How To Sniff Out Bargains Others Overlook
A wise man (or woman) once said, "timing is everything". That's especially true when it comes to sniffing out the best bargains. |
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Whether it's a diamond, a rare painting or a prime piece of real estate - or anything in between. You can purchase almost anything at a bargain if you shop for it at the right time. Yes, timing is everything especially when you're looking for bargains.This is the number one rule of savvy bargain hunters. Never shop for bargains in season. If you do, never shop for items that everyone's shopping for and buying at retail. Shop for items when others aren't. For example, sweaters in the spring or sandals in the fall.If you want a car shop for last years model at the beginning of the new car season in September. This is the time they're open to giving better deals. Why? Because they have to make room for the new models. I. Ebay: Learn how to shop eBay. Bargains fill this site if you know what, how, where to look. If you know what you're looking for, where to look, how to search and how to bid, you can save thousands of dollars by looking for it on eBay. You can't call yourself a bargain shopper unless you have an eBay account and use it to compare prices. II. Look for Desperate People You Can Help: Where there are desperate people there are usually bargains. People who have to sell or motivated sellers as we call them give the best bargains. So look for a way to help them, not take advantage of their situation. With this attitude you'll both win. They'll get what they need which is usually cash. In addition, you'll receive a good deal and the joy of knowing you helped someone who needed what you had. III. End of Season Sales: This is the best time to hunt for bargains. At the end of winter look for coats, boots, jackets, rain gear, wool scarves, and other winter gear. At the end of summer look for swim wear, sandals, lawn equipment, lawn furniture, barbecues and equipment, and other summer accessories. Seasoned bargain hunters always think on the opposite end of the crowd. If you think like the crowd, you'll seldom save the real money. IV. End of Holiday Sales: Another tip to sniffing out bargains is to look for the end of holiday sales. Yes, after everyone has torn through stores during the holidays, the bargain sniffers find the real bargains after everyone has paid the so-called holiday prices. V. End of Month Sales: This is the time most retailers want to clear their stock to make way for the new stock of items that's coming in. Motivated retailers want to get rid of the items that's been sitting on the shelves since the beginning of last month (slow sellers). In addition, this is the time they have to take a hard look at their profits or non-profits for the month. This is also the time many of their bills become due and they're more open to giving bargains. VI. Garage Sales: Despite the high tech methods many people use to find bargains such as the Internet, eBay and other online auctions. The old fashion garage sale is still at the top of the list when it comes to finding bargains. There's nothing like the personal contact of buyer and seller bargaining over items face-to-face.It's almost therapeutic; something that happens between buyer and seller no computer can match. Look through your local newspaper and find the garage sale near you this weekend. You'll surprise yourself at the bargains you may find and the new friends you could possibly meet.Yes developing a good nose for bargains is knowing where to look and your timing. Conclusion: If you can remember these tips you'll have what it takes to enjoy the admiration of others. Why? Because you'll have the skill to sniff out bargains others miss. Happy shopping! How To Sniff Out Bargains Others Overlook |
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
How To Sniff Out Bargains Others Overlook
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Overlooked Ways to Snap Up Christmas Sales Bargains
Many people find themselves in the stores after the holidays with gift cards in their hands looking for some bargains. The stores are looking to get rid of all their holiday stuff and you are looking to spend some money. What a great combination.
The stores are ready to get rid of their merchandise, which means that there are some great deals out there for you. The CEO and founder of deal news has some handy tips for how to get through the after Christmas sales.
Bargain Books
The first thing that you may have noticed is that some of the retailers begin discounting their prices in the week before black Friday this past year. That could mean that the pre Christmas sales could be just as good as the after Christmas prices. Keep your eyes out for this trend.
You are likely to see a drop in prices in the week after Christmas time by as much as another ten or twenty percent. This is off of items that have already been discounted before Christmas. There will be better discounts for shoppers this year because the retailers are in desperate need to clear the items out of their stores.
The items that are not usually associated with Christmas like furniture and mattresses are probably going to be deeply discounted as well during this time of the year. These are more like end of the year sales.
Consumers have the luxury of being a little picky this year. Wait until you see the item that you want on sale. The prices are only going to go down so wait for what you want. If you frequent stores that encourage haggling, you might be able to get some outstanding bargains this year. Take a look at what all the stores are selling the item that you want for. You might be able to take advantage of a price matching program.
The biggest selling after Christmas items will be the hot selling items during the Christmas season. This means that you will get the best prices on toys and electronics during the after Christmas sales.
The big screen televisions will probably drop in price, but they will go back up in the time prior to the Super Bowl so if you are interested in picking up a deal on one of these, make sure that you get to the store during that time. Computer prices are expected to drop even further during the sales.
For those people who wait until the very last minute to do their Christmas shopping, they may be getting the best deals by waiting. There are items that go on sale on the online sites for the last online shopping day before Christmas. This is usually the last Friday before Christmas.
Some of the online sites are offering free shipping or discounted shipping upgrades. The only problem with waiting until the last minute is that your selection may be a bit limited.
Some of the greatest deals might not be on the typical Christmas items. You will probably find that software like TurboTax and Quicken are being discounted in preparation for the new releases for the upcoming tax season. There are also usually discounts on some of the kitchen electronics and household items.
This year you will probably find some great deals on items like DVD players and Blu-Ray players. The prices of these items has dropped considerably so the stores will try to give even bigger discounts after the holidays to rid their shelves of them. The movies will also be seriously discounted as well.
Overlooked Ways to Snap Up Christmas Sales Bargains
Jim Warren is a consumer advocate who enjoys writing about how to find After Christmas Sales. Be sure to visit http://afterchristmassales.org for more important after Christmas sales tips.