I Link You

where can i find a good deal?

As Thanksgiving has already passed, there are still a few weeks left until Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or whatever other holiday I missed to be politically correct. Although I am now at home and away from my college friends, I still get the occasional phone call about what I want for Christmas. Most of the time, I say that I don't really want anything as we are college students at a private college destined for years of paying back student loans. Regardless, this is a fun time for me as I am an avid shopper and bargain hunter.

In the old days without Internet, I would look through the advertisements in the Sunday newspaper to get gift idea for my friends and family. Now, I can just sit right here while I type my blog and peruse through many colorful pages full of great "deals" and "sales." Then I would beg my parents to drive me to the nearest mall or retail store to check out the items of interest and judge whether they would be available at a later date. In addition, I would always go through multiple stores to make sure I got the best deal, but I probably have wasted more money from gasoline due to all the driving around.

Anyway, the point of this entry is that sometimes I really can't find the best deal, or I get gifts based on whatever is on sale at the time. In an age where all companies participate in monopolistic competition, they will try any means to differentiate their products to the price-sensitive consumer's eyes. For example, I am personally looking for a digital camera for extensive use while in Paris. I have requirements that most companies can fulfill. These requirements are the following: 1) at least 5 mp resolution; 2) large LCD screen; 3) optical zoom; 4) lithium ion battery; 5) SD memory card; 6) lightweight. Basically, I do not want anything fancy as I am not a professional photographer, and if I ever do want to pursue photography as a hobby, I cannot afford to buy a high-end camera on a student budget. It all comes down to the camera's ability to take the best picture at any given moment. As you probably realize, most companies already have camera(s) that fulfill these requirements. Although I do understand that there are some companies that you just want to stay away from when you buy a digital camera, I basically do not care much for brand.

Thus, I began looking through various websites such as Amazon, Overstock, Newegg.com, and other online retailers and got frustrated with the fact that I can't compare camera prices and accessories all in one page. In addition, I always find consumers' comments helpful on every product, but some retailers have good rating systems while others don't. The ultimate hole in all these online retailers is that there is no way to see when and what cameras are on sale.

I decided that there must be something on the web where people congregate about the deals they found on the web and where I can find this information. I did happen to find something. It's called Shoutback. The site allows users to "shout" (i.e. report) about deals they find locally and online for a wide range of products. You can add and organize these deals on your profile, and you can also share your newfound deals with friends too. You can also earn points for every dollar you spend at participating retailers if you go through this site. Then, you can redeem these points for cash, electronics, apparel, and many other goods. An elite program is available for users who participate the most.

Despite the really simple interface similar to digg, I sometimes find this site useful for browsing for gift ideas online if price is the only factor. Instead of having to visit those sites individually to find out there is free shipping or a limited time discount, I like the fact that I can find out through here using the power of online shoppers all over the globe. A search function is available, but it would be interesting to consolidate this under a more well-known search engine like Yahoo!, MSN, or Google.

posted by Koh @ 2:35 PM