Define your wishes
Before turning on super-cheap but ultimately super-useless products for online shopping, think carefully: what do you really need? What do you want to give yourself or others? And above all, how much money are you willing to spend on it? It is best to write down these cornerstones, as a self-commitment.
Use price alerts
Once you've completed the first point, you can use price search engines to look at the current prices. This makes it easier to distinguish alleged offers from real bargains. Because many dealers advertise with high discounts. However, they refer their percentages to the manufacturer's original non-binding price recommendations. However, these are pure recommendations that many traders undercut anyway.
In addition, often sellers or outdated products are offered at bargain prices or initially displayed at inflated prices, so that the discount later appears higher.
If you do not want to miss real bargains, you should get a price alert on a comparison page. Then you will receive an e-mail as soon as an offer is below the selected price limit. An indication can be the lowest price of the past three months. If the price falls below this threshold, one usually does not do bad business.
How to recognize trusted shops
You should not shop in any online shop just because it promises cheap prices. A good sign that you are not dealing with fraudsters can be, for example, a functioning Trusted Shops seal that opens a window with the shop's certificate when you click on it. This allows consumers to synonymous the Internet address match, because sometimes build fraudsters clones of trusted Internet shops, which differ only in a letter of the URL line from the original.
Even the fine print as imprint, privacy policy and cancellation policy may contain information. Caution should be exercised if the operator indicates only a PO box address or the dealer tries to pass on shipping risks to the buyer.
Always good: vouchers
Coupon portals sometimes show coupons that make shopping even cheaper. However, these are sometimes tied to conditions such as subscribing to a newsletter - and in some cases can not be combined with other discount promotions.
Nevertheless, it is almost always - even if it is not exactly Black Friday - to search with a search engine for " name of the desired product coupon" or " name of the manufacturer coupon".
Avoid long delivery times and high shipping costs
At the end of the ordering process sometimes lures a nasty surprise: high shipping costs. Before you send the order, you should therefore try different shipping options - perhaps the delivery to a branch of the provider is indeed free. You should also pay attention to the delivery time. So many out of print product can be delivered in two to three months, when prices may have fallen even more.
Orders abroad can be expensive
Sometimes it can be tempting to order products from foreign suppliers (read more about orders from China here at SPIEGEL +). For example, because they are not offered in Germany, are not available or much more expensive. For orders from non-EU countries can order orders from 22 € - including shipping - added to the import sales tax of 7 or 19 percent. If the product has a value of more than 150 euros, a customs duty may be payable in addition, depending on the nature of the product. In addition, excise duties are levied on goods such as alcohol, tobacco and coffee. More information can be found on the website of the Customs.
The right payment methods
In online shops, do not prefer to pay in advance and, if possible, avoid bank transfers. More secure are direct debits and payments by credit card and Paypal, in which debits can be retrieved. Reputable shops demand no or at least no high fees.
Beware of withdrawal
If you order online, you have 14 days to cancel your order. However, keep in mind that sometimes you have to pay for the return costs and that returns are also not good for the environment.
There is almost always a next offer
Those who let themselves be made nervous by the many counting down watches and "only while stocks last" instructions in online shops should always keep in mind: Discount campaigns are not uncommon in the net.
If you are patient and compare prices on a regular basis, you will find great opportunities to get your desired product in the weeks and months after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
