My sister shops a lot on many of the shopping channels, so I sent her an email asking what she thought of the various shopping channels. Here's what she wrote back:
"QVC is good for apparel, particularly casual clothing, shoes, handbags. Their jewelry is OK, but they don't always have the best deals. Their CZ jewelry is dynamite, though. Their automated 800 number is the best of all the shopping networks--it takes less than a minute to order an item on the phone using the automated system. Their website has been improved a great deal in the last year, but it still has its drawbacks, for instance not giving the complete garment measurements for the clothing.
HSN has the best sales, particularly for clothing. Their casual clothing line isn't nearly as good as QVC's, and some of their "designer" clothing (Diane Gilman, for example) is too garish. But they do have some really good designers (Diane von Furstenberg, Randolph Duke, David Emanuelle) and when their clothing is at sale prices, it really is a bargain. Sometimes their jewelry is good, but on the whole I have been disappointed with HSN's jewelry more often than with QVC's. HSN does have a line of jewelry that is silver permanently electroplated with gold or platinum that is very inexpensive yet very genuine-looking. Their automated ordering line is very annoying, though. It can take as long as 4 minutes to place an order. But HSN also has the best website and placing orders on their online system is the easiest of all the shopping channels.
ShopNBC sells mostly luxury goods, and the prices can be astronomic. However, from time to time you can get very good deals on jewelry, but stay away from most of the clothing lines as they are overpriced. When their leather garments are on sale, they may seem to be a bargain, but be aware that they run small. ShopNBC's automated system is the worst, so I avoid it altogether and order online. Their website isn't as good as HSN's, but it is slightly better than QVC's.
All of the shopping channels are good about returns. I've never had a problem, and I am not shy about returning things if they aren't what I expected."