But before you hit the buy button, there are a few things you should check to make sure that the product is a great price – and performs well. Our product experts have seen plenty of cases during previous sales of Which? Don’t Buy products offered at a discount.
As a Which? deals editor, Faith Strickland knows a thing or two about snapping up a bargain.
: find deals on products we rate1. Trust the ‘before’ or ‘was’ price
It can be hard to make a rational buying decision when supposedly vastly cheaper prices are stamped in red on the product you’ve been looking at.
To ensure you get a true bargain, it's worth doing some extra research.
2. Make a decision based on the RRP
Much like ‘was’ and ‘before’ pricing, don’t make a snap decision based on a product’s RRP.
The recommended retail price (RRP) is exactly what it says on the tin - merely a recommendation, meaning retailers may not have ever sold the product at that price.
In a Black Friday investigation, we found a Samsung heat pump tumble dryer on sale for £629.99 at Amazon, which was set against its RRP of £789.99. But when we delved into the product’s pricing history, it had not been sold for £789.99 at Amazon once in the 12 months prior.
To make sure retailers aren’t misleading you into thinking you're saving more than you are, use the tools mentioned above to find out what the real cost difference is.
3. Not do any research on the product
There’s no point in bagging what feels like a super saving if the product isn’t worth the price.
4. Only look at one retailer
If you’ve already paid for an Amazon Prime subscription, it may be tempting to do all your shopping there.
But many retailers price match, including during sale periods, which makes shopping around all the more important.
On Which? deal pages, we use a pricing tool that compares approved retailers' prices, so you can quickly and easily see which is the cheapest.
5. Not make use of free trials or loyalty schemes
Amazon holds two yearly sales exclusively for the Prime members, one in summer and one in autumn.
If you’re not a Prime member and have spotted something in the sale, take advantage of a free 30-day membership.
Just remember to cancel your membership; otherwise, you may be charged.
Plenty of other retailers also have membership or loyalty schemes.
:.6. Not check the price per unit on everyday essentials
Spending more money to save money might feel nonsensical, but sometimes a larger single outlay is better value.
When it comes to everyday essentials such as toilet roll, dishwasher tablets or laundry capsules, it’s worth checking the price per unit to find the best saving.
For example, buying a bundle of washing-up liquid bottles may work out cheaper per litre than buying a single bottle. On Amazon, the price per unit is displayed next to the price and is often shown in brackets.
7. Only shop in the sale period
Bright red prices, warnings of limited time and countdown tickers; retailers have a host of tactics to pile on the pressure come sale periods such as Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day.
My advice? Check the price history of anything you’re interested in and if it’s not at its cheapest price in the past six months, consider holding out.
See more Which? deals advice
While I may be slightly biased when it comes to Which?, I truly believe that our sales advice is a cut above the rest. We never accept freebies or influence from retailers, which means the products featured in our deals pages really did impress our experts. We also spend time checking pricing to make sure we're not passing on a bad deal.
To see our deals work in action, take a look at our most popular pages:source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/which-deals-editor-expert-sale-tips-aSaAq8L7D5oA