Use Price Alerts to Get the Best Deal
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Last week we saved $40 more than the next lowest price on a holiday purchase. This was achieved without leaving the house and dealing with any Black Friday crowds by using an online alert.
The Purchase – Video Camera
My husband and I decided to get a pocket video camera for Christmas this year. Since I'm the one most into technology items, I did the preliminary research and after discussion selected the model with the features we wanted. Our plan was to get it in one of the day after Thanksgiving sales.
The plan didn't work so well because although there were plenty of Flip cameras on sale, they were mostly the smaller memory or an older model.
Deal Alert
A couple of days before Thanksgiving I decided to put an email alert in for the camera on Slick Deals. Only registered users can set up a deal alert, but it is a free registration. Just enter the forum you want to check and the keyword desired.
I entered just the words “flip camera” to get as many results as possible and selected immediate notification so I would get an email right away. You can also get a digest format daily.
Results – We Got the Camera!
Black Friday dawned and although several messages had been arriving each day, none of them were the model wanted. We thought we were going to have to pay the regular discounted price at Costco or Amazon.
Halfway through the day an email came in and it was for the right model and even the preferred color. Amazon had dropped the price from $171 to $129.
I bought the camera immediately and a few hours later the price was back up! The best part was not getting up early and heading out in the cold.
Price Shopping Alternatives
There are many websites that will monitor prices and send email notifications of changes. An example of this type of service is Price Pinx. You tell it the product and website to monitor. Many even specialize in just Amazon price drops such as Online Price Alert.
Have you used a price alert to help find the best deal and where?
I guess I have been living under a rock…I did not know about price alerts, but I WILL! Thanks for a great shopping tip. Now…off to Slick Deals!
Joe, it is a good way to find great deals. I just have to limit myself to only checking the website when I am in the market for a particular item.
That’s a great idea – I don’t do much shopping as I’m trying to payoff debt, but when I do, i get slightly obsessed with finding the lowest price. Also, I didnt know amazon lowered prices for only a few hours on some occasions – I’ll have to give this a try next time I need something.
Jeff, I’m paying off debt as well and do much less shopping than I did in the past.
I have been weaning myself from slickdeals. So many good deals, it’s hard to pass up. Now I’m busy with my blog and reading about personal finance. 🙂
I didn’t know they have an email alert either. The next time I’m looking for something I’ll make sure to check it out. Thanks!
I can relate to weaning oneself from Slickdeals. It used to be my home page a couple of years ago and I spent way too much money buying things I didn’t “need”; just wanted.
Kay Lynn, I’ve heard about Slickdeals, but didn’t realize you could sign up for alerts….on my way over there right now for a couple items I’ve been monitoring the old fashioned way!
I hope you find the item you want at a great price.
Hi Kay
Another site to try for price alerts is http://www.ZingSale.com
Plus, in addition to price alerts, ZingSale also can show you the price history of each item over the past 30 days — its an easy way to make sure that you’re really getting the best deal. And best of all — it’s 100% free, and on the average we are able to help our users save 43% on their purchases!
Chris – ZingSale.com
Chris, thanks for telling us about your website. I’ll be sure to use it next time I’m comparison shopping.