Austin's living.com burst on the scene last summer with $41.5 million in venture capital, the kind of loot required to compete with online furniture retailers that have established storefronts and brand recognition. High on style, middling on substance, and low on variety, this site made my list for its potential. Take the Accent Chairs category, where you're presented with around a hundred choices. But 90 percent of them are staunchly traditional—how many ways can you say "Chippendale"?—and the other 10 percent are wacky creations direct from the set of Beetlejuice. The range of styles, however, is broader in other areas: lots of tables and a decent array of accessories.

KUDOS Big photos and good decorating advice.

GRIPES Product descriptions fall short; a bookcase is made with "engraved wood elements," and a rug is covered with a "design as fresh as an autumn morning." (I wish they sold garbage cans—I think I need to barf.)

We did it: we ordered a refrigerator over the internet. My husband, Richard, wanted one for his homebrew kegs; no need for a fancy unit, since he'd be pulling out most of the shelves and drilling three holes in the door for the taps. We logged on to Austin's applianceorder.com, the brainchild of Trilogy Software employee Jason Wesbecher, who, like the rest of us, is disgusted by the bait-and-switch tactics at most appliance stores. Within minutes we'd found the KitchenAid 20.4-cubic-foot fridge of my brewmeister's dreams for $737.64, including tax and free delivery—a savings of around $160 on the same model at Sears online. We ordered it, and the next day we got a call about scheduling delivery the following week . . . which is when it came, exactly in the condition promised. Who knew?

KUDOS Easy to compare a multitude of brands. And no unctuous salesclerks; the quickest and least painful appliance purchase in my life.

GRIPES Serves only major metropolitan areas—and not all.