Electronic Resources: Consumer Information

STLS provides access to several subscription products for our member library cardholders, accessible 24 hours/day with a valid library barcode.

We are pleased to recommend the following web-based resources, however STLS is not responsible for the content of linked sites.

Better Business Bureau	Information to guide consumers in checking out a company or charity, filing a complaint. Many consumer education publications available.
Consumer Action	A nonprofit consumer education and advocacy organization covering a wide variety of consumer topics, with highly useful pages about credit cards, housing, scams, money management, and pricing surveys. Includes a Multilingual Library of more than ninety consumer publications variously in English, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Japanese.
Teen Consumer Scrapbook	Designed to help teenagers be smart shoppers, this site has helpful tips on items popular with youth: "10 music CD's for a penny" deals, buying a car, Internet scams, renting your first apartment, modeling agencies, car stereos, scholarship scams, credit cards, health clubs, merchandise return policies, calling cards, and even how to pick a good tattoo artist. Developed for the Washington State Attorney General's Office through a special project by Mt. Rainier High School students.
consumer.gov	One-stop shopping for consumer information--relevant government information in the categories of food; product safety; health; home and community; transportation; children; careers and education; and technology. Consumer Sentinel provides information on frauds and a place to report them. Provided by many U.S. Government Agencies.
Consumer Guide	Online edition of Consumer Guide magazine.
Consumer Product Safety Commission	Site includes press releases for all CPSC recalls (back to 1979), information for businesses regarding Consumer Product Safety Act and other issues, information in Spanish, children's safety games, and information on fireworks safety. There are links to the Web sites of other federal agencies that have responsibilities for products not under the jurisdiction of the CPSC.
Consumer Protection	From the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission, (FTC), this site is designed to protect consumers from unfair practices. It provides many helpful guides, tips, alerts, and warnings on a variety of issues, ranging from advertising to tobacco. Some articles in Spanish. All articles include an address to write to for more help and information.
Consumer Reports	Subscription resource: Log-in with your library card. Full-text for Consumer Reports can be found in the subscription resource MasterFile Select. A NOVEL database provided by the NY State Library through LSTA funding.
Consumer Reports for Kids	Designed for children ages 8 and up, this site aims to "help kids make informed and independent consumer decisions, and to develop consumer literacy that will serve them and society throughout their lives."
ConsumerSearch	A great place to start researching a product. ConsumerSearch reviews products, analyzes what others say (Full Story), and provides top-rated products listings (Fast Answers).
Consumers Union	This site "provides informative and educational materials developed by Consumers Union's advocacy offices on a variety of consumer issues, including health care, financial services, food safety, product safety, and more." It also offers tips, current press releases, and materials in Spanish. Searchable. Companion site to their Consumer Reports Online.
Epinions	A well-designed consumer site that provides unedited opinions and reviews from user members about a broad range of products, services, and travel destinations. Links to professional reviews and buying guides are also available in many categories. Users can rate member reviews for usefulness, and reviewers for "trustworthiness."
Federal Citizen Information Center	Most comprehensive U.S. government web site for consumer information and feedback. The heart of this searchable site is the Consumer Information Catalog, with full texts of hundreds of the pamphlets found in the catalog. In addition, the current Consumer Action Handbook, Consumer News and Special Stuff.
Internet Fraud Complaint Center	This site has been made available for victims to report any suspected criminal or civil violation. A partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
Kelley Blue Book	Includes both new and used car values, new and used car reports, as well as a directory of related sites. Also includes motorcycles, personal watercraft and snowmobiles used prices. (Use site map to find the last two.) Some material available in Spanish.
New York State Consumer Information	Resources and contact information for New York State consumers.
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse	Publications in English and Spanish on a variety of privacy issues: credit reports; cordless and cellular phones; caller ID; employment checks; credit cards; stalking; junk mail; telemarketing; medical information; government records; identity theft; etc.
This symbol signifies a subscription resource. Log-in with your 13- or 14-digit library card number. Do not enter spaces or hyphens. If you do not have a library card, speak with library staff.