How to Never Pay Full Price
Whether you’re in search of snowshoes, an acoustic guitar, or a power mower, you don’t have to pay full price! From apparel to automobiles, the best deals are often available with just a little bit of legwork. Here are some of the most widely used sources for bargains:
eBay.com
eBay is the gold standard for online auction sites. If you’re not familiar with the service, it’s simple. Sellers auction off their wares online to the highest bidder, and bidders can scoop up bargains and hard-to-find items at rock-bottom prices. The best way to look for a specific item is to find the model number and description (and retail price) on a retail site, and then search eBay for a current auction. With the specs in hand, you can determine what’s a fair price. Read the details carefully. You are typically responsible for shipping, so that $10 bicycle becomes a $300 nightmare when it ships from Singapore. Because eBay offers a fairly rigid tracking process, you can see your seller’s rating based on previous transactions.
Craigslist.com
Known as the world’s largest garage sale, Craigslist offers a variety of goods sold classified-ad style. Goods are usually used, and quality can be all over the map. The database is searchable by location, and prices can range from downright steals to highway robbery. Unlike eBay, you can make offers and arrange to see items before you purchase them.
Freecycle.com
Freecycle is the place to find used furniture, household items, and the like – yours for the taking! There are around 4900 Freecycle groups so far and over 7 million members around the world. If you’re a fixer-upper re-purposer type, check it out!
Bizrate.com
With the tagline, “Search. Compare. Conquer.” you know that Bizrate is in the business of comparison shopping. With a few clicks of your mouse, you can find the best online deals for new and refurbished electronics, clothing, furniture, and more. You can also sort your results by which sites offer free shipping or coupons. It makes comparison shopping a breeze!
Garage sales
While decidedly low-tech, garage sales are still the source of some of my biggest bargain coups. The key is to shop ahead – if you know your son is going to need skis in a certain size for next winter, start shopping NOW because garage sales don’t stick to a season, as department stores do. You have to strike while the iron’s hot, so know sizes, what you’re looking for, and reasonable prices for used equipment. And don’t be afraid to make an offer, particularly later in the day! The owner will most likely let that doll-house go for less when it gets close to the end of the day and she’s thinking about having to haul it back into the garage or tote it off to Goodwill.
It’s quite disturbing when you buy an item at full price only to see the same item sell for a lot less somewhere else. Do your homework and you won’t ever have to be disappointed again!
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