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Slickdeals AMA with Deal Hunter daisybeetle!
April 16, 2024 at
04:37 PM
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Last Edited by Eragorn | Staff April 30, 2024 at 02:48 PM
Hey Slickdealers! We're hosting an AMA with Deal Hunter daisybeetle on Friday, April 19th, at Noon PT in this thread to answer all your burning questions on finding and sharing the best deals online. Over the last 15 years, daisybeetle has shared more than 13,000 deals with 310 million deal views and 220,000 rep points and counting!
This is your chance to get the inside scoop directly from a savings guru! Here are a few things you might ask:
This is your chance to get the inside scoop directly from a savings guru! Here are a few things you might ask:
- What tools do you use to track down deals?
- What are your favorite stores for finding hidden gems? ️
- How do you know which sales are actually worth your time?
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costco has it and its confusing like hell.
2) Any tips on finding good TV deals?
2) When looking at a possible deal, how do you determine if it's good deal compared to other stuff on sale? Eg. TV sale from multiple retailers, and you're trying to find the best deals among all those tv's.
I think this is an intriguing idea, I really had to think about it.
One thing I often do as a deal poster is I do a (each) price after the final price, if someone is getting more than one of the same thing. This is a bit of an art, as would be your ounce price. For instance: which of the products below would be best presented as having an each price?
- 24-Count Green Mountain K-Cups for Keurig Brewers $5
- 3-Pack Polo Ralph Lauren Men's Boxer Briefs (various colors) $15
- 130-Count Nature Made 500mg Vitamin C Supplement $2.75
- 6-Count BIC Men's Flex 5 Titanium 5-Blade Disposable Razors $8.10
Even when I was a community member posting deals, I felt that the price breakdown enhanced the shopper's analysis of the deal when looking by the title only. Reading over a title quickly, one might miss that there is a quantity involved, especially if the picture only shows one product and the count or pack size is at the front.- 24-Count Green Mountain K-Cups for Keurig Brewers $5 ($0.25 each)
- 3-Pack Polo Ralph Lauren Men's Boxer Briefs (various colors) $15 ($5 each)
- 130-Count Nature Made 500mg Vitamin C Supplement $2.75 ($0.02 each)
- 6-Count BIC Men's Flex 5 Titanium 5-Blade Disposable Razors $8.10 ($1.35 each)
I would put an each price on all of them, except the vitamins. I almost feel like it doesn't enhance the shoppers' analysis. Generally, if a shopper can buy an item individually (like one boxer brief vs the 3-pack), the each price helps a lot. But things typically sold as a count size (k-cups, single serving snacks, vitamins), it gets kinda fuzzy as to what conveys value.Weight breakdowns I might add to a title:
- Pet food (by the lb)
- Dumbbells (possibly by the lb)
So why not ounces? I guess I personally feel that most people don't have a reference point handy for ounces, but they might have a reference point for how much to pay for a k-cup or a pair of boxer briefs. If I called out dog food by the ounce, vs the lb - I think most shoppers could not ascertain if it was a deal. Just in thinking about this (as I was an extreme couponer before I was a slickdealer), I bet you I couldn't tell you the ounce price on a single item (in 15+yrs). I do look at them on the grocery shelf, and if appropriate I buy the acceptable product with the lowest ounce price, but they have to all be together to compare. I could tell you what I would expect "each" prices to be, or even calories if it's food - but the per ounce price has escaped me when I am shopping for an item independent from its competitors..Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Yes! But not often. I do it though mostly to test things prior to posting or to verify what the community says is a commonly available price.
Examples of times I went to the store:
I have found some deals that my hands get sweaty and I can't type or move my mouse because I am so excited to share them. It is amazing that your first deal went frontpage! (mine first deal did not, though I tried!).Your deal went frontpage because the community saw it and voted for it. You helped people to save money, and that feels awesome. But price mistakes are pretty rare for anyone, so don't let that be a barrier to you sharing more of your finds.
Price mistakes I remember (and how I found them):
- Prime Members: T-Fal 4.4-Quart Air Fryer & Grill Combo (Black) Free + Free S/H (this one, I opened Amazon's homepage at the very moment their prime day deals were going live, and happened to click on the air fryer, and saw a coupon that made it free!)
- Crocs Clogs for $5.50 (I had posted a deal earlier that day, and saw that it had been expired. I investigated, but then found a coupon they added that made some crocs almost free (but there was $5 shipping. Sadly, most got canceled)
- Reebok Shoes for less than $10 (This was a while ago, but I was browsing the ebay reebok ebay store, and just noticed that some shoes were super low. I do know some people got some of their orders, but not many, most were canceled)
Moral of the story, price mistakes are great, but most of the time people just stumble on them while browsing. It's much easier (though not "easy") to find bonafide deals that others can use, even on a daily basis. I sign up for a lot of promotional emails, I page flip merchant sites and sort by all different methods, I use keyword searches on google, look at mailers, I look at product suggestion ads on SD, and I bookmark links that I have found useful. But far and away my favorite way to deal hunt is to start with a coupon, look at historical prices for individual items at that store on SD and cross check google, and post those individual items with that coupon. I hope to see more great deals of yours!Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank daisybeetle | Staff
2) Any tips on finding good TV deals?
"What days of the week and around what time of day are the best to find good deals?"
I think every deal poster might have a different outlook on this. I post primarily apparel, shoes, and household items. Typically deal posters would focus on when the stores they like to hunt change their promotions for the week.
For instance:
- Amazon: Daily at 3am EST
- Target: Saturdays at Midnight EST (I think)
- Woot: Daily at 1am EST
- Newegg: 3am EST (not sure if daily)
- Macys: 3-5am EST (varies by promotions)
- Adidas: 3-5am EST (varies by promotions)
- Walgreens: 3am EST (sometimes coupons might be a little laggy)
- Under Armour: Midnight EST- 5am EST (varies by promotions)
- Nike: Midnight EST (though their promotional schedule might vary)
- Best Buy: 1am EST
I also personally find Saturdays and Sundays as great opportunities to find deals (all day). Also, weekends prior to holidays typically associated with sales (President's Day, for example). But my general train of thought is that anytime is a good time to browse and find deals."Any tips on finding good TV deals?"
This is really not my wheelhouse, but - if shopping, Slickdeals is awesome (if in Classic on the site, click here).
But as far as finding TV deals to post (and to buy!), really educating yourself as to what specs are important to you (and others), learning what price points people are willing to pay for a tv that has those specs and weighing all this against prior Slickdeals data is the best way. In terms of finding a deal to post, outside of visiting sites that sell tv's directly and browsing, google or other search engines are pretty good with keyword searches (Like "TV price drop") with adblock off (make sure you don't only look at the green prices with msrp crossed off, look at the black prices too - because lots of times the ones with the black prices are the best deals!). Just make sure the store that is being suggested on google or whatever search engine you are using is something you have heard of before, or seen posted on Slickdeals before.
These are elements that will matter a great deal when evaluating TV's
- Brand
- Size
- Seller (authorized dealer vs gray market)
- Return policy (TV's may have a high rate damage on shipping)
- Following below are some specs that will help you to narrow down the price.
- OLED, Hz, 4K, 3D, HDMI 2.1 Ports, Smart
Search tips:Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank daisybeetle | Staff
2) When looking at a possible deal, how do you determine if it's good deal compared to other stuff on sale? Eg. TV sale from multiple retailers, and you're trying to find the best deals among all those tv's.
Hi Shadow_Heir!
"What are the top the 3 tips you would give to deal hunters in general?"
- Always test your deal. If you can't add it to the cart or get to the end of checkout, odds are others can't either.
- Slickdeals is an amazing archive of price history and community feedback and perception. Generally it is your best resource out there to have a real idea if you are getting a deal. I don't think in the 15+yrs I have been on Slickdeals, I have felt like I overspent on something (unless I did so with eyes wide open). Even things you wouldn't think Slickdeals would help with, the community discussions on similar things enhance your understanding of how others evaluate items, and spend wisely.
- Have fun! The best part of deal hunting and sharing finds is when they get positive feedback from the community. It is a wonderful perk, and why I got started and kept at it for years (even before I was staff). Plus, if you are the OP, you get to buy first!
"When looking at a possible deal, how do you determine if it's good deal compared to other stuff on sale? Eg. TV sale from multiple retailers, and you're trying to find the best deals among all those tv's."The reply in the post above this focuses on TV's specifically, but as to how I determine overall what deal is good, I would say these things primarily:
- Testing my deal to see if it works
- Checking price history on Slickdeals, and comparing apples to apples where you can. This gets kind of complicated, if you aren't yet really versed in what brands need apples to apples comparisons. But I would generalize by saying, household name brands or popular product brands on Slickdeals should be apples to apples. Off brands or 3rd party items can be cross compared, but you would need to line up as many specs and features as possible for it to be 'fair'. Then you can get into the weeds of things like "is this shoe color more popular than that shoe color" when it is the same brand and style.
- If it passes Slickdeals history test, then I check google or other search engines to make sure it is best of web (and if there are matching stores, I would include the matches)
- Searching out possible stacking coupons
- Then there are many other things to take into consideration:
- Merchant (household name merchant?)
- Item condition (new, refurbished, open box, used (good, excellent, like new)
- Size (ounces - food, length - ladder, dimensions - tv, gb/tb - tech, etc)
- Material (is it cotton, polyester, wool, a blend)
- Model of the item
- Year or Generation
- Is it a quality item (are reviews good? Are there reviews that are 'terminal' to being able to post? - like, sheets that tear after the first wash, or battery packs that catch on fire)
- Is there enough stock to share the deal? There are lots of people on Slickdeals that want a great deal!
- Shipping time, cost and method
- Return policy of seller
- Store Membership Requirements (paid membership like Costco, store cards like Kohl's, Amazon prime)
- Style of the item (is it an ugly shoe, or just an ugly shoe for that price?)
- Weight (like a chair, how much can it hold? Or a laptop, is it super heavy or is it light?)
- Warranties (grey market items, extended warranties offered, short warranty considerations, etc)
- Even things like left hand or right hand can matter (golf clubs, catcher's mitts)
- And probably more that I am forgetting.
But while it may seem like a lot, I feel knowing these things about what you share with others or what you buy for yourself only enhances your quality of life and ability to spend/save confidently. One of the many reasons I love the slickdeals community - they gave me a lot of information I am thankful for!"What days of the week and around what time of day are the best to find good deals?"
I think every deal poster might have a different outlook on this. I post primarily apparel, shoes, and household items. Typically deal posters would focus on when the stores they like to hunt change their promotions for the week.
For instance:
- Amazon: Daily at 3am EST
- Target: Saturdays at Midnight EST (I think)
- Woot: Daily at 1am EST
- Newegg: 3am EST (not sure if daily)
- Macys: 3-5am EST (varies by promotions)
- Adidas: 3-5am EST (varies by promotions)
- Walgreens: 3am EST (sometimes coupons might be a little laggy)
- Under Armour: Midnight EST- 5am EST (varies by promotions)
- Nike: Midnight EST (though their promotional schedule might vary)
- Best Buy: 1am EST
I also personally find Saturdays and Sundays as great opportunities to find deals (all day). Also, weekends prior to holidays typically associated with sales (President's Day, for example). But my general train of thought is that anytime is a good time to browse and find deals."Any tips on finding good TV deals?"
This is really not my wheelhouse, but - if shopping, Slickdeals is awesome (if in Classic on the site, click here).
But as far as finding TV deals to post (and to buy!), really educating yourself as to what specs are important to you (and others), learning what price points people are willing to pay for a tv that has those specs and weighing all this against prior Slickdeals data is the best way. In terms of finding a deal to post, outside of visiting sites that sell tv's directly and browsing, google or other search engines are pretty good with keyword searches (Like "TV price drop") with adblock off (make sure you don't only look at the green prices with msrp crossed off, look at the black prices too - because lots of times the ones with the black prices are the best deals!). Just make sure the store that is being suggested on google or whatever search engine you are using is something you have heard of before, or seen posted on Slickdeals before.
These are elements that will matter a great deal when evaluating TV's
- Brand
- Size
- Seller (authorized dealer vs gray market)
- Return policy (TV's may have a high rate damage on shipping)
- Following below are some specs that will help you to narrow down the price.
- OLED, Hz, 4K, 3D, HDMI 2.1 Ports, Smart
Search tips:Sorry I missed the Q&A but appreciate the SD masterclass.
Sorry I missed the Q&A but appreciate the SD masterclass.