Let’s face it; gift giving is a year round activity between Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversaries, Showers, Births, and Graduations, not to mention the sprinkling of the “other” Holidays throughout the year. Many people could very well have a significant event every month of the year. Saving money in a case like that is essential; saving money in this economy is always welcome. So how do we buy the perfect gift and save money?
A gift should always be thoughtful and paired with the recipient in mind. See “How to choose a perfect gift!” Once you’ve decided on what to look for, then you’re ready to shop. Finding a great gift at a super price can be challenging, but it is very rewarding. Here are 5 tips I use to find great deals on line and off.
1. Know what you’re looking for!
Never shop without knowing what you want to buy. Browsing stores on line or out on the town is a big time waster. It’s a great way to spend a rainy vacation day near the shore, but not for purposeful shopping. If you don’t know what you want, you won’t find what you want. Boxed ties, scarfs and pre-wrapped executive gifts that sit near store checkouts are there for a reason. Undecided shoppers buy them as last minute gifts after wandering aimlessly for hours so they won’t go home empty handed. Gift purchases should be special! When you shop you should already know what you want and be deciding between brand names, quality, price and features. Knowing what you are looking for will save time, money, and your sanity.
2. Shop Clearance Areas in Gift shops and Department Stores.
Gone is the day when clearance items consist of merchandise stores can’t sell due to their bad inventory purchases. Shelf space is prime real estate and stores no longer use their prime space to get rid of their mistakes. Those items are shipped off in “lots” to bargain stores.
Today’s clearance shelves are chock full of brand name bargains, but not for long. Last season’s clearance use to happen at the beginning of the next season, not so anymore. Today clearance sales start in the middle of the current season. Summer clearance starts as early as July 1st, and come September 1st hardly a pail and shovel can be found. This is great as more and more current products are on sale when you might want them.
However, it’s not only seasonal items that fill those clearance shelves. New models of popular items replace old all the time. New releases of collectible items replace retired items. New styles replace old. Stores have to stay current to stay in business, a plus for the bargain gift shopper.
Shopping clearance will find you timely buys, but do shop with your list in hand. Don’t be swayed by great prices and buy something just because its on sale, stick to what you’ve already decided on. There are other venues to find great deals. Always remember you are looking for great gifts.
3. Shop - Online Department Stores for great Deals!
As stores covet their prime shelf space, many popular stores now have an online presence as well. Many of these store offer special on-line deals and free shipping. Most also offer the same sales found in the current sale fliers you receive in the paper. Planning ahead can save you gas and money. No need to dress, you can shop in your PJ’s! And, not only will you find the current deals on line, big box stores that have warehouses use their internet presence for clearance sales of items that are pulled or never make it to their store shelves. Check out the directory on their web site and you’re sure to find the pages labeled “Great Deals”, “Limited Offers” and yes, sometimes they even call it “Clearance”.
4. Shop on-line at Manufacturers Sites.
As stores have more limited space some manufacturers are finding they can’t move their older stock or over-production of products. Specialty Markets, the quality items you find in exclusive gift shops and name brand stores do not always allow their products to be sold on auctions sites. Which is why knock off and counterfeit items have become a problem in recent years on sites like eBay. So how do you get a specialty items and save money? Shop the manufacturer.
Outlet malls are cropping up everywhere and if there is one near you great! However you may be able to save time and money right on line. When you search for items in Google you may be tempted to shy away from the official manufacturer’s site thinking you’ll get a better deal elsewhere. This is not always so.
My search for Lenox brought me to the official site, www.lenox.com and there right of the top bar is a link for sale items. Clicking on the link I found some great buys including great deals on collectibles like Department 56. A search for the San Francisco Music Box Co. official site also linked me with a sale page, and I found some great Disney Collectibles for my grand-daughter at 50% off. Take 50-75% Off Retiring Collectibles at SFMusicbox.com
It’s a good idea to check out the manufacturer site of the product you are looking for first. This will give you a better idea of what price range would be considered a good bargain. A friend of mine bid on a collectible item on an auction site expecting to get a great deal, and she won the item. It took her a week to do so and she was thrilled at first. However, by the time she paid the shipping fee, she overpaid for the item by $10 over what she would have paid buying it on the manufacturer’s official site where it was listed on sale with free shipping.
5. Shop online auctions and e-commerce sites.
Barring the example above, I love on-line auctions like eBay and ecommerce sites like Amazon, Bonanzle as well as many of the Mom and Pop e-commerce stores flooding the net. Great deals can be found here, there is no denying that.
Shopping the well known and not so well known sites does take some preparation and caution. As always it’s good to know what you are looking for, how much the item would cost at retail and how much you are willing to spend. Armed with that information you can do a Google search or search your favorite shopping site, like eBay or Amazon.
When shopping the major sites it’s good to know a little bit about how the site works and most have shopping tips available. Take time to scan these even if you think you know how it works. Many people shop Amazon and find what they are looking for and buy without even seeing the small link below the item which offers “so many” new and used within a price range. Clicking on that link often finds several sellers offering brand new in the box items for less than on Amazon’s first result page and almost always you can find the item with free shipping.
As for small Mom and Pop ecommerce sites, great deals can be had and many unusual items not found anywhere else can be found. So if you like giving the unique gift you might do well with these. A word of caution. Especially if you are spending a good sum of money. Know who you are buying from. Look for an “About Us” or “About Me” page and read it. Look for contact information and check it out. Know shipping costs before you buy, how fast the item will ship and if returns are acceptable if something goes wrong.
I find it best to always buy something inexpensive from a new ecommerce site I haven’t purchased from before to check them out. There are many great sites out there. I sell online myself and know many honest people who also sell online. Still there are many horror stories out there, mostly because some shoppers just don’t use caution shopping online.
Using these 5 tips will help you find the perfect gift for someone special any time of the year. Buying online takes planning ahead so you get your purchase in time for the special event, but it may be your best bet and its fun. Whether you shop online or off, planning ahead is always a benefit. Birthdays come once a year every year. Weddings are known about months in advance, and babies still take 9 months to show up. Most special events can be anticipated. Why wait until the last minute to shop? Planning ahead will save you a lot of time and money. Ok that’s an extra tip. Have fun shopping!
Roberta Barth
http://www.beesgiftsandgarden.com
http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/ladybee
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