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"Consumers are going to have to be cyber savvy this holiday season and shop smarter to get the best deals," commented Edgar Dworsky, Founder of ConsumerWorld.org. "Using a variety of online shopping tools is the best way to comparison shop and develop a better sense of prices." Among the free services that Dworsky suggests using are:
1.
A new website, DealAlerter.com (a service of Consumer World) sends email alerts to shoppers when items they are interested in buying drop in price. Just use its comparison shopping feature to find the current range of prices for a particular item at hundreds of online stores. If current prices seem too high, the shopper can set a lower target price for the item. The service will then automatically recheck prices daily until it finds the item at or below the price that was set, and notify the shopper.
2.
The best deals are often not widely advertised, but some consummate bargains hunters share their finds on two websites -- FatWallet.com and SlickDeals.net. Just visit the "Hot Deals" forum at either site for a messageboard full of bargains ferreted out by members. The deals listed often combine sale prices, rebates, coupon codes and other savings tactics. One recent posting was for a $400 Dyson vacuum for an amazing $149.99.
3.
Looking for a particular item but didn't save the Sunday sale circulars? Find out what is on sale at local stores at SundaySaver.com (links to store circulars) and SalesCircular.com. The latter site allows you to select a product category like "gps units" or "digital cameras" and displays a list of those items with their sale prices at stores near you.
4.
Just because an item is on sale, does not mean it is being offered at a great price. One way to distinguish a so-so sale from a "you better be there when the doors open" one is to check the price history of items at PriceSpider.com. For hundreds of stores, the site displays a graph of price fluctuations (previous selling prices) over the past six months for the item selected. Prices histories can be plotted for particular stores, or for all stores as a whole.
5.
With the increase in gas prices, common carriers have raised their prices to ship and deliver goods. If you can't find sellers with free shipping offers, compare the price of having the store or Internet seller send the goods directly to the gift recipient with the price it would cost you to ship it. Shipgooder.com provides a comparison chart of shipping costs for your package based on weight, destination, and speed of service at UPS, FEDEX, DHL, and the post office. (Hint: use "advanced search" to select a residential address as the destination.)
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(BOSTON, Nov. 3) With so many shoppers counting their pennies this year, ConsumerWorld.org, a leading consumer education website, is offering tips about novel online services to help stretch your holiday budget.
