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How can you tell if it's REALLY a deal? - Here's how I check

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  • Dec 17th, 2010 3:35 pm
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Deal Addict
Aug 26, 2007
3889 posts
114069 upvotes

How can you tell if it's REALLY a deal? - Here's how I check

Often when one comes across a deal, the savings are quoted as a percentage off the vendor's list price, which may be high in the first place, so you're not really sure how good a deal you are actually getting. One of the techniques I use is to see if Amazon.com carries the product. For instance, this posting in "Hot Deals" lists an Epson EX31 Projector at $299.97. The Amazon.com website lists it at $399.99 (and they won't even ship it to Canada). An added advantage of doing this is that Amazon.com often has customer reviews of a product - in this case, four and a half stars. So, seems to me, that this is a pretty good deal.

BTW, sometimes if I want to see a product demonstrated, I check YouTube for any listings. Here's what is listed for this product.

Hope some folks find this useful...
6 replies
Deal Expert
Jan 7, 2002
29711 posts
29135 upvotes
Waterloo, ON
Bobbiedee wrote: How can you tell if it's REALLY a deal? - Here's how I check
Here's how I check: I just post my deal on RFD's Hot Deals forum. Then I wait for some of the 1,000s of critics, who obviously have nothing better to do, to tell me where I could have bought it cheaper :twisted:

BTW I find that adding the [IMG]images/icons/new/thread-hot-32.png[/IMG] icon always attracts more price checkers and gets me even lower prices.
veni, vidi, Visa
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 9, 2008
4465 posts
426 upvotes
Toronto
bylo wrote: Here's how I check: I just post my deal on RFD's Hot Deals forum. Then I wait for some of the 1,000s of critics, who obviously have nothing better to do, to tell me where I could have bought it cheaper :twisted:

BTW I find that adding the [IMG]images/icons/new/thread-hot-32.png[/IMG] icon always attracts more price checkers and gets me even lower prices.
Ahaha that's the right way.
Buy Bell, and you go to HELL! :-0
Deal Addict
Oct 17, 2005
4158 posts
2892 upvotes
Toronto
Bobbiedee wrote: Often when one comes across a deal, the savings are quoted as a percentage off the vendor's list price, which may be high in the first place, so you're not really sure how good a deal you are actually getting. One of the techniques I use is to see if Amazon.com carries the product. For instance, this posting in "Hot Deals" lists an Epson EX31 Projector at $299.97. The Amazon.com website lists it at $399.99 (and they won't even ship it to Canada). An added advantage of doing this is that Amazon.com often has customer reviews of a product - in this case, four and a half stars. So, seems to me, that this is a pretty good deal.

BTW, sometimes if I want to see a product demonstrated, I check YouTube for any listings. Here's what is listed for this product.

Hope some folks find this useful...

+1 this is usually how I do it too.. :)
Deal Guru
User avatar
Aug 20, 2005
11320 posts
3870 upvotes
Nowhere
Bobbiedee wrote: Often when one comes across a deal, the savings are quoted as a percentage off the vendor's list price, which may be high in the first place, so you're not really sure how good a deal you are actually getting. One of the techniques I use is to see if Amazon.com carries the product. For instance, this posting in "Hot Deals" lists an Epson EX31 Projector at $299.97. The Amazon.com website lists it at $399.99 (and they won't even ship it to Canada). An added advantage of doing this is that Amazon.com often has customer reviews of a product - in this case, four and a half stars. So, seems to me, that this is a pretty good deal.

This is a really over simplified way of checking if a deal is hot. Sometimes Amazon.com's prices are ridiculously high. Second, don't just go by the star rating, read the reviews. There are numerous fake and bogus reviews on Amazon. I always read the one star reviews first as they can be very helpful except when some idiot is complaining about a shipping issue or an issue with another vendor not Amazon.
Deal Addict
Oct 10, 2008
1402 posts
140 upvotes
Vancouver
Yup amazon.com is my barometer for everything I buy.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Dec 9, 2007
955 posts
31 upvotes
bylo wrote: Here's how I check: I just post my deal on RFD's Hot Deals forum. Then I wait for some of the 1,000s of critics, who obviously have nothing better to do, to tell me where I could have bought it cheaper :twisted:

BTW I find that adding the [IMG]http://forums.redflagdeals.com/images/i ... hot-32.png[/IMG] icon always attracts more price checkers and gets me even lower prices.

Technically this thread is about how to verify is deal good or not, not about finding the best price. And I agree comparing any deal here in Canada to US is a good indicator of how good it is and amazon.COM is a good source of US prices.

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