{"id":68,"date":"2009-03-01T14:48:23","date_gmt":"2009-03-01T22:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.budgex.net\/blog\/?p=68"},"modified":"2011-05-14T10:24:24","modified_gmt":"2011-05-14T18:24:24","slug":"the-secrets-of-bargain-hunting-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.budgex.net\/blog\/2009\/03\/the-secrets-of-bargain-hunting-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secrets of Bargain Hunting, Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you haven’t read The Secrets of Bargain Hunting Part 1<\/a>, do it before continuing on.<\/p>\n

In part 1 you learned to treat every buying opportunity as a pricing challenge, and the very basics of online search as your friend in comparison shopping.\u00a0 In this post you will learn a skill that will become your primary weapon in distinguishing a good deal from a great one.\u00a0 It saves you loads of time and money, and you can continually fine tune it as you shop.<\/p>\n

Rule #3: Develop a Price Index for the Items that Interest you<\/h3>\n

As you look for deals, keep an eye out for deals on other items that might interest you\u2014even if you won\u2019t need them for awhile.\u00a0 What you are doing is developing what I call a \u201cprice index\u201d for them.\u00a0 You are training yourself to better judge what constitutes a good<\/strong> price for that item so that you’ll be able to quickly identify when a great<\/strong> price comes along.<\/p>\n

So, young grasshopper<\/a>, let’s look at a real-life example.\u00a0 While looking for a new digital camera I stumbled across some deals on memory cards.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t need them now, but I was going to if I ended up buying the camera.\u00a0 The online prices I saw for the memory card online ranged from $20-$50, and I did end up getting the camera at my local Fry\u2019s Electronics store.\u00a0 Fry\u2019s had the same memory card for $50.\u00a0 It was sleek, flashy, and said it would make the perfect bundle with the stylish camera I just bought.\u00a0 If I hadn’t spent those extra 2 minutes establishing a price index for the memory card I would be $30 in the\u00a0 hole on that transaction.\u00a0 And you’ll soon learn that $30 can go a long way.<\/p>\n

Rule #4: The Deal Seeker’s Favorite R-Word — Rebates!<\/h3>\n

Rebates<\/a> are another hidden treasure in the world of deal hunting.\u00a0 You may have come across a few while shopping online (here’s an example<\/a>).\u00a0 They come in several flavors, but generally speaking a rebate can be offered by a store (e.g. Staples), or by the product’s manufacturer (e.g. Logitech).\u00a0 Either way it means money back to you–\u00a0 the rebate provider will literally mail you a check with your name on it (and in some cases you will see the savings instantly upon purchase).<\/p>\n

When comparison shopping, look out for these rebate promotions, and factor this in when calculating the final cost of the product when determining where to buy from.<\/p>\n

Finally, we have the treasure within this hidden treasure:\u00a0 Check the store restrictions of the rebate to see if you can use it at a store with the cheaper base price<\/strong>!\u00a0 Not many people ever think to do this.\u00a0 If you did, well done!\u00a0 Here’s an example: you are buying a Sony computer monitor, and you narrowed down the vendors to Office Depot: $119.99, and Best Buy: $149.99 with a $50 rebate.\u00a0 Hmm, Best Buy seems to have the monitor for $99 after rebate, but wait<\/em>!\u00a0 The rebate on the monitor is directly from Sony the manufacturer, and has no restriction on where you buy it from!\u00a0 Print that puppy from Best Buy’s website, order from Office Depot, and celebrate having paid only<\/strong> $69.99<\/strong>!\u00a0 That’s a hefty wad of cash back in your hands!<\/p>\n

In the final chapter of this trilogy I’ll teach you how to optimize your search techniques, and introduce you to my favorite websites to find deals on.<\/p>\n

And here it is, your BudgeX Bargain: <\/strong>A Super mini Bluetooth 2.0 USB dongle for $2.64<\/a>, with free shipping too!<\/p>\n