However, just because the internet is cheap, doesn’t mean you still can’t save even more money.  I’m also not saying that I can get you that fancy new $2,000 TV for $1,000 either.  But, in times like these where wallets are thinner than ever, it takes some creativity to find the best of the good deals.  All of the tips I’ll talk about today are ones that I personally use and I decided to publish an article like this because I get asked by people all the time how cheap I can get something.

The place I always go to first when trying to find anything is Google Product Search.  They scourer the internet and find all the websites that sell that item and compares the pricing.  Sometimes the prices are a little outdated but overall it can be a great first place to look.  Type in the product name and click search.  For example; Amazon lists the Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote at $199.99 plus shipping.  After heading over to Google Product Search, I typed in ‘Logitech Harmony One,’ clicked ‘Search Products,’ then clicked ‘Compare Prices,’ lastly I clicked on ‘Total Price,’ so I could see the price after shipping costs.  I am able to get the Logitech Harmony One shipped to my house for $179.77 thanks to Google.  That’s over $20 in savings for a minute of my time!

My next tip involves Amazon.  Usually Amazon already has the best price and it’s a great website with great service and fast shipping.  If you use Amazon as much as I do, sign up for Amazon Prime.  I have been a member of Amazon Prime for years now and I love it!  It costs $79.00 a year, but you get free 2-day shipping on most items and you can upgrade to $3.99 1-day shipping.  Another plus is that you can share you Amazon Prime with up to 4 other household members.  Get them to chip in to split the costs.  By the numbers, if you buy from Amazon once a month or more you could be saving money and time by getting Amazon Prime.

The third tip I have for you involves a neat little site many people never heard of known as RetailMeNot.com.  This website allows users to enter in promotional codes that websites use to give people free shipping or discounts.  When I go there I search the website that I am interested in buying something from and I look through the various promotional codes and I try some of them out.  This can be very hit or miss as a lot of the codes have expired or are not relevant to your order and some websites do not allow users to submit promotional codes.  Every now and then, you find a jewel on this website that knocks 10% off your order or gives you free shipping.

The newest tip I have involves eBay.  They have a brand new program called eBay Bucks that is currently invite only and I got lucky and got an invite!  Soon it will be made available to everyone.  It’s free and it gets you 2% back on all of your purchases on eBay.  Every 3 months, eBay will issue you an eBay Bucks certificate for use on eBay towards future purchases.  There are some clauses however.  You must pay using PayPal and it doesn’t apply to purchases in eBay Motors, classifieds or real estate.

The last big tip I have for you applies mainly to college students.  Myself being one I know how expensive textbooks are.  My tip to you is to buy international versions.  These are the same thing as what you can buy at your bookstore, but are made for people in developing countries.  Often times they say “Not for sale in US,” and the price will be in rupees instead of dollars and they are almost always in black and white and soft cover.  You are allowed to own these, it’s not illegal and some bookstores even buy them back from you too.  I buy the international version of every book I can and use Google Product Search to find them.  On average I save about $70 a book or $210 a semester which means $420 a year or $1,680 over my 4 years in college.

There are many more ways to try and find the best deal on the internet but these are the highlights and secrets of my success to saving hundreds of dollars or more every year on the web.  The last piece of advice I have is to be creative and look around the internet, some websites sell products from several merchants and consider buying used and refurbished items.  Also, keep an eye on websites like Woot.com and 1SaleADay.com.