This week’s Works-for-Me-Wednesday is a themed edition: “What are your favorite online shopping portals?” I do quite a bit of online shopping, so I figured I would throw out my favorites to you for your consideration. I can’t wait to see what other people have to talk about, too….I love window shopping in new e-stores!

– Amazon.com - Of course, this goes without saying. Where else can you buy books and have them shipped free (with a mere $25 minimum), often within 7 days of the last click of your button? They’ve never disappointed us. (And their new gift organizer? Where has it been all my life? It completes the superior shopping experience.)

– KidSurplus - I talked about them at Christmastime, but these guys deserve a second mention. High-quality (often USA or European-made) toys at deeply discounted prices….flat-rate shipping….and quick turnaround. When you live in a mid-sized town like mine where specialty toys and games are not commonplace, this supplier gets my top vote.

– Stash Tea - Husband and I are avid tea drinkers. (Well, I still am, at least. He’s backslidden a little bit back into the coffee pit.) When we are aching for a really good cup of tea in a flavor that’s not on every grocery store shelf, we head here. Also great for gift-buying, since they’ll ship right to the recipient at no extra charge.

– Artbeads - Any other tinkerers with jewelry-making out there? This site offers 100% free shipping all the time, and their selection is pristine. You’d think buying such tiny objects would be difficult online, but not with these guys.

– Surfas or The Baker’s Catalogue - For the baker or aspiring chef in everyone. Great site for those hard-to-find items such as hot pink jimmies or coarse baking sugars.

– Etsy - I have to agree with Shannon. Etsy is one of the coolest spots on the web planet. I can’t get over the fact everything’s hand-created….and so much of it is inexplicably cute!! Like this! And this! Oh, and this! And I have to give props to the cutest dress-up/dance-wear company around, June Bug….my daughter wears her tutu proudly, and the fairy wings they have are so cute you could pinch them.

– eBay - Our top pick when we want to find a vintage/retro/hard-to-find toy or book for the kids. I even found some vintage 45-speed LPs like I had from childhood. Be careful, though, this one’s addictive, as you probably well know. I once went through a phase where I simply couldn’t stop buying British transferware and tole painted trays.

That’s all, folks. You’ll probably notice that there were no clothing sites on here for me or the kids. I window shop at great places such as Gymboree, Old Navy, and Gap….but I don’t dare buy clothes online. I’m extremely picky about how my clothes fit, and the kids? Well, they’ve both been known to grown 2.75 inches immediately after I click the “Submit Order” button, rendering my package content’s virtually useless. …so we usually try everything on first. When they come out with personal clothing fitters donning racks of samples who ring your doorbell with the click of a button, let me know.

Check out other WFMW posts with other fabulous shopping sites at Rocks In My Dryer.