Most U.S. consumers don't realize that e-tailers and retailers may charge different prices for the same products, depending on the customer, according to a new survey to be released today by U-Penn's Annenberg Public Policy Center, reports the Associated Press. Meanwhile, a study by Forrester found that those who have become online buyers in the previous year - 20 percent of all online purchasers - are in some way significantly different from experienced ones, Internet Retailer reports.

The Annenberg study reported that nearly two-thirds of adult internet users believe it illegal to charge different people different prices, a practice termed ''price customization,'' and 87 percent of respondents strongly objected to the practice of online stores charging people different prices for the same products based on information collected about their shopping habits. While online shoppers can compare prices and features across thousands of stores, e-tailers can collect customer behavior and preferences and set prices accordingly.

Forrester reports that novice buyers on average earn 13 percent less annually than other web buyers, and over a three-month period they spend on average $175 less online. And they are 41 percent less likely to have a college degree. They are also more concerned about credit card security, with only 23 percent saying they think online purchases are secure, compared with 33 percent of those who have purchased online between one and four years, and 46 percent of those who have shopped online for four or more years.

The Annenberg study also found that More than two-thirds also said online travel sites are required by law to offer the lowest airline prices possible.