Being Thrifty Online (and retail)

In this day and age, everyone wants things brand new.  While that would be nice, it just doesn’t add up a lot of the times… especially if it’s technically aligned items.  Their values hold worse than a car!  😮

So what’s a guy to do?  Be thrifty, that’s what.  Koreans (in Korea) look down on buying used stuff.  I disagree and good chunk of Americans disagree as well.  What’s wrong with paying at least 1/4 to 1/3 off just because it’s been used a bit?  I’m not ashamed to admit that I buy used things.

However, you can’t just blindly go buy things… you have to use your brains still.  So here are some of my own tips.

  1. Check weekly ads (best comparison site is www.salescircular.com)
  2. See what they go for online and retail (My fav. site for that is www.pricegrabber.com)
  3. Then look for how much it goes for on eBay and Craigslist.  (remember, Craigslist is under .org and not .com!)
  4. See who has the best price.
  5. Last but not least, I love one particular online forums site where there’s a LOT of FS (For Sale) traffic… Anandtech Forums.

Some safety pointers…

  1. Check seller’s feedback on eBay.  For other sites like forums, there’s feedback system called heatware.
  2. If it’s too good to be true (on eBay and Craigslist), it’s very likely that it is.
  3. If you are buying/selling something locally, try to meet at a common public places to buy/trade!
  4. If you are selling something online, be sure to get good estimates on SHIPPING cost!!
  5. Sometimes, it IS cheaper to buy at retail stores!
  6. Set a price you want to buy it for and stick to it!
  7. You can haggle online forums and Craigslist.org for lower prices but be reasonable!
  8. When selling, avoid eBay.  Sell via Craigslist first to avoid listing fees, selling fees, AND PayPal fees!
  9. If selling online other than eBay, and you take PayPal, setup a separate PERSONAL account and only accept non-credit card payments (otherwise, Paypal/eBay take another 4 to 5% of the fees!!  🙁

In the end, just use your head and common sense… 🙂  Happy hunting!