Let
your fingers do the walking the next
time you are shopping for new merchandise.
Compare prices online and save money
and time.
Online comparison shopping is especially
helpful for books, office supplies,
computers, software and electronics,
although we know Divas who use it for
clothing, perfume and baby items as
well.
The Sites:
Listed below are several Web sites that
make searching for the best price across
the Web a snap.
DivaPam used www.dealtime.com
to find the best price on a Hewlett
Packard Jornada 568 Personal handheld
computer. She found it for $279.99 rather
than the $399.99 she originally saw
it for in the store.
It really helps to have the actual make/model/brand
of the item you are interested in so
that you can make an accurate comparison
(comparing apples to apples rather than
comparing different brands or models
which might not be equal in all ways.)
Also, pay attention to shipping charges
as some offer free or reduced shipping
which could make a difference in the
total cost. In DivaPam's case, the item
arrived at her door for $106.00 less
than she could have gotten it at a local
discount electronics chainstore and
she never left home. It also came with
the same company warranty (minus the
30-day in-store warranty she could have
had if purchased the item locally).
Lastly, if you are buying an item that
has a warranty, inquire about it to
ensure you are comfortable with the
one associated with your Internet purchase.
Some Caveats:
Best prices are shown for a particular
product at the time you are searching.
So don't expect the prices to be the
same a week later.
All items can be purchased online. If
the retailer has a physical location
and you are near that location, you
might want to still check the item out
in person. However, some merchants'
special price offers are only good if
you order the product online and do
not apply if you purchase the same item
in their physical store.
Purchasing online for the most part
is safe. In fact the comparison shopping
sites even have buyer rating systems
so you can find out if there have been
any problems with a merchant. But use
your common sense. If a well-known dealer
offers an item for a few more dollars
than a merchant you have never heard
of, it might be wise to pay the few
extra dollars for peace of mind.
