I have been an internet shopper since the beginning of the internet. I love to hunt down a deal and over the years have developed a systematic approach to shopping and finding exactly what I want at the price I need it. For instance I have been doing a lot of research lately for a new printer, my current printer is not wireless and I need it to be. Whenever I search for anything online I set a budget for myself mentally and only exceed it if the benefits of the item greatly outweigh it. My printer budget was $50. I always start my deal searches on Amazon, but lately have found that they are not so competitive on certain items, next I go to Walmart.com - I hate going into the store but their .com has some steals, next the clearance and refurbished sections of individual manufacturer websites. I'm a huge fan of refurbished items, nearly everything major I have bought is refurbished: my cars, my appliances, my Kitchen aid stand mixer, my Omega juicer. I have very expensive taste and a well furnished kitchen, but I paid a fraction of the cost for each of my items - all of which are working perfectly fine after years of abuse I might add. So once I have enough data on what each of the major sites charges for each item, and have narrowed down what model of the item I want, which is not always easy, I then move to the coupon site phase. Now days I pretty much start withLog In since they have cash back, coupons, and everything in one place. Once I find a coupon or at least a referral link to get some cash back with I then compile all of my data and prices and chose which item at which site is the best deal. Sometimes a newer model with newer features is worth it, like when buying a printer. Other times it's not really important to have the newest latest model, when I bought my Omega Juicer and Kitchen aid Stand Mixer I opted for older models since both of them have been the same solid items since the 70's, the newer models just came in cooler looking colors. It was a close race, but in the end I settled on a refurbished Cannon all-in-one printer for $39.99 bought directly through them with 2.5% cash back through Ebates. I scored! Well that's my take on how I essentially write 10 page report everytime I shop for something online. I hope you enjoyed reading it!
Your method of saving money is cool. I always forget the cash back sites when I research an item. I am now looking for a refurbished laptop and have found some good deals but I have not included the cashback sites. I will have to research some more before I decide on the final computer.
I do this too. I think doing extensive research online is something that people should take advantage of since it is now available and gives more power to the consumer. I have a few favorite sites as well and I always make sure to check their clearance sales first so I could check out their discounted items before diving into sir full priced ones. Unfortunately not many sites offer coupons or rebates here but individual online stores often offer their own and if you follow their newsletters and promos closely, once in a while you will get some great finds.
I got a refurbished ASUS mini laptop for school really cheap from Groupon. The best part was that in one of their emails I noticed that the price had dropped by $30 a few weeks later, I emailed them and they gave me the difference in site credit. I should have included Groupon in my post since they are also a place I like to check. I would always consider Groupon for computers and cell phones they have good deals on those. In this day and age I think doing research on anything is essential. I sound old saying this but they don't build things as well they used to so buying the newest thing is not always the greatest, and sometimes buying a knockoff is going to be just as good as the name brand. It took me a long time to settle on the Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer over other brands of stand mixers because EVERY brand had bad reviews that said that they broke after a year. In that case I went with the one that was the cheapest which ended up being the Kitchen aid because they had a 40% off coupon which included refurbished items. I paid $160 for a mixer that when new sold for $599 a price I would never dream of paying for something.
A very interesting discussion this has been. I love to shop online as it saves me a lot of time as well as money. Over the years, I have developed a special attraction towards online stores that sell refurbished items. Initially, I was a fan of Amazon but I found that there were many items that were available at much cheaper rates in other stores. I have found thisLog In where I also sell goods. It has a huge collection of products available at very affordable prices and has almost all the goods that stores like Amazon, Home Depot and Walmart has. Buying at such discount stores is a great way to save money.
These are great tips that I need to put into effect soon. I am looking to purchase a laptop and have been browsing Best Buy and Walmart for refurbished items. I have also been looking into open box deals, as well. And I always forget about Ebates! Thank you for posting this!
