Let’s face it; we all want to save money at the moment. The thing is, many people don’t know how to do this when it comes to shopping. Being British, we often seem to just stick to the price that is given to us, rather than haggling or search around for the best deal.The fact is, the internet has made it very easy to get a bargain on whatever you want to buy. Here are some exciting ways to save yourself some money when buying things online.
Don’t settle on the first store you find
Too many people go straight to the larger, well-known online retailers such as Amazon when they want to buy something. But you shouldn’t just settle for buying a product there just because you have heard of it. Try five, 10 or even 20 different sites to find the item you want – it’s only going to take you a few seconds to look at each one if you Google search the product name.
Buy second-hand
Use online auction sites like eBay, or even use something like Gumtree to find things second hand. You’ll often be able to pick up a real bargain – many people sell things in great condition just because they have barely been used. Although you can’t get the same sort of warranty guarantees that you would in a store, it’s possible to save yourself a good percentage on the cost of the item if bought new.
Use cashback websites
These are quickly growing in popularity – cashback websites allow you to shop at the store you want as you normally would, but then receive a percentage of the amount paid back later on. This works because the cashback site earns commission for sending you through to the retailer, while you benefit from a cheaper price for the item you want.
Find bidding sites
Another kind of service which has a number of loyal fans is bidding websites. These run online auctions where you place bids of a certain price for an item. These are often high-ticket products which you can pick up for a little as a few pence if the bidding goes your way. Though not for everyone, it is possible to pick up a fantastic bargain this way.
Try a ‘haggling’ service
There are now websites which even go and haggle for a certain product you want for you. Flubit for example is a relatively new service which goes directly to the retailer to try and get you a discount of anything up to around 20%. You can then choose to accept this or reject if you have decided against it.
Sign up for discount voucher websites
There are numerous discount voucher websites which will send you weekly or sometimes even daily deals with certain retailers or for particular products that you may be interested in. It is always worth signing up for these and checking that your store isn’t offering a discount before you buy.