Take my last two cars, for example. I saved up enough cash for the purchase. I did my research and picked the precise car for me. I called all the dealers within 100 miles and said, “I have cash to make a purchase today. What’s your best price for this car?” In both cases (my Toyota Tercel 4WD in 1984 and my Honda Insight in 2002) there was a 30% difference between the top and bottom price – and – duh uh – I picked the bottom one. But that was before the online product research and comparison shopping sites of today. Most often I go to ebay or craigslist but there’s more to the story. I just read a great article on how to be an online comparison shopper of the highest order.It covers everything from how to use product review sites to how to use specific search engines for best pricing (Shopzilla, Google, NextTag, ShopWiki, MySimon), how to use coupon sites like FatWallet, DealCatcher and CouponCabin, how to determine if a retailer is reliable. It even talks about what to do about returning items and gives some sites for consumer protection.
Here’s the link and happy saving.