Have you ever wondered how you would get that new Bluetooth Stereo Headset or even that dreaded 16GB MicroSDHC card for your smart phone? Well in this brilliant era of technology we humanoids now have options!
Wait. Stop. Did this guy just say we have options?
YES!
You may just be able to scoop that jeweled laptop just yet... While having an understanding of your options on the internet today you must also ask yourself, if I'm going to be a smart shopper what else besides price will I need to know?
- Options
- E-Bay (Public auction website)
- Craigslist (Local internet rummage sale)
- Amazon ($uper saver surprises at every outlet)
- Google Shopping™ (Last resort to hunt down that bargain)
Woot.com(Random daily deals, nothing all that great except the roombas)
Well those are 5 great options to choose from, the latter is just a daily deal where they do a price cut on any randomly selected item so cross-it out as an option for finding what YOU WANT. Since we have that out of the way, now it's time to question the reputability of these options. The first 4 all have similarities in the way they sale their items, although they also have unique features, E-Bay likes to provide you with a protection service, Craigslist just wants you to find something, Amazon lets many stores sell through them and Google Shopping is just that.
But, that's just not enough information to buy something through their service, is it? In order to be the ideal deal finder you need to ask questions about your product. Is it a tech gadget? Is it supposed to have batteries? Was it opened or used before? Where's it shipping from?
Usually everything you need to know about the item is posted in the description and you'll be fine. But, on there other hand there are those cheap imitations we call knock-offs circulating the Internet. First and foremost anything shipping from Hong Kong through E-Bay is probably a deal breaker right off the bat... Not only do you have to wait a week for arrival, but you are taking a chance to buy something from one of the best imitation markets in the world.
Something as generic as a 32GB usb which goes for $60+ in the US goes for about $14 there, wonder why? KNOCK-OFFS!
Be safe, shop smart. Also remember to modify your search if you're unhappy with the results the first time around, a good example of this would be:
Search 1: hp mini 311 would come up with results, but we want the exact item we're looking for, is there anyway we can modify the search to incorporate more details that make this item stand out?
Search 2: hp mini 311-1023NR; whoa the exact model # actually means something to these search databases. >:)
Above is just another way to successfully find your item. Many of these websites mentioned also provide a price/relevancy filter which you can apply if you want cheaper.
One final thought I'd like to mention is the results, make sure to skim through them in a precise manner if saving money means that much to you. You could end up missing that $100 reduction if you don't read carefully.
P.S. When buying through Craigslist, be sure the seller can verify the item and if it is a gadget be aware it could have complications you'll soon realize later on, so check it good.
Don't Dubai, do buy. (Yes, I've coined it).
