On the Internet, you can find just about anything you want to buy, but how do you get the best deal you possibly can? This article will show you how.
Price Comparison Search Engines
There are dozens of search engines that will allow you to compare prices at hundreds, even thousands of online stores without having to go to each site separately, which can take alot of time to do on your own. Some of the best general ones are PriceGrabber.com, Shopzilla.com, Nextag.com and MySimon.com. All of these sites will allow you to type in what you are looking for and will allow you to zero in on the store that has your desired item for the lowest possible price. These search engines should be one of your first stops when shopping for deals.
Specialty Price Comparison Search Engines
For different shopping categories, there are specialty price comparison search engines for them. For books, check out AddAll.com. For computers and technology items, try pricewatch.com, techbargains.com and shopper.cnet.com. For DVD's, try dvdpricesearch.com.
Coupon Codes
There are many sites that list coupon codes for all the large online stores. Whether it's large department stores, chain stores or smaller specialty stores, there are often coupon codes available for them. The code might allow you to take a certain percentage off the price, get you free shipping, a free gift, buy one get one free of some item or another deal. It always pays off to search around for coupon codes before making your purchase. Some great sites that list coupon codes for online stores include eCoupons.com, CurrentCodes.com and CouponMountain.com, among many others.
Deal & Bargain Forums
As a bargain hunter and deal finder, you are certainly not alone on the net. There are many forums where people gather and share deal information and alerts, post coupon codes and discuss online bargains. Some of the most popular ones are: FatWallet.com, SlickDeals.net and CheapStingyBargains.com.
Outlets & Refurbished Items
Just like the offline world where big brand name stores offer their overstock, clearance and refurbished items at outlet stores, many companies have a separate website or area of their website which offers these items for purchase online. Great deals can be had here. Apple, for instance, sells refurbished iPods at it's outlet store at Apple.com for a fraction of the cost of their new iPods.
Big Stores
Many of the largest web stores offer great deals and special sale areas. Don't skip sites like Amazon.com and Buy.com, they often have very good deals and prices on their items due to the massive volume they sell. At Amazon, if you find that something you want is out of stock or too expensive for you, they may have the same item available at other stores for less or even used and they will show you this on the item page!
Auctions
There are thousands of online auction sites, ranging from small auction sites that specialize in certain areas to the granddaddy of them all, eBay. On eBay, you can type in the item you are looking for and find both new and used auctions running for many items. It's always a good idea to check eBay when deal shopping, you'll get an idea of what the item is going for currently and whether you're getting a good deal elsewhere on the web.
Extra Tips
Don't forget to check reviews of your item before buying. You can check Amazon.com, Epinions.com, ConsumerReports.org and Cnet.com for reviews of a wide range of items. Also, don't forget to factor shipping costs into your deal hunting. Always check on the shipping cost before making a purchase, otherwise you could end up paying a fortune. Some web stores bring you in with great prices and deals, but will make up for it by charging you an exhorbitant amount for shipping.
In summary, armed with these tips you should be able to go out on the web confidently and find the best deal on that item or special gift you have been looking for.
Short note about the author
Lydia Quinn writes for ShopWoh.com, an International auction website where you can buy and sell anything. Visit us at: http://www.shopwoh.com.
Author: Lydia Quinn