Online shopping
Get someone to do the work for you. Got your eye on something expensive in the shops? Why not do an instant reckoner online by using shopbot price comparison websites? Some of the major ones are foundem, kelkoo, pricerunner and twenga, but there are some specialist sites too, depending on what you are looking to buy.
Got your eye on something expensive in the shops? Why not do an instant reckoner online by using price comparison websites? Some of the major ones are and , but there are some specialist sites too, depending on what you are looking to buy.
Every time a retailer makes a sale through a shopbot, they pay a small pre-agreed commission. This means the shopper really should get the best price, with no strings attached, which can mean a discount of up to 60 per cent on some products. A couple of points to watch though: keep an eye on delivery costs and sometimes it pays to compare the shopbots because they often search a different selection of retailers according to who has signed up to be in the search.
Ask for cashback. Even if you do get the best online price via a shopbot, it is worth seeing if you can save a bit more by using a cashback website such as Quidco and Cashbackkings. Cashback sites work by directing traffic to various online retailers and every time that retailer makes a sale they pay a small commission fee to the cashback site. The cashback operator then, in turn, passes a cut of this along to the consumer. Thus, you should get the same goods at the same price, but with up to 10% cashback as a bonus. As a rule though, the best value product is better than the best cashback. So, always chose the right product first, before checking if cashback is available and never, ever, use a cashback site that requires an upfront payment.
Buy at the right time. Most people are pretty familiar with Amazon, but how many take advantage of the fact that the retailer regularly updates its prices? Obviously, when a product gets to a good price, it will sell out quickly. However, there is now a nifty new price drop website called ZeeZaw which monitors price changes on Amazon according to your own wish-list of products. It is free to use and lets you know when it reaches an amount you’d be prepared to pay. There is also a facility to see family and friends' wish-lists, which is very handy for Christmas and birthdays.
Written by Teena Lyons, this article was first published on July 8, 2010. Teena's opinions are her own and for general information only. Always seek independent, professional, financial advice.