With all the Holiday shopping that you will be doing, don’t be fooled by the flashy ads right away or you’ll end up spending more than you thought. Don’t just buy an item because it claims that it’s the “lowest price ever.” Do your own research, assessment and evaluation first.
To guide you, here’s how you can avoid falling for potentially bad deals.
1. Compare prices.
Don’t buy the first item you see online or in the store. When online shopping, pull up comparison search engines to find the best deals. If you are shopping at the mall, use price-comparison apps that you can download for free, to make sure that you are getting the best deal. Those apps let you scan the barcode using your phone’s camera and it will search all the deals and prices for that item. No need to fall for “the lowest price ever” ad when in reality, other stores and e-commerce sites are selling it at a much cheaper price.
2. Make sure you are buying the exact model.
Sometimes, you think you’re buying the latest version of a product because that’s what’s listed on the site and that’s what the photos show but you end up receiving the wrong model or the previous version. To avoid this, always double check the model number or SKU to confirm that it’s the exact model that you want to buy.
3. Don’t be fooled with bundles.
The problem with bundles is that they always include accessories or items that you don’t really need. For example, some bundles for action cameras include all sorts of mounts, straps and screws that you might not even use. If you have no plans to go biking, do you really need to pay for a bicycle clip and hand bar that are included in the bundle? Price out every item separately to know how much you are spending on items that you are actually going to use and assess if the price is reasonable or not.
4. Verify the listing price.
On shopping sites, you’ll always see things like “You Save 70% or You Save $30,” but that’s based on the original listing price and not the current price that it’s being sold in the market. Check with the manufacturer’s site or on other e-commerce sites to have an accurate assessment of the deal.
5. Don’t fall for fake reviews.
Not all positive or negative reviews are always authentic. Companies nowadays, pay people or give items for free in exchange for biased reviews. If you want to read how you can spot fake reviews, read HERE.
