Cheaper (eBook)

There are a variety of strategies and marketing tricks that you should be aware of to enhance your abilities as a shopper. Knowing these will, of course, help you get products and services at a healthy discount. The following is a roundup of sixteen of these from the authors' own experiences and from industry insiders.

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SHOPPING TIP #1:

SHOP AROUND

in shopping around, your goal, of course, is to find out who is selling the product or service you want the cheapest, and to gather those prices. Your three tools are the telephone, the Internet, and the yellow pages. All are invaluable sources for determining the cost of the product or service from various companies.

We find the telephone works quite well. And please don't believe the myth that retailers won't give you prices over the phone. The vast majority will. And why not? The bottom line is the bottom line: They want to make money, and they'll facilitate that any way they can.

Just call, ask if they have the item (or service), and then ask the price. It is important to know exactly what you want so you can transmit it to the seller in language he or she understands. In some cases--such as with bath fixtures, light fixtures, and power tools-- knowing the model number will be essential, and that is something you can get from the manufacturer's website, flyers, or catalog. In almost all cases we predict that you will get the price easily, particularly in these recessionary times. Yet if you are chary about being so direct, then you can be a little more artful in your query. Following is one good technique.

First, ask if the retailer if he or she has such-and-such a product. Even if you know that they do, play dumb.

When they say yes, then you say:

'How much would that cost?'

You'll usually get the answer instantly, although sometimes the retailer will go off the phone to check the shelves or the rack to get the price. Sometimes, when they won't give the price (a rare occurrence), I use another technique: 'I would really appreciate knowing the cost. I don't want to travel over there if I can't afford it.'

Don't ask us why they usually give the price information when you ask about the product availability. Maybe it's because the focus of the first question is not on price but product, and maybe it's because you don't make it sound like you know precisely about such things. Either way, it's a technique we've used successfully for many years.

PRICE COMPARISONS VIA THE INTERNET

The Internet is a gold mine when it comes to comparison shopping. A number of sites, such as www.bizrate.com and www.pricegrabber.com, allow you to make comparisons for just about any product. Prices should be used only as benchmarks, because a company's return policy and shipping charges can add considerably to what may appear to be a very low price. However, these Web comparisons give you a good place to start. In addition, you can often go the manufacturer's site and find a complete description, spec sheet, a list of what is included with a purchase, etc. In addition you can find reviews and user comments at other websites. Often typing in the make and model of a product into Google will yield a wealth of information. If you decide to buy locally, print out prices and specifications you find on the Internet and take these with you to the local store. These can be a great help when trying to haggle a deal. With used items, past sales on eBay can give you a good idea of a fair price.

SHOPPING TIP #2: HAGGLE

once you know the seller's price you can either purchase the item or service at that price, or haggle, that is, negotiate a lower price, something...