I signed up for the Fab Shop Hop a while back and discovered many places new to me. Some I liked, some I didn't for various reasons (high shipping, slow or not good customer service, etc.) I have my favorites I shop at, and still try new ones sometimes. I shop ebay if the deals are good. Most times you can find better deals in the online quilt shops. I have my favorite brands and am often looking for something in particular. I have only once been a little disappointed in my choice, but that's nothing considering how much I shop online! It will get used someday, probably for a quilt back.
if you are looking for a particular fabric, start with a good search engine, such as:
http://www.quiltshops.com/
I go to Advanced Search, and click on Thumbnails so I can quickly search to see who has the fabric in the color I'm looking for. Then I check the prices, shipping and decide from there who to buy from.