Black Friday has been considered THE bargain day par excellence for years. More and more companies and corporations are attracting visitors ...
Attention bargain hunters
The "Black Friday" lures every year anew with apparently indispensable promotions and offers. With a bit of skill, you can snag numerous bargains both online and offline. But if you want to hunt, you should be careful. Not every discount or deal actually turns out to be a hit. Above all, the mass of offers often means that inexperienced users are quickly overwhelmed, make bad purchases, or miss discounts. For this reason, it is all the more important to know the insider tips and to use one or the other trick when hunting for bargains.
Shopping lists are a must
The weekly shopping alone quickly turns out to be a gauntlet run when temptations arise over the long term. Black Friday is teeming with discount campaigns, so it is not uncommon for the best deals to pass you by. For this reason, it is worth creating a shopping list. It is up to you whether this only applies to a single shop or whether it contains all the desired products. Nevertheless, the list helps a lot to search for the best deals and to choose from a variety of products.
At the same time, you can save a lot of time with shopping lists. Almost every online shop is now taking part in the Black Friday sale. Your lists help you to minimize the selection and only actually visit those shops whose offers sound promising.
How exactly you create the lists is up to you. Many shops have a favorites option or wish list that saves selected products. However, it is best to summarize the desired items either with a note on your mobile phone or PC or by hand in order to keep an overview.
Stay away from spontaneous purchases
Bad purchases are more common on Black Friday than expected. Above all, spontaneous impulse purchases bring little joy and a lot of frustration afterward. A big minus point is usually the non-existent possibility to compare prices. As a result, it is not always possible to determine what the cheapest offer is and whether the desired item is not available elsewhere in better conditions.
In order to avoid such spontaneous purchases, you should always pay attention to your shopping or wish list. Even if the offer seems tempting and unbeatable: If you don't actually need the product or it doesn't meet your personal expectations, you've ultimately spent the money for nothing. As a tip, every bargain hunter should therefore consider whether the item is really wanted or needed. If something is greatly reduced, this does not mean that you have to buy it immediately.
Do not leave the shopping cart empty
The shopping list can be easily combined with the shopping cart. You should therefore put your desired products in the basket in advance so that you can order them with just one click if required. The save option not only helps to buy quickly and possibly secure the last copy. A simple update usually shows you the discounted price immediately. If the price does not change, this often means that there is no action.
Another advantage of the shopping cart is its reservation function. An item in the basket is saved for the potential buyer for a certain period of time. This means that nobody else can snatch the selected product from you in the meantime. A shopping cart is therefore a good place to temporarily store items that are in demand, such as the latest technical achievements. How long the reservation lasts cannot be said in general terms. Some shops only offer a duration of a few minutes. In other shops, on the other hand, the shopping cart remains up to date until it is emptied by the buyer.
Price comparison is a must
Online shopping and price comparisons also go hand in hand outside of Black Friday. On the tempting bargain day, you should also not do without the obligatory comparison of the individual shops and retailers. A product is often cheaper somewhere else or has different features than at your favorite store. Only those who compare here actually benefit from the best deal.
Many portals not only offer dealer comparisons, but also product and service comparisons. Enter the product name, wait a moment and you will see who currently has the best deal. While not all platforms are free of ads or paid listings, it is still possible to find a good deal from a retailer that is usually overlooked or previously unknown.
Combine offers and promotions
Even if Black Friday lures with special deals - nobody forbids redeeming discount vouchers on the special shopping day. Depending on the dealer and the voucher, you can use this method to get even more percentages. Important for this tip, however, is the respective requirements. Each voucher must state exactly how it can be redeemed. Consequently, the discounts can affect the order period, the number of products, the product group, or the shipping. Before you buy, you should always read the small print carefully before you have to cancel the purchase with frustration.
Numerous discount campaigns are sent out via newsletter. But some deals also reach potential buyers by post. Non-personalized voucher codes are extremely practical. These can often even be generated with a disposable e-mail address, which means that no newsletter subscription is required. However, how quickly the respective discount codes arrive differs for each retailer. For this reason, you should request the vouchers in good time. Numerous voucher portals on the Internet list valid codes with the respective requirements. A look at the individual websites is clearly worthwhile for one or the other bargain hunter.
Stay up to date thanks to the newsletter
Especially new customers know it: the newsletter. An often short-term subscription brings one-time redeemable discount campaigns in the form of coupons, price reductions, or other campaigns. On Black Friday it is definitely worth subscribing to your favorite shop or provider to see all the offers. The digital information letter shows the current promotions and forwards them directly to the shop. If you no longer need it after that, just click on the logout function. But be careful: the list of deals and offers often leads to imprudent spontaneous purchases.
Don't forget the shipping conditions
If the best bargains have been placed in the shopping cart and all that is missing is payment, there is often a big surprise in the form of shipping costs or delivery times. Although the individual products are cheaper, Black Friday does not affect the delivery conditions at every retailer. Numerous shops nowadays offer free shipping above a certain order value. However, this does not always apply to all articles. Above all, bulky or large products such as furniture and household electronics can only be ordered with additional shipping costs, since transport is only rarely free for them.
Cheap or small items do not have to come for free either. Postage and packaging in the two-digit range are not uncommon, especially for international orders. In addition, a customer account does not automatically mean that the desired item can be shipped to the respective home country. To avoid nasty surprises, you should read the respective delivery and return conditions carefully. Because even if the shipping is cheap or free: the return shipping can be expensive under certain circumstances.
In order to actually save money on shipping and at the same time be able to enjoy your favorite bargains, we recommend picking them up at a branch if possible. Numerous online shops with a classic branch store such as fashion houses, electronics retailers, or drugstores offer collections directly from a branch of your choice. Payment is made very easily via the online shop so that the package can be received quickly and easily. Some digital shops even deliver faster to their respective branches than directly to the customer's home, which means you can get your deals in your hands even faster.
Note cancellation periods and return costs
Black Friday is a state of emergency for many online shops. However, the respective payment, cancellation, and return deadlines also apply to it. A return policy of 14 days applies as standard from receipt of the goods if the items do not meet personal expectations. Numerous shops offer an extended right of return, especially around Christmas time, which is often 30 days or longer. How exactly the respective return must be made is stated in the general terms and conditions of the dealer.
Traditional retail, on the other hand, is different. The general right of return of 14 days does not apply here. Still, unwanted products don't have to end up in a corner at home. The right to exchange or general redemption is usually only a gesture of goodwill. However, if you still have the receipt and have not used or worn the item, you can usually return it within two weeks of purchase without giving a reason. More detailed information on the right of return can be obtained from the employees of the respective branches.
Whether there are return costs, how high they are, and who bears them varies from retailer to retailer. The terms and conditions usually list the costs. However, numerous shops now offer return documents in the respective package, with which the individual products can be sent back quickly and easily. However, some shops require online registration in order to be able to return unwanted items. The necessary documents will then be made available either digitally or by post. In addition, the dealer is not obliged to bear the return costs. Orders from abroad in particular rarely come with free return options, which makes returns extremely expensive and time-consuming. So you should think carefully
Beware of the cost trap
Neo bargain hunters often grope in dark areas when they are looking for the best deals. Time pressure and the thought that your favorite product may be sold out often mean that new shops are tried out. However, great caution is required here. Even if the online business looks nice and sounds tempting, cost traps are well hidden.
In order to avoid nasty surprises, you should therefore always only shop in shops that you are personally familiar with. Rating portals such as Trusted Shops also help to select trustworthy online shops. The individual portals list reputable shops and issue user ratings. If no result appears for a shop, it may well be a fraud. At the same time, the customer ratings reveal whether a purchase is worthwhile.
Another tip for first-time buyers is the imprint. It must be noted there who runs the shop. For example, if the web address is in Germany, this does not mean that the shop actually ships from Germany. Products that come from non-EU countries have higher shipping, taxes, or customs. Many fees only show up when the courier rings with the package and wants to settle the additional costs on site.
Choose a secure payment method
Speaking of security: If a retailer only offers one payment option, you should refrain from making a purchase. Particular caution applies if only bank transfers can be selected. A good indication of a reputable company is a large selection of (digital) payment methods such as direct debit, PayPal, credit card, or instant transfer. If a payment has been made, the individual debits can be contradicted or even reversed if necessary. Companies like PayPal also offer buyer protection, which applies to all transactions. Conventional bank transfers, on the other hand, can usually no longer be reversed. For these, the buyer needs decisive arguments and often has to pay additional fees so that the money gets back to their own bank account.
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