Introduction To Online Deals Sites
The two most famous and useful online deals sites are Fatwallet.com and SlickDeals.net. My personal favorite is Fatwallet but there is nothing wrong with SlickDeals either.
Fatwallet has two important sections. The forums and the cashback sections. I’ll cover cashback first. The way cashback works is that you link to whatever website you are planning to purchase from through Fatwallet. By following their link, Fatwallet agrees to give you a percentage of their referral commission back as cash. The amount you’ll receive back varies by the store but it can add up very quickly. My lifetime cashback is over $80 for doing nothing more than going to Fatwallet first before making online purchases. You have sign up for an account on Fatwallet first before you can receive cashback but it’s quick and free.
The forums section of Fatwallet is where the real value is, particularly the Hot Deals forum. I highly recommend getting an account, not just for the cashback but for the extra sorting and searching options it will give you in the forums. I normally set my view to “by recent topics” instead of the default of “by recent messages.” This helps to separate the old deals from the new as the newest topics will appear first.
You’ll notice green and red bars that appear next to a post, these are the rating that allows Fatwallet members to rate a deal. The more green a deal has, the better the members think the deal is. Fatwallet members tend to be a very frugal bunch and understand market valuation well, as such just your typical Amazon low price will not generate green. It takes an unusually low price to generate alot of green.
It’s worth noting that many of the posted deals involve rebates. While rebates aren’t typically a problem, retailers and product manufacturers know that most people never manage to send in the rebate. So if you are the type to forget a rebate, its probably best to pass on the deals that require a rebate. Also, some rebate processors are better than others, so it makes sense to read the comments to see what members past experience with the rebates from that particular company have been.
Another important detail is that many deals don’t last very long. If the price is really good, it’s going to sell out quick. Sometimes its a price mistake and is quickly corrected. Sometimes it’s a sale that is only scheduled for one day or a coupon code that expires soon. Be prepared to decide quickly if a deal is for you.
If anybody has any experience with other deals sites, I’d love to hear about it.
