How to Get the Best Price When Shopping Online

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

16 Jan 2009 01:04 PM

If you do a lot of online shopping, or even any online shopping, you'll definitely want to pay attention to this post. Did you know that you may not be getting the absolutely best price on your products? Forget coupons and coupons codes, although those certainly help to bring prices down. Instead, I am talking about a practice called "Dynamic Pricing," in which who you are may affect what price you are being given on a product.

Hotels and travel agents have been practicing dynamic pricing for years. Certain customers get certain rates, while other get the average or even higher rates. While this may not seem fair, it is perfectly legal to practice, especially online, where the retailer can't tell your race, religion, or gender (the only biased criteria that would protect you from differences in price).

How does dynamic pricing work? Basically, some retailers know a lot more about you than you might think. They keep track of your shopping and browsing habits. This helps them determine not only what content to show you or what items to suggest that you might like, but also in some cases what price to display. They know if you tend to be a big shopper, if you like to use coupons, and even what your financial resources are. This profile that is built about you sometimes help them to set their prices accordingly. And new shoppers may get the best deals.

There is a quick fix to all of this. Just delete your cookies in your browser. Cookies act like a trail of all the places you have done along with, in some cases, how you have done them. Have you ever noticed that a website may show a deal that is available only in the state in which you live? That is a good example of customization.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

Favorite Deal Websites:

FreeCoupons

Related Articles:

Coupons for Online Savings

Dollar Store Shopping Strategies

How to Get First Pick at Outgrown Sales

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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