I think it's a matter of doing as you say; pre shop and then knowing the manufacturer. I know what you mean; depending on your monitor it's hard to tell what color some of the things are. I haven't bought too much online since I've been pretty lucky at getting what I want locally. I save my receipts from one store and for every 150 I spend I get up to $15 yard of fabric for free. Another store I save my receipts and after 250 I get $25 gift card. It takes longer to get things there but since I'm buying it's nice that the computer keeps track and gives me a card when I reach a certain limit.