Ten sure-fire ways to bag yourself an online bargain

Buying online has a number of advantages over high-street browsing, and by far our favourite one is that it’s so much easier to shop around, compare prices and generally make sure you’re paying as little as possible for your goods. In the ‘real world’, we all have our favourite stores, and often think of them with some loyalty. Sometimes, we’re happy to pay an extra pound or two to get a better level of service, and there’s even some guilt associated with buying from one shop after another has been helpful in the past. Online, there’s no such personality; you find what you want, enter your credit card details and receive an automated email. Chances are, no human ever noticed you bought anything. It’s often hard to get into this mindset – the next time you buy something online, you’re likely to go straight to the site you last used. But there’s no reason that it’ll offer the best price this time round, and you may end up paying over the odds.

What’s the alternative?

Rather than navigating through several retailer’s sites, the best way to find the cheapest price for what you’re looking for is to use a dedicated shopping search engine. A number of these exist, each working in a slightly different way. One of the simplest is Google. Type a product’s name into Google and you’ll be given a few of the cheapest prices the search engine can find. Click ‘product search results’ to go to Google Shopping, which will then provide a basic list of prices from a number of  retailers. MSN Shopping, soon to become Windows Live Shopping, works in a similar way, using its search capabilities to find you the best prices, though its scope is currently more limited than its competitors. You’ll probably have come across a few of the ‘big names’ at least once; kelkoo.co.uk is perhaps the largest, along with pricerunner.co.uk. In the UK, however, one of the most comprehensive shopping comparison sites is twenga.co.uk. More than simply a long list of prices, it enables
you to compare costs on everything from lingerie to LCD monitors, view pricechange histograms, technical specifications and reviews of not only the retailers but also the products themselves, collected from various reliable sources.

Shopping search engines are increasingly including ‘Buy It Now’ eBay listings in their results. It’s easy to dismiss eBay as an auction site, requiring days of waiting and sneaky last-minute bids in order to use it, but even the straight ‘Buy It Now’ sales generally offer unbeatable prices. While it’s important to consider the reputation of the seller, buy by the rules and you’ll get a great deal that’s protected under eBay’s buyer protection policies. All shopping comparison sites are free to use; some rely purely on advertising, others on retailers paying for higher search rankings, and some receive a small amount from each retailer they successfully refer. This means that each engine may produce very different results – so again, it pays to try two or three engines to see what each has to offer.

Unknown retailers

Big-name online retailers often look far more alluring than less well-known outfits, but while their ability to buy in bulk means that they can keep prices low, it’s not unheard of for independent retailers to beat them by a small amount. Remember that shipping costs can often reverse this, however, as larger companies with their own postrooms can offer free or discounted shipping, making the overall price lower. If you do find what you’re looking for being sold by a retailer you haven’t heard of before at a bargain price, read other buyers’ reviews. Most shopping comparison sites offer the opportunity for previous customers to review the service they’ve received, even if it’s simply a mark out of five. If you don’t like what you hear, all is not lost – find a more reputable retailer and enquire as to whether they will match the price.

How do I pay?

To shop online, you’ll need a credit or debit card. A credit card is preferable, as it provides an extra layer of protection through the chargeback system; if you don’t recognise a charge on your card,
you can remove it. An increasing number of retailers are also offering payment via a third-party company. PayPal is the most well-known; owned by eBay, it offers a method of paying for items using a username and password, and can step in if things go wrong. Google Checkout, launched last year, is also quickly becoming available from many online retailers, enabling you to keep track of all your purchases from multiple vendors from one unified interface. While some sites are still offering the ability to phone up and give your details in order to pander to the paranoid, this is actually far less secure than using an encrypted online payment system.

Online credit card safety

Are your card details safe online? In a word: Yes. However, as with anything involving money, it’s important to know what you’re doing and exercise common sense. Before you enter your card details, check for the padlock symbol in the right of your browser address bar. You can click this to view that the web site’s security certificate is valid. The web address in the address bar should also begin with ‘https://’, the extra s denoting a secure transaction. Of course, while the padlock is a trustworthy method of checking that the page is technically secure, it can’t account for the legitimacy of the business itself; again, read any reviews of the retailer you can find. Now head out online and use our tips to ensure you get the best possible price!

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