How do you know if you are actually getting a good deal or not? Well, if you weren’t already aware of their existence, we want to introduce you to a gem of a website. They separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to deals. Enter PriceSpy.
Not long ‘til Christmas! The highly organised among us will have completed our Christmas shopping. Others are either too busy or a bit of a Scrooge – bah humbug — and will leave it to the last minute! However, some will have been waiting to make the most of the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
There is so much hype surrounding this weekend every year. As a result, it can be so easy to fall into the trap of just assuming a deal is good, just because the words “Black Friday” have been added. However, when you dig a little deeper, it is not always the case.
It is common practice for retailers to hoick up the prices of products in the lead up to Black Friday. When the day comes, they will then get reduced back to a “normal” price to make out it is a good deal. Cheeky!
So, how do you know if you are actually getting a good deal or not? Well, if you weren’t already aware of their existence, we want to introduce you to a gem of a website. They separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to deals. Enter PriceSpy.
What is PriceSpy?
PriceSpy is a price and product comparison site. Their mission? To “guide consumers to smarter buying decisions.” They want customers to find the right product, for the right price. They have done this by building a comprehensive database, detailing products and their prices from a “huge set of British shops.”
With PriceSpy, you can:
- Whittle down products quickly using their comprehensive filtering system, to find the product that suits your needs best.
- Read shop and product reviews from other users.
- Find out which shop is selling a product for the lowest price.
- Get the full picture with prices — shipping costs included.
- Keep track of stock status.
- Receive a daily curated list of the best deals.
All really useful features eh? Even better — you can use it for free! According to their website, “PriceSpy makes money on signing agreements with shops, whereby we charge them each time you get directed to their website.” They stress that they “always show all prices that we know of” and that “you can always trust that we show them from the lowest to the highest.” There are no paid rankings at PriceSpy!
There is one more feature we haven’t spoken about yet. It is a standout function that really gives power back to the consumer, allowing them to see straight through any illusionary deals!
PriceSpy’s history feature
The price history is PriceSpy’s most handy feature. They have collated pricing data for every product going back two years. Access to this information, allows the consumer to ascertain if a deal is truly as good as it seems!
With PriceSpy you can see how the price has varied — increased and decreased — over time. You can then compare the current Black Friday deal against these prices and determine whether it is worthwhile. If a deal proves to be truly a great price, you can grab your wallet and jump on it. If the product has been sold at a lot lower prices in the past, it may be wise to hold off and see if the price drops.
It is worthwhile mentioning that the price history only focuses on new products. It does not take into account the pricing for second-hand products, even if they are in spotless condition.
How to check price history on Price Spy
To see a product’s price history:
- Go to https://pricespy.co.uk/
- Enter the name of the product you are interested in buying into the search bar at the top of your screen.
- Select the correct option from the dropdown list of results.
- Scroll down the page to the “Price History” section.
Here you will see a graph. This graph shows you how the lowest price across the entire market has changed over time. Obviously, some shops are more reputable than others and provide better customer experiences. So, although this graph shows you the trajectory of the lowest pricing, it could be representing not so reputable companies.
With PriceSpy, you have the option to see a breakdown of a product’s price history at a specific retailer.
To see the price history of a product sold by a specific retailer:
- Click the dropdown menu entitled “Select shop,” positioned above the graph, on the left-hand side.
- Select or tick the boxes of the retailers whose price history you are interested in seeing.
You want to weigh up the price and the reputation of the seller. Do your due diligence and read reviews. Something could be £X cheaper at one shop, but spending £X more with another retailer may be worth it for a smooth customer experience and to avoid the hassle of being mucked around.
We hope you found this tech tip helpful. All that is left to say is…happy shopping!
At Appdrawn Software Development our mission is to make tech work for the user — not the other way round. Have a browse through our tech tip series for more handy hacks to make your day to day life that bit easier.