Alibaba set a new record of US$30.8 billion in sales on November 11, aka Singles Day. The figure eclipsed the US$4 billion that Amazon brought in on Prime Day in July.
If anything, this shows that people are drawn to sales — 10/10, 11/11 and with Black Friday and Christmas coming up soon. It’s like everybody has been saving up just for these occasions.
But, is a sale really a sale or just an opportunity for sellers to sell more because of the hype?
Sometimes, we can’t really tell, especially if we’re just blindly caught up in the frenzy and thinking that most, if not all, deals are good.
Here’s where a little homework can make a world of difference:
- Know the usual price. Find out the usual price of the product you’re eyeing, then you’ll know if the deal is good.
- Search and search some more. Don’t be too trigger happy and click on the first listing, Scour through the list to compare prices for similar products.
- Warranty period. Do consider warranty period if you’re getting an electronic or mobile device. Some products may simply be cheaper because they are brought in by parallel importers and come without or with limited warranty.
- Any bundling? If the price doesn’t look discounted, find out if the listing comes with any gifts. Sometimes, new products cannot be discounted, such as the OnePlus 6T smartphone (below), which was launched end October. On November 11, the deal came with an additional adapter and cable.
- Shipping cost. Another deal breaker is shipping cost. Some vendors give free shipping on special sales while others may offer discounted shipping. But, take note of delivery timeline in such instances.
Doing your homework will help you make better decisions at the next sales — Black Friday!
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