The Ultimate Guide to Snagging Ridiculous Deals Online

Living in the Information Age definitely has its perks. For one, you can find out what the weather is like in Azerbaijan in less than a minute. You can also get an idea how serious your child’s cough is with websites like WebMD, or Google different ways to increase the gas mileage your minivan gets.

Savvy shoppers know that the Internet is so much more than the instantaneous availability of information or cute LOLcat memes. If you know where to look and how to go about things the right way, you can save a lot of money on online purchases. In fact, you may even be able to snag some ridiculous deals (you know, the kind of deal that you want to brag to all of your friends, family members and coworkers about).

Generally speaking, people make two types of purchases: planned purchases and impulse buys. With planned purchases, you have an idea of what you want or need, such as a new pair of jeans, a bottle of shampoo or a Nintendo Wii for your child.

With impulse purchases, you don’t really have anything specific in mind as you shop. For example, you might need to pick up a birthday present for a friend, or you might want new clothes (but have nothing in particular in mind). Since each type of purchase is so different, sniffing out the best deals in each category requires different strategies.

Planned Purchases

G.I. Joe was right: knowing really is half the battle. Once you know what you want, all you need to do is find the best possible deal. The first thing to do is to decide whether or not the item has to be new. If it’s something like an iPod, you can usually save at least 30 percent off of the retail price by getting one that has been “gently used”.

Great Deals on Used Items

If you don’t care if the item is used, you can save a lot more money than if you require it to be new. Sometimes, you can find used items that still have their original packaging and then pass them off as new (note: this doesn’t work for adults. However, is your 8-year-old son really going to know, or care, if the box is wrapped in its original cellophane?).

When “like new” is as good to you as “brand new”, there are two main places to go:

1. 

   This website is like the Internet’s permanent flea market, only the deals are better and the haggling is easier. Unlike arguing over price face-to-face, which can be awkward and embarrassing, if you want a lower price (hint: you should always want a better price) all you need to do is email and offer a smaller amount than what is requested.

   Expert Tips:

   • When haggling, know what the item is really worth. If you know it’s worth $100 in the condition it’s in, and the seller is asking for $65, don’t try to talk him down to $50 right off the bat.
   • Know your O.B.O. If an item is listed at $100 or best offer, offer $70 in cash, today. If the seller needs the money and you’re offering quick cash, you can usually get a few dollars knocked off
   • It’s safe to offer 25-30 percent less than the asking price, if the asking price is what the item is actually worth. Go any lower than that, and you run the risk of insulting the seller and scaring him off.
   • Unlike other websites, Craigslist bears no responsibility if the transaction goes bad. So, before you hand over any of your hard-earned cash to a seller, make sure the item is in good working condition and up to your standards. Otherwise, if something goes bad with the sale and the buyer isn’t willing to work with you, your only recourse will be the court system.
   • This isn’t Ebay, where the highest bid gets the item. This is Craigslist, where the sellers are quirky and a nice email can make the difference between choosing you and some other guy. So, be nice! Say please and thank you, don’t harass the seller and don’t send more than two emails before getting one in return.
2. 

   If you can’t find what you want on Craigslist, you can almost certainly find it on Ebay. Still, there are some tricks that you can do to make sure you’re the highest bidder and still getting the best deal you can.

   Expert Tips:

   • If you see something you’re interested in, watch the item (but don’t bid). By “watching” it in the Ebay system, it’s automatically listed under your items, so it’s easy to keep track of. This is especially helpful if you’re interested in several items at once.
   • Wait until the last possible minute to bid – and bid as high as you’re willing to go. Ebay suggests bidding early and often, which makes sense because they take a cut from the selling price. Essentially, they want you to pay the most for an item. By bidding with less than a minute left on the auction, you prevent a bidding war from driving the price up. You will automatically outbid others if your price is high enough, and others won’t have an opportunity to come back with a higher offer.
   • Have questions? Ask the seller! Ask as early as you can, to leave ample time for the seller to get back to you. Don’t bid on an item if you’re not sure about what you’ll actually be receiving after everything is all said and done.

   When what you’re looking for needs to be new, you can still have some success at Ebay and Craigslist. But what if what you need can’t be found there, or the deal isn’t that great?

   1. Check out the manufacturer’s website. Looking for a specific Ann Taylor dress? Head on over to AnnTaylor.com. If you need a new laptop, try the Hewlett Packard, Compaq, Apple, and Dell websites. Price everything out, and keep a list on paper for easy reference.
   2. Start looking for coupon codes. Have you noticed that just about every e-tailer has a place at checkout for you to enter coupon codes? Just because you don’t have one, doesn’t mean that others don’t (and aren’t willing to share!).
      
      A good place to start is RetailMeNot, a website that has coupon codes for just about every store imaginable, from Victoria’s Secret to Ebay (yes, even Ebay takes coupon codes). Look through them all, and see which one offers you the best deal. Then try “layering” the coupon codes (using more than one at a time) – this works for some retailers, while others don’t allow it. Either way, it’s worth a shot!
   3. Check to see if you can get the shipping for free. Many e-tail sites that also have brick-and-mortar stores will offer free shipping if you have the package delivered to one of their stores. By not having the item shipped directly to your house, you can save several dollars – well worth the gas and extra time it takes to make a short trip to the store.

Impulse Buys

Some of the best deals you’ll ever come across are the ones that involve unplanned purchases. Whether you’re looking for a gift for a coworker or something special to treat yourself to, there are some excellent places that offer a potpourri of savings each and every day. Here’s where to start:

1. 

   This site features a fantastic deal on one item every day. Once it’s sold out, it’s gone for good, so you’re best off checking this site every morning. For the wine lovers out there, there’s also Wine Woot!, which features a variety of great deals – only on wine. See something you like? Buy several bottles and stock up, a great bottle of wine makes for a great gift for almost any occasion.
   
   Since Woot! has been so successful, the company has expanded to include a couple of other websites that are great for moms, like Kid’s Woot! and Shirt Woot!, which offer items for kids and great shirts for super cheap. Just remember, at the end of the day the deal goes away, so act fast if you see something you like.

2. 

   Every morning, the Consumer Reports blog has a roundup of the best deals on the Internet. This is the place to go to find out when Banana Republic is having at 70 percent off sale, or when iPod headphones are going for $1.30, including shipping. From high-end electronics to sales on sneakers, Consumerist covers all the best buys.
3. .

   Don’t have anything to do this weekend? Check the “tickets” section of Craigslist for awesome deals on tickets to sporting events, concerts, zoo exhibits and anything else you can think of. People buy tickets and then, for one reason or another, end up not using them. As the event date nears, they just want to get rid of them and recoup some of their money – this is where you can score BIG.

4. 

   Get ready, this website is going to be your new best friend. Restaurant.com offers great deals on eating out, and covers a lot of great new and established places. At regular price, you can get $25 gift certificates for $10 each.

   Of course, that’s only if you want to pay full price. If you go to RetailMeNot and search for coupon codes, you can almost always find some for 80 or 90 percent off. This means that you can get $100 in gift certificates to local restaurants for as little as $4. Buy the gift certificates, print them out and then make some reservations!

   Expert Tips:

• Before buying, make sure to read the fine print. Some restaurants don’t allow the gift certificates to be used toward the purchase of alcohol, while others do.
• It should be noted that the gift certificates are actually coupons, usually good for $25 off of a $35 purchase. Still, you’re getting $35 worth of restaurant food for $11 – an excellent deal, no matter how you look at it.
• The gift certificates usually stipulate that an automatic gratuity of 18 percent can be added to the pre-discounted amount. To avoid double-tipping your server, check the itemized receipt carefully before adding your own gratuity.

Getting Extra Bang for Your Buck

You didn’t think that was all, did you? Even after you save 90 percent on gift certificates and finagle your way to free shipping, there are still a couple of things you can do to stretch your dollar even further:

1. Get a card that offers rewards. Nowadays, you don’t even have to have a credit card to be eligible to earn bonus rewards, because banks are starting to get into the act with debit cards. Research the different offers (airline miles, cash back, etc.) and choose one that works for you. With every dollar you spend, you’ll be getting a little something extra out of each deal you find.

2. Avoid PayPal fees. PayPal takes a cut out of every payment that a person receives (around 3 percent, which doesn’t sound like a lot but can really add up). Although this doesn’t affect you too much on the buying side, it will definitely slap you in the face if you ever find yourself on the selling end of things.

   So, what can you do about it? Look into the Revolution Money Exchange (RME), which is similar to PayPal but doesn’t charge any fees. Signing up is free, and although it’s not as popular as PayPal yet, more and more people are starting to use the service. Also, the site is totally secure – RME is backed by some of the biggest names in the industry.

So, that’s it for this guide. Did we miss something? Do you have your own tricks that you use to save money that nobody knows about? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section!