Bargain Shop to Find the Best Deals

Smart bargains can be found in store sales and in online shopping. It is stimulating and fun, as we all love to get a good deal. Develop your own method of shopping so when you go to the stores or online prepared to find the best deals. Plan you shopping experience before you leave the house.

Look at dealnews which is a website that lists all types of sales at various stores and other websites. It is a great source of information which might help you decide where you want to shop.

Checking the paper for articles and ads is the best place to begin. If you read that a store is going out of business or even changing locations the prices will be lower. The closer to the end date, the cheaper the prices, but the merchandise selection is also reduced.

It is best to go to the store at least two weeks before the actual closing. Ads in magazines, sales brochures that are mailed to your home and ads online are another great source for coupons.

In the ads for department store sales there are also quite often coupons that you can use in addition to the sale prices. Take your coupons to the department store and look carefully for the sale items as sometimes they are in the back of the store.

Merchandise is displayed first as the store wants you to buy their fully priced clothing, so walk on by those nice displays to find the bet sales first. Some store sales are only good if you use your credit card for that store, so make sure you find out that information before you pay at the register. Some stores will honor coupons from other stores. It is always worthwhile to ask.

Restaurant coupons can be found in circulars and brochures that come in the mail. Take the time to look through the circulars before your discard them.

Purchasing items in off-season is a great time to find a bargain. At the end of a summer season is the best time to buy clothing, winter clothing will have great sales as they need room to stock the summer items and the same holds true for the end of summer sales. You can also buy larger items at the end of summer at a better price, such as bar-b-glue grills, lawn mowers and equipment.

White sales are held in January and August, which means that is the time to replace bedding, pillows, towels and draperies.

If you have credit cards to the department stores you will get to take advantage of special sales before they are open to the rest of the public. You will also receive additional coupons in the mail. For example, J C Penny will often send you a $10.00 certificate to buy anything that is at least $10.00. They want you in the store shopping. They also allow you so go online once a month after shopping and download a 15% coupon for your next shopping day. Most stores also send you a gift certificate for your birthday.

Credit cards are the key and you can easily keep them under control if you only buy what you need and have the money to pay for the bill when it arrives. Credit cards also now have bonus points that accumulate, so the more you spend the more coupons they send you. It is important to be careful and not exceed the limit in your budget.

Did you know you can find designer items at outlet store for a fraction of their original cost? There are many bargains to be found in outlet stores. Most of the goods are from manufactures end of season supply, but carefully look over any item you are buying for flaws as occasionally you will find one.

Ask a clerk at the outlet stores what day they get new shipments, and you can score big on those days, as the selection will be much better.

Second hand shops are another place to get great bargains, as they usually do not take in anything that is not in excellent shape and clean. You can easily find brand name items it you take time to look.

Even the Salvation Army, Good Will and other types of similar institutions will sometimes have great bargains. I have a friend that bought a very nice briefcase at the Salvation Army that looked brand new for very little money. Other places where you can find bargains are garage sales and estate sales. Craig's list is another online place to find bargains.

Some of the more common ones are:

1. Ebay is the world leader in the online auction field with more items and categories than its competition. It is also the leading online auction provide in the UK and Australia.
2. eBid is the best alternative to Ebay in online auctions. They have a solid user base and they have useful features and tools for both buyers and sellers. They are the Top Ten REVIEWS Bronze Award winner. Part of their success is due to their low fees as it costs nothing to register and no listing fees. Sellers have the ability to sell with a low 3% final value fee or they can upgrade.
3. UBid is another online auction with a very large range of items. The have a “My Page” service which allows you to track a number of different auctions at once.
4. Bidz buys close out deals in very large lots offering them in their no reserve auctions. All auctions are guaranteed so you can return an item if you aren’t happy with the product.
5. Overstock is another online site to buy and sell your stuff. It hosts a great auction site and great features for all members.
6. Amazon auctions area includes electronics, books, video games and much more.
7. Websiteis another popular auction site that is handled a bit differently than Ebay. Buyers and sellers can come together and trade almost anything without any membership, selling or bidding fees. The result is you can find great bargains from the sellers.
8. Online Auction has a better user base than most and a useful set of features. There are no membership fees but a buyer has to pay a $4 a month fee and sellers pay $8 per month but unlike Ebay there are no value fees to be paid after an auction.
9. OZtion is a great site and primarily for Australian auctions. This Aussie auction site provides all the essential tools for buyers as well as sellers and is so easy to use.

When you are shopping online at an auction always offer half first. Go online to check the typical full retail price, which will let you know if you are getting a good deal.

So, shopping is fun when go bargain shopping at stores or online.  There are so many ways to not pay full price so take advantage.  It is worth the time to look for those ads and search the Internet if you are serious about saving money, and there is that thrill of finding a great bargain on something that your really want.