Eight tips to help vintage shoppers from amateur to advanced make the most of their time and money.
The capability of the internet to place millions of products at your fingertips, to search for the best price online, and to give you access to millions of reviews, has unleashed the bargain hunter in all of us.
I’m addicted, too, so when I was introduced to “social shopping” last year, I was more than enthusiastic to give it a go. If you’re sick of hearing of the current wave of “social networks“, social shopping probably sounds altogether naff. But it’s really not like that at all.
Social shopping communities are purpose-built web environments that are rich with recommendations on things you never knew about or even needed. It’s a world of discovery for hidden gems – and that’s where social shopping comes into its own. Over the web, niche products are much easier to get hold of, yet it’s sometimes still difficult to find exactly the product you’re picturing in your head.
Now, thanks to sites such as Kaboodle or ThisNext, you have easy access to hundreds of thousands of products that have already been discovered and given the thumbs-up by product connoisseurs.
How else would you learn about transparent toasters, or where to buy a Mix Tape USB drive? Gone are the days of traipsing around town… it’s like having an army of online personal shoppers at your disposal.
Taking it a step further are a handful of websites that provide more than just an environment for sharing, advocacy and discovery – they also provide a means to purchase the products easily, too.
About Kaboodle
Kaboodle is a social shopping community where people discover, recommend and share products. Kaboodle’s powerful shopping tools allow people to organize their shopping through lists, discover new things from people with similar style, get discounts on popular products and find best prices. At the heart of Kaboodle is a fun and engaging community of people who love to shop. Community members create and join groups, share advice, feedback and product suggestions and personalize their profiles with polls and other widgets. Kaboodle was launched in 2006 and has 500,000 registered users and over 6 million monthly visitors.
About ThisNext
ThisNext is an online media and social-shopping company where people recommend their favorite products for others to discover and purchase online. We are bridging the continents of offline media, brand advertising and e-commerce by building a media platform that supports the marketing lifecycle – awareness, consideration, trial and consumption. We blend two powerful elements of real-world shopping otherwise lost for online consumers: word-of-mouth recommendations from trusted sources and the ability to browse products in the way that naturally leads to discovery. ThisNext also features a suite of distribution tools for bloggers, online communities and commerce sites. ThisNext launched in August, 2006, and is a venture-funded Web 2.0 company based in Santa Monica, California.
The only way to get a proper feel for the performance, handling, ride and comfort of a new car is to drive it. Here are a few helpful tips:
Shopping for a new car involves a lot of research and negotiation. Following these new car buying tips before you buy can save you time — and a few dollars.
Set your price — before you start shopping.
Decide how much money you can spend and what type of car best suits your needs before you visit a car lot. Make a list of all the makes and models that interest you and include the features and options you want. Then, do some homework on those cars. Use online sources and consumer and automotive publications to compare different vehicles, reviewing information about reliability, frequency of maintenance, trunk space, passenger comfort and other practical features. The more you know about your individual needs, the quicker you can drive the car you want off the lot. Read the rest of this entry »
Want to save thousands of dollars on your next car purchase? Then do whatever you can to pay cash for the car – ideally a well-built used vehicle. By taking this route, you’ll avoid years’ worth of finance charges. What’s more, someone else would have taken the hit for the worst of the vehicle’s depreciation for you.
But if the all-cash scenario just isn’t an option, the following tips will help you protect yourself when taking out a car loan. Read the rest of this entry »
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |