I ™m sure by now you’ve heard of group-buying or daily deal sites. These sites are great ways to save big money on entertainment, relaxation, gifts, restaurants and more. You can also end up spending more than you bargained for, and the deals can end up being duds. So how will you know if you are really getting the most out of daily deal sites?
Check out these 5 tips before you buy:
Hidden Fees?
Many of the retail vouchers are for online stores, and these deals can become duds very quickly if you don't check the shipping costs. If your voucher is for $10 off a $20 purchase and shipping is $7.95, your 50% off deal has now become virtually not a deal at all. On the flip side, many vouchers will include free shipping on your order. Bottom line: Make sure to check in the fine print if shipping is included or not. If shipping is not included, consider it as part your overall cost. Then determine if the deal is still worth grabbing.Now or Later
A great perk about vouchers are their long expiration dates. Many times you ™ll have up to a year or longer to actually use your voucher once you purchase. This is great for planning things ahead of time. However, make sure not to overbuy. It can be easy to get carried away if you aren't watching your budget!You Said how Much?
If there is a voucher for $100 worth of clothing for only $50, that sounds like a great deal. But if you go browse around the store and all the shirts are $90-$125 each then you would have to ask yourself, would I regularly spend $50 for one piece of clothing? I know I wouldn't. I usually pay around $10-$15 (maximum) on a shirt. This 50% off deal would ultimately be 5 times the amount of money spent than my regular purchases and definitely not a deal.The Promise
Major group buying sites have started to introduce satisfaction guarantees to their daily deals. If you feel like something didn't go quite right with your purchase from the daily deals site or maybe you felt the voucher was misleading, they will refund your money. Groupon has started this trend with their Groupon Promise and I ™m sure within the next couple of months, other daily deal sites will be catching on as well.Free Credits
Almost every group buying site gives you great incentives to get your friends and family on board by offering you referral credits. Once you have an account, you can use your unique link to invite your friends/family to join the daily deal site and if they purchase something, you ™ll get the credit. Luckily, there are a few sites around that will give you free credits that you can use right away just for signing up through someone's referral link. I ™ve listed my top 4 sites below and the amount of credit you ™ll instantly get just for making an account:- Eversave: One of the top group buying sites, and one of my personal favorites. Mainly nationwide deals. They will often have coupon codes for dollar off amounts to make your deals even lower. Get a $2 credit to use when you sign up through this link.
- Living Social: One of the top group buying sites. They have now extended out to small getaways deals along with family edition deals. Get a $5 credit to use when you sign up through this link.
- Gaggle of Chicks: Geared for mom/family products and services. Mainly nationwide deals. Get a $10 credit to use when you sign up through this link.
- Mamapedia “ Geared for mom/family products and services. A good mix of nationwide and local deals. They will often have coupon codes for dollar off amounts to make your deals even lower. They will also donate 5% of your purchase to the school of your choice! Get a $5 credit to use when you sign up through this link.
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