Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
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Boogahz
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Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

Post by Boogahz »

A few sites I use fairly often (in order)
DealNews.com
SlickDeals.net
FatWallet.com - A coworker actually uses this one, not me...
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Re: Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

Post by Canelek »

Great idea! I am just about to start my online holiday gift buying and it can get pricey--I will check these out, thanks!
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Re: Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

Post by Tyek »

Amazing Holiday Deals Online
We've found 12 sites to help you save money - and avoid the crowds.
from Cameron Huddleston, Kiplinger.com


Nov. 19, 2007

If the credit crunch and housing downturn have you pinching pennies this holiday season, we're here to help you find gifts for everyone on your list - at bargain prices.

The good news for budget-conscious consumers is that many retailers will be competing on price because of the soft economy, according to the National Retail Federation. So expect to see lots of sales this year. But if you want to avoid the crowds at the malls and still snag great deals, shop online.

Keeping your holiday spending under control is easy thanks to an array of Web sites with the sole purpose of helping you find bargains. There are sites that post the latest deals on everything from clothes to electronics, sites that give you cash back when you shop, sites that provide coupon codes, sites that help you compare prices and even sites that post Black Friday sale ads before they hit the newspapers.

More from Kiplinger's Personal Finance:

• What You Need to Know About Shopping Online

• The Lowdown on Holiday Sales

• Ten Holiday Shopping Tips

Even if you don't end up buying online, it never hurts to find the best deals on the Web before you brave crowded stores. Then you can comparison shop and make better choices.

We've tested and picked 12 Web sites we think are easy to use and will help you save money this holiday season. Take a look:

Hot deals!

If you're not exactly sure what to get that certain person on your gift list, check out online deal sites, which post loads of discounted items. You're bound to find the right gift at the right price.

Our favorite in this category is DealsOfAmerica.com, which updates deals every hour. Every item it lists on the home page has a picture, a description, the store that's offering the deal and, best of all, the list price so you'll know just how much of a bargain you're getting. The site also has coupons, a price-comparison tool, a list of products or services available for free after rebate or coupon and a hot deal e-mail alert you can sign up to receive. Deals are from top online retailers and brick-and- mortar stores with nationwide presence.

Dealtaker.com lists some deals on its home page, but you'll find hundreds more listed in its forums, including Black Friday ads. So if you're willing to take the time to troll through the forums, you'll probably find deals here you won't find other places. There are about 96,000 forum members who post deals, and you don't have to register to view the ones listed. The site also offers coupons for about 1,500 online stores, a price search engine and e-mail notification of deals. Because the site gets about 2 million visitors during the holidays, "when you see a good deal ... take the plunge or you risk losing it because hot items go out of stock quickly," says Neal Rapoport, the site's founder.

Another distinctive site: Slickdeals.net. It lists deals by date so you know new items are being added every day. It also offers online coupons and a forum, where you can find more deals and advice on getting bargains.

If you don't like the idea of shopping online, Shoplocal.com can help you find deals at stores near you. You can shop by categories and by price range. Just don't expect to find every store in your town (or even some major ones) listed on this site.

Shop with cyber-coupons

Put away the scissors - you don't have to clip these coupons. Plenty of sites offer coupon codes (and printable coupons) for online and brick-and-mortar retailers. The nice thing about our picks is that you don't have to register on these sites to gain access to the coupons. CouponCabin.com posts featured coupons, as well as special offers, on its home page and lets you search for coupons from 875 online stores by category and merchant. You also can sign up to receive coupons by e-mail.

An easy-to-use, uncluttered site is Currentcodes.com. Click on "browse alphabetically" or "browse by category" to see listing of coupon codes and special offers from 1,692 stores.

CouponMountain.com focuses on coupons for Dell, HP, Buy.com and Amazon.com, but also has coupons for stores such as Old Navy and Target. You can search by category or store. It also has a list of the most popular coupons lists deals of the day. And Coupon Craze has coupon codes and printable coupons not only for merchants in the U.S. but also in the United Kingdom and Canada. It also has a special Christmas coupons and deals section.

And if you're shopping for children, check out CleverBabies.com. It has coupons for stores such as Toys R Us, DisneyShopping.com and babyGap. The site also posts sales, has forums and has its own coupons.

Get cash back

Another way to spend less is to earn cash while you shop. That's the premise of FatWallet.com and Ebates.com. Join their cash-back programs and you can get cash back (usually a percentage of your purchase) when you buy items from select merchants.

Be sure to read the fine print. You don't get cash back at the time of your purchase. Instead, it accrues in an account and is sent to you periodically. Also, not all merchants featured on these sites participate and of those that do, some have their own requirements for earning cash back.

Parting tips

On a final note, if you're shopping online be sure to look for privacy and security seals on retailers' sites, know the return and exchange policies, and check shipping deadlines to ensure your gifts arrive on time. (See "What to Know About Shopping Online" for more advice.)

And to make sure you're getting the best bargain online, look for the item at the best price from a merchant with free shipping and a coupon to lower the cost even further -- the trifecta of bargain shopping, Rapoport of DealTaker.com says.

Happy shopping!
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Re: Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

Post by Boogahz »

One thing I didn't see mentioned in that story when I skimmed it, is to watch the prices in the checkout portion of any site used. There have been many stories about sites having one price listed while shopping, but a higher price in the checkout. Even Amazon.com had that happen several times over the weekend.
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Re: Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

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Re: Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

Post by Winnow »

Just go to http://www.newegg.com (electronic gifts are the best)

across the board cheap and reliable.

Newegg has deals as well. I seem to get at least one email from them a week with their "promotion code" sales which usually cut another $10.00 off the price of things in their store. I got an email from them this morning for their "cyber monday" specials.
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Re: Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

Post by Drolgin Steingrinder »

http://www.spendfish.com fishes for deals on amazon.
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Re: Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

Post by Lynxe »

Any Canadian sites that you folks know of?

These are great btw - thank you :)
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Re: Let us consolidate our "Deal" sites for shopping!

Post by Forthe »

Lynxe wrote:Any Canadian sites that you folks know of?

These are great btw - thank you :)
http://www.redflagdeals.com/
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