A friend and I both got new (to us) TV's yesterday. I didn't have a TV of my own yet, and he moved into a large, high ceiling place that made his small TV look silly. I got a better deal though and this is how.
If you're shopping for something that there are many of, like TV's or other electronics, I think using these tactics will help you get a good deal. Most of you will probably already assume these as common sense though.
- Don't just log onto your favorite site, browse the ads that fit your search criteria, and then pick a few to respond to. You should browse the ads, but keep in mind that all the ads that are still there, were not sold already. There were plenty more ads that you don't see, because they sold immediately. What's left over because it's not a great deal is all the ads you see.
- You want to wait in the tall grass for a seller to post a really good deal, and then close the deal immediately before anyone else has a chance. These are the ads you don't see, because they go offline within an hour. Thus, all the prices you do see are too high.
- That means you have to check back regularly to see if something new has been posted. Fortunately, if you do this somewhat regularly then there will only be a handful of ads that have been added so these check-ups won't take much time. Plus you can assume that anything posted longer than a few hours is a bad deal.
- Be patient. Especially for TV's, a deal will come. The best is if someone has no sense of value, or if someone needs to get rid of something fast. There are endless amounts of TV's that people will sell.
- Always call if there is a number listed, or ask to call via a message/email if there isn't. It shows you have serious interest (even if you don't), it's a much faster way to make progress in negotiations and builds trust because it's a more personal way to communicate.
In any case, think about how people assign value to things. Just because something's worth amount X to you, doesn't mean there isn't someone who has that thing but it isn't worth anything anymore to them.
I got a 6-year-old 50" plasma for €140, but it has scratches on the screen that are invisible when the screen is on, while my friend got a 7-year-old 52" LCD tv with no damage for €290 which I still thought was a decent deal.
September 18, 2017 at 03:02AM
