It is all too easy to Google “compare product price” and get a result you believe in. So you click on the 1st or 2nd and there is the product you want to buy and it is supposed to be the best price. Click through to the link and you are on the e-commerce site. How many of us then unthinkingly add the item to the cart and buy. STOP! Ask yourself - have you really found the best price? Maybe not. The reality is not all price comparison sites have the best price on them. The result you have found is probably a site that earns a commission when you buy. They have got to the top of the listing not because they really have the best price but because they have met a whole load of other criteria set by the search engines, none of which have anything to do with offering the best product price. But a proper e-commerce site is hiding a page or two back in the results may really offer the best price.
The other day I did a search for “compare price satin pyjamas” and found that the best price offered on the comparison site that came up first was £69.00 – but I happened to know that the same set was available for less than £45.00 elsewhere. Case proved as far as I was concerned. Price comparison is best done DIY. Find the product you want and then search for it on real e-commerce sites to find the best offer.
But the up front price is not the only thing to take into account. Because best price up front is not always the best deal. When you find the best price you need to check the shipping cost and any other extras which are not always shown until you actually put the item in the shopping cart on the site. Don't be afraid to do this - you are not buying anything until you give your card details.
So in summary – ignore the price comparison sites (they make money when you buy through their link). Simply find the product you want. Use the search engine (which ever is your favourite) to find other places that sell the garment you want and then compare their results first hand before you decide where to buy. It might take a little longer to do it that way but at least you can be sure that you really have got a good deal, not just the "best price" someone wants you to buy at.
This article was supplied by Gill Fernandez, MD of Crysalis Ltd - Online Retail Company.
But the up front price is not the only thing to take into account. Because best price up front is not always the best deal. When you find the best price you need to check the shipping cost and any other extras which are not always shown until you actually put the item in the shopping cart on the site. Don't be afraid to do this - you are not buying anything until you give your card details.
So in summary – ignore the price comparison sites (they make money when you buy through their link). Simply find the product you want. Use the search engine (which ever is your favourite) to find other places that sell the garment you want and then compare their results first hand before you decide where to buy. It might take a little longer to do it that way but at least you can be sure that you really have got a good deal, not just the "best price" someone wants you to buy at.
This article was supplied by Gill Fernandez, MD of Crysalis Ltd - Online Retail Company.
