuses on On-Line Auctions; however, there are two categories which welcome Off Line Auctions; Auction Houses and E-mail Auctions

Please suggest the site to whichever "Auctions" category seems appropriate (details below).

If in doubt, suggest the site to Auctions, and an editor will place it for you.

Help us to make the most useful auction directory on the internet Thank you.

This category is only for sites with items for sale by auction; not for individuals selling products at auction sites.

By Region

This category is a list of links to the Regional branch of the Open Directory Project. The sites which can be found using these links include retailers which are not listed in the Shopping branch. The Shopping category FAQ includes information about why some sites are only listed in the Regional branch.

Children

Sites offering products geared toward children or parenting.

Please submit sites that deal with shopping items for children or for parents.

The major focus must be on children, be that products for children or products that parents use in relation to children. In addition, specialty categories are listed within this page using @links. For instance, sites offering only furniture should be submitted to Home and Garden/Furniture/Children, and sites listing only clothing must be submitted to Clothing/Children.

Sites within the UK and other countries are welcome to add their URL to this category. In order to be listed in this specific category, for businesses not located in the United States, a business must ship purchases to at least one country outside of their location. Sites only shipping within the United Kingdom, for instance, would be submitted to Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Business_and_Economy/Shopping/Children/.

Foreign language sites should be sent to the appropriate World/ category.

Classifieds

This category is for well established sites offering shopping focused classified ad services in a wide geographic area.

This category is for sites which offer an online classified ad service.

To be listed here the site must:

Be established and offer many listings geared toward consumer shopping. An individual classified ad selling one product or service will not be listed here.
Offer listings from a wide geographic area. Sites focused on specific regions, cities, or towns belong in the appropriate Regional category.
Offer English language content. Sites not in English belong in the appropriate World category.
Offer a wide range of products/categories. For sites focused on specific categories (E.g. Automotive, Real Estate) please drill down to the appropriate subcategory.

Clothing

The cave people wore furs, Adam and Eve wore fig leaves, and at some point in time, someone realized they could market their skills by selling garments. For modesty's sake, we hope you'll find something appealing here.

How you can help us: Suggest the main page of the retail or custom clothing business *once* to the most relevant subcategory, i.e. if 70-80% of the inventory or custom work is of one type, submit there. (Many editors cannot reach sites sitting in the queue at this level.) We are always sifting through the many submissions, and appreciate your patience.

Briefly describe what is found on the site. This may include inventory images and/or an online catalog, sizing information, a newsletter, etc. Hype will be removed as it is against DMOZ Guidelines.

Consumer Electronics

This category is for sites that sell consumer electronics such as televisions and audio and video equipment.

Read all the guidelines before submitting your site.

Before submitting any sites to the Shopping/Consumer_Electronics category, take time to browse through the subcategories and similar categories to make sure your site is included in the most appropriate category.

Do not submit affiliate sites, mirror sites, non-English sites or sections of a larger site.

When filling out the submission form, please use the following guidelines:

The Title should be the title listed on the site. Do not type in all capitals. Do not include a list of keywords. Do not include what the content is on your site in the title. Do not include marketing hype.

The Description should be a brief summary of what your site offers that is unique. The description should be in English. Do not include superlatives or marketing hype. Do not submit a list of keywords. Do not use unnecessary capitalization or include HTML tags.

Submit your site to one category ONLY, if you feel your site is not properly categorized, you may submit your site to what you deem is the correct category and leave a note to the editor stating the reason you feel the change is justified.

Crafts

Craft -- An occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or skilled artistry. Craftsperson -- A creator of great skill in the manual arts.

This category lists the sites of individual craftspeople who create items by hand and sell them to the public. In order to be listed in this category, the site must represent an individual craftperson and his or her products.

Companies that buy and resell handcrafted household items should submit their sites to Shopping: Home and Garden: Accessories: Handcrafted.

To submit your site, please find the appropriate subcategory in Shopping: Crafts. No sites are listed in the top level of this category.

Death Care

Sites pertaining to shopping related to death, such as caskets and urns.

Must include pricing and ordering instructions. If this information is not provided please submit to Society/Death/Death_Care or one of its sub-categories.

Directories

This category lists sites which are directories for shopping related sites. Directories categorize their listings and users generally drill down through categories from general to specific to find the shopping sites they are looking for.

Please only submit sites here if they are true directories for shopping related sites. If the site does not meet this criterion, please find a more suitable category. To easily find a suitable category, search for a similar product Sites that consist primarily of affiliate links to shopping sites will not be listed in the directory.

Entertainment

This category is for "studio" sites that sell merchandise, sites that sell professional equipment, and sites that sell recordings (audio, video, and/or DVD). Web-based stores that sell a combination of these products (as well as other entertainment items as games and books) will be listed here; those selling in just one area will be listed in the appropriate subcategory. Affiliate stores which do not offer unique content (the vast majority of such sites) will not be listed.

This category contains sites which sell entertainment industry related equipment online. This includes professional sound, lighting, staging, broadcast, camera and other equipment used in the course of recording and performing.

For sites which have entertainment industry gear but do not have online sales, find the appropriate subcategory of Business: Industries: Arts and Entertainment: Equipment.

For sites selling recordings, see Shopping: Entertainment: Recordings.

Ethnic and Regional

In this category are shopping sites selling a variety of products that are endemic to a geographic region or to an ethnic group.

Please refer to the Shopping description for a definition of what qualifies for placement in the Shopping branch.

Please take the time to find the most specific and appropriate category for your submission. Doing this will speed the review process.

Flowers

This category lists sites marketing flowers and flower products. The florists subcategory is broken down by region. Please submit sites to the appropriate subcategory. Sites selling plants with flowers are listed in Shopping: Home_and_Garden: Plants.

Sites are categorized by primary focus.

Please review the subcategories and submit your site to the most appropriate one based on the types of materials and/or designs offered.

Food

Websites which sell food and food products online are listed here.

Before submitting your listing, please first review the Shopping Guidelines and the Shopping FAQ, since these pages pertain to all listings in Shopping.

Review the many sub-categories available and find the most appropriate one for your food product. Please be certain you have searched for the proper category within Shopping/Food before submitting at this level.

If the site is not in English, please submit it to the proper language category at World, preferably the equivalent Shopping: Food one.

If the site is about a restaurant, sells only to a limited geographic area or does not offer online ordering, please submit it to the proper locality category within Regional, preferably to the Business_and_Economy/Shopping category, if it exists. Food product manufacturing and food industry resource sites should go to the Business: Industries: Food and Related Products area.

Online shops for appliances used in preparing food are found in Shopping: Home and Garden: Kitchen and Dining.

General Merchandise

Retailers of a variety of items that cannot be categorized in any single topical area in shopping are listed here.

All sites are listed in the Alphabar by the first letter of the store's title, excluding articles (a, an, the).

Sites that sell a single product line, such as tableware, or teddy bears, are listed under an appropriate topical category.

Before submitting to this category make sure there is not another category that is more suited to your products. By incorrectly submitting here it may delay the possibility of being reviewed by A YEAR OR MORE because a huge number of sites are inappropriately submitted here which results requires an editor to eventually move it to the correct category.

This category is for sites which sell a variety of items that cannot be categorized in any other topical area in shopping. Sites that sell a single product line, such as candles, tableware, or teddy bears, should be listed under an appropriate topical category. If there are a variety of items but the majority of products are, for instance, widgets--please submit to the widget category using the root url. Submitting here should be a last resort--usually because the product span is wide.

MOST IMPORTANT:
Affiliate link sites, affiliate template sites and representatives of multi level marketing, such as SMC (Specialty Merchandise Corporation)/World of Products, will not be listed. Please see the ODP Guidelines on this subject. To be listed a site must offer unique content.

Gifts

No submissions are accepted and no sites are listed at the level of Shopping/Gifts. If you wish to submit a site to be reviewed by knowledgeable and interested editors, please submit it only one time to the most specific sub-category that describes its primary focus.

Sites offering Specialty Merchandise Corporation (SMC)/Gift World products are independent representatives of this MLM company. Independent representatives'' sites are no longer being listed.

Affiliate sites will be deleted.

Health

Sites selling health and beauty products to the consumer are listed in this category.

Sites selling health or beauty products to the consumer are listed in this category. Sites must include product descriptions and prices; please refer to the Shopping descriptionfor additional information.

Please submit the site to the one most appropriate sub-category. This will hasten the review of the site.

Holidays

This category is for commercial sites that sell items with a holiday theme. This includes Christmas, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and other festive occasions. When submitting a site, please place it in the most appropriate category that encompasses the site's contents.

Please do not submit sites about holiday vacation rentals here! Those belong under the appropriate locality in Regional.

Home and Garden

Home and Garden is broad category because a great deal of what consumers purchase is for home and garden. The categories listed near the top of the page list home products, while those below the divider are garden shopping categories.

Before submitting the listing, please first review the Shopping Guidelines and the Shopping FAQ, since these pages pertain to all listings in Shopping.

Submissions directly to the Home and Garden category are not possible, so review the many sub-categories available and find the most appropriate one for the main product being sold on the site. Please be certain you have searched for the proper category before submitting the site.

If the site is not in English, please submit it to the proper language category in World, preferably the equivalent Shopping: Home and Garden one.

If the website sells only to a limited geographic area or does not offer online ordering, submit it to the proper locality listing within Regional. Home and Garden product manufacturing and wholesale sites serving more than one country belong in Business/Consumer_Goods_and_Services/Home_and_Garden. Duplicate listings, other than in Regional and one other branch, will usually *not* be considered.

Jewelry

This category is for sites selling jewelry and jewelry products at retail prices to the general public.

Please note related category links for jewelry manufacturers, jewelry wholesalers and non-shopping jewelry sites.

Please see overall Shopping category guidelines .

Please find the most appropriate sub-category for the site. Submitting it to the proper sub-category (e.g. a site selling watches should be submitted to Shopping/Jewelry/Watches) will speed the review process. Find the single most appropriate category for your site. With few exceptions, sites will only be listed once in the directory.

Submit your site using your main url.
Use the legal name of your company as the site title.
Create a brief description describing what your site offers for sale. This should be the current content of your site (not the future content).
Marketing verbiage will be removed.

more information (editors only)

Music

Retailers of music and music-related products.

Online sales of PA systems, DJ equipment, multitrack recorders and other professional or semi-professional music equipment.

Sites that sell HiFi, car audio, or home theatre equipment do not belong here. Please see Shopping: Consumer Electronics: Audio.

For entertainment industry equipment sites that sell more than just pro audio (for example pro audio, lighting, and effects) see Shopping: Entertainment: Equipment.

For sites that do not do online sales, see the Business: Industries: Arts and Entertainment: Equipment: Audio category.

For musical instruments and their amplifiers and accessories, see the Shopping: Music: Instruments category.

Niche

Niche shopping meets needs that are defined by who we are -- shopping for our lifestyles, our particular personal needs, or our philosophies of life.

This category includes links to a diverse variety of categories in other parts of the directory. As a result, it may take a very long time for a site to be listed if it is submitted to the main Shopping:Niche category. Submit to the lowest category level where your site fits.

Office Products

Sites selling office products are listed in the subcategories. Currently, no sites are listed at the top level. Please submit your site to the appropriate subcategory.

For websites selling office supplies. This does not include computer supplies.Computer products are listed here. Printer supplies such as inkjet or laser toner are listed here. Inappropriate submissions will be deleted, so please help the editors help you by following these simple guidelines.

Pets

Online stores offering pet supplies, pet-themed merchandise, small pets are listed in this branch.

Please submit based on the store''s offerings:

Retail stores that do not offer online ordering: the store''s locality category in Regional.
Breeders and dealers, including those that offer supplies: the appropriate category under Shopping: Pets: Breeders and Dealers.
Pet-themed gifts for people: Shopping: Pets: Theme Merchandise.
Products for a specific pet or group of pets: the appropriate subcategory under the pet''s or group''s category.
A specific product or product group for multiple types of pets: the product category under Shopping: Pets: Supplies.
Multiple types of products, that do not fit into a single product category, for multiple pets: Shopping: Pets: Supplies: Varied Merchandise.
All others: Shopping: Pets: Supplies.

Photography

This category is for online stores that sells cameras, darkroom supplies, and other photographic products.

Read all the guidelines before submitting your site.

Before submitting any sites to the Shopping/Photography category, take time to browse through the subcategories and similar categories to make sure your site is included in the most appropriate category.

Do not submit affiliate sites, mirror sites, non-English sites or sections of a larger site.

When filling out the submission form, please use the following guidelines:

Publications

This category is for sites selling books, magazines, comic books, and other publications. More information can be found in the general Shopping Guidelines.

Please submit your site to the appropriate subcategory. Please make sure that the url is correct and that you have included a description. We will list your site in one category only, so please don''t submit to mutiple sub-categories. We do not list affiliates or lists of affiliate links.

Recreation

Sites selling products and services relating to indoors and outdoors recreational activities such as camping, craftmaking, and collecting.

Sites dealing with aircraft sales should be submitted to the Recreational Aircraft Sales category or the Commercial Aircraft Sales category.

Sites owned by aircraft manufacturers should be submitted to the appropriate subcategory in the Aircraft Manufacturers area.

Sites dealing with pilot training should be submitted to the appropriate subcategory in the Private Pilot Training area or the Commercial Pilot Training category.

Sports

Within this category you will find sites for buying all kinds of items related to sports. Whether it's equipment for playing or paraphernalia to show your team spirit, you'll find it here.

Sport-specific items will be found in the subcategory for that sport.

Sites should be submitted to this category only if they offer sports equipment for a variety of sports. By finding the most appropriate category for your site, you help avoid delay in its review.

Retailers that offer apparel and footwear only should submit their sites to Shopping: Sports: Apparel.
Retailers that offer equipment, apparel and accessories for a specific sport should locate the appropriate subcategory of Shopping: Sports, and submit their site there.

If your site is not in English, please do not submit it to this category. Instead, review World/ to determine the appropriate category for your site, and submit it there.

Tobacco

NOTICE: This is a Shopping category. This category is for retail cigar stores with store fronts and online ordering. If the site is informational in nature you should be listed in the appropriate Regional category or in Recreation/Smoking. If the business manufactures cigars it should be listed in Manufacturers. Please select the category carefully. The site will only be allowed one listing in Shopping/Tobacco.

Tools

This category is for the websites that sell pneumatic, electric and/or hand tools only. Online stores, shopping carts, secure servers, etc. This category is not for household items, pest control or similar, nor is it for affiliate sites. If applicable, please submit your site to the most appropriate subcategory.

Please submit in this category only sites which mainly offer for sale industrial tools and tool accessories that are generally considered pertaining to the non-commercial or home shops of the novice to expert amateur.

more information (editors only)

Toys and Games

This category is for sites selling toys and games.

** PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT TO THE MAIN CATEGORY **

Please submit your site to the appropriate subcategory - but if your site is a general toy and game retailer, you can submit your site to the appropriate alpabetical category (ie ''Beeblebrox Toys'' under ''B'')

Travel

The primary purpose of these sites is the sale, on-line, of travel related products to the world.

Vehicles

SUBMITTING SITES THAT DON'T FIT THIS DESCRIPTION WILL CAUSE YOUR LISTINGS TO BE DELAYED GREATLY, OR EVEN REJECTED! For general guidelines about submitting sites anywhere in Shopping, please see the Shopping description. This category is for sites offering online sales of vehicles, parts and accessories, and other vehicle-related goods and services. No sites may be submitted directly to Shopping/Vehicles. Please select an appropriate subcategory before submitting your site. Informational sites about autos are found at Recreation/Autos. Manufacturer sites can be found at Business/Automotive

NO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED TO SHOPPING/VEHICLES. CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE SUBCATEGORY FOR YOUR SITE. For general guidelines about submitting sites anywhere in Shopping, please see the Shopping description.

If you are a local repair service or garage, or a local dealership, please submit your site to the proper location in Regional. Such sites will NOT be listed anywhere in Shopping/Vehicles.

If you are a manufacturer and do not sell your products online, please submit your site to the appropriate subcategory of Business/Automotive. Such sites will NOT be listed anywhere in Shopping/Vehicles.

If your site is in any language other than English, please submit it to the proper language and subcategory in World. Non-English sites will NOT be listed anywhere in Shopping/Vehicles.

Visual Arts

Sites listed in this category are for retailers of products related to the traditional fine visual arts.

Visual Arts refers to the class of art forms, including painting, sculpture, photography and others, that focus on the creation of art works which are primarily visual in nature. The visual arts are distinguished from other classes such as performing arts, language arts, and culinary arts. The definition is not strict, and many art forms have aspects of the visual arts as well other types of art. Quoted from: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Please be sure that the site meets the requirements for the Shopping category prior to suggesting it here. An incorrect submission will only delay the editing process. Shopping FAQ

Following these guidelines will allow us to add your site to the directory as quickly as possible.

Sites listed in this category are for retailers of products related to the traditional fine visual arts. This includes original works of art, reproductions, commissioned works, and supplies used in creation and conservation. Gift items that directly relate to fine art can also be found in this category.

Review the many subcategories available and find the one most appropriate for your product.
Use the site's actual title. (Exceptions are for Individual Artist categories that require titles to be formatted as LastName, FirstName).
The description should briefly and accurately describe the site's content. Do not include marketing hype and keywords.
Sites which are mainly advertising for a business, individual artist or group and that do not offer prices and a method of purchase should be suggested to the appropriate Regional and/or Arts category.
Non-English sites should be suggested to the appropriate World category.

Please be sure the site belongs in Shopping before suggesting it here.

Weddings

This category contains retailers of wedding-related products. It also serves as a routing point to various regional and topical categories in the ODP directory, which may be of interest to the wedding topic.

If you wish to submit a site to be reviewed by knowledgeable and interested editors, please submit it to the most specific category that describes its primary focus.
more information (editors only)

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