Does anyone else think there has been a lack of bargains lately? Even over the christmas/boxing day sales I never noticed anything special. Just free rubbish
Are the bargains always slow around this time of the year? Maybe I've just already bought a bargain of every type of item I'm interested in
yeah its those "must buy" bargains that are too good to be true that I like. Hasn't been to many of them lately.
I'm seeing Lot of new low prices but nothing that I would call a real bargain.
yes and no.
Since early-mid December there hasn't been any/many eneloop or chromecast deals.
However, i was in myer for 'super saturday' and some products were the cheapest they've ever been (clothing i've been tracking since 07)
With the USD going up, you probably wont find any deals on products priced on USD for a while. Notice that with the HP microservers
clothing i've been tracking since 07
waiting for price drops on clothing for 8 years? i don't know if that's to be applauded or if it's just ridiculous?
I should clarify, i've been tracking it for 8+ years, and have bought it many times.
socks?
I would agree that the drop in the AUD will prevent the sort of bargains that we had become accustommed to
Be fair, people usually remember big deals vividly and therefore they start comparing those to current deals which might be mediocre compared to older big deals. Perhaps that effect is partly why you think the deals are sluggish?
That being said, of course compared to Black Friday and stuff, I think it's the time of the year where there are less deals, since Christmas sales, Black Friday sales and Boxing Day sales would've worn out the stocks. Also USD increase would mean that import would've taken a hit from it as well.
I was thinking something like this, the last big one I remember that I purchased was the $500 macbook air which was a pretty ridiculous deal. Maybe I got used to all those ebay 20% discounts too.
Wow a $500 MacBook Air!!!! Devastated to have missed that.
Who was selling?
I believe it was a group buy through Kogan on eBay in combination with the 20% eBay discount :)
@jumpo: wowsers. I'd have bought that just for the sake of it! and this is from a strong android/windows fanboy.
@hahaboy: That's what I did.. and then I fell in love with it. Yesterday I bought a macbook pro.. Damn you Apple :(
It seems TA EC and Mm are on Christmas break.
They never sleep.
Who is Mm?
monty.melb?
i just want another site wide ebay coupon. i didnt buy much in the last one, but now it's gone i can think of a million and one things i need (want) to buy
$5 dollar Canon camera is pretty good.
Which deal? I can't find it.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/176612
Price was further reduced to $25 after posting which mades the camera $5 after cashback. .
I scored the last one at Chermside yesterday.
mate… that's like 1 store out of thousand of Kmart.
it's 19.99999999999999969 after cashback
The Amazon free shipping deal (I finally got me an aeropress to sit pride of place next to my eneloops) and Woolworths Gold 50% off promo were both good bargains :)
I bought some really nice blu rays from Amazon just prior to Christmas too; fantastic prices. Was not intending to buy at the time but too good to pass up; was notified by Ozbargain. Hard to imagine anyone could do better. I did compare prices during the sales too.
Agreed - must be weeks like that last DickSmith scandal, no deals from them in 2-3 weeks has to be a record.
It's refreshing not to be spammed on a daily basis by DSE… :D
Looking for another cheap headphones deal, those ATH-T400's from cotd for 19.95 delivered are incredible am still using them almost daily.
Seemed to be several sites selling good quality headsets pre Christmas … fir very good prices. Many were saying they were pleased. Cannot recall the ones on offer as I wasn't in the buyer market at the time. Perhaps the headset season has passed for now.
Didn't see anything which you stand up to the value of the cotd deal. Wasn't looking to spend 100+ , just one of those "don't think just buy" too good too be true deals.
Dunno 'bout your workplace but just about everywhere i have worked the Marketing/Sales guys take time off Xmas+New years. (and the sales were set before they took holidays)
Just a possibility.
Agreed, seems to be mostly computer games. I am more cynical. As a sales/marketing guy myself I reckon the evil forces of the universe have worked out people's buying behaviour. What used to be a mechanism to clear out some old inventory or a promotional tool to bring in new customers with a loss leader etc has now become a strategy in itself. I still get plenty of emails advertising 'Greatest ever sale in the history of the known universe!!!!' but when I get in there and have a lokk it is very 'Meh!' I reckon the marketing gurus think we all follow the neon signs of the sale and spend irrationally so they dress something up as a sale but realistically most of the stuff is the same as normal.
I am looking for bicycle wheels at the moment. I got an email yesterday from a shop called 'Probikekit'. They are known for having some great deals in the past and their email had a 'further 10% off already reduced stuff' code so I thought…here we go, new wheels coming right up. When I followed the link (in their 'further 10% off email) there were literally only 1 or 2 items applicable to the code. Most stuff was the same price. Another site i looked at Cyclingexpress had a set of wheels in their 'Limited Time Clearance' section that was 2% off, yep, that's right a whole $8 or so off. There were other online shops $70 cheaper off the bat.
Another thing I dont get is the whole 'we will match prices'. Why match, why not beat. Why would I go to all the trouble to fill in your 'pricematch' form when I could just buy from the guy with the lowest price (OK I get there might be some circumstances, like you are buying 3 items and you need them to pricematch 1 of them etc). They could advertise to 'Beat' competitor's prices then beat it by $1, the effect would be much more powerful than 'match' I would think.
I reckon you are aware of little of what goes on in order to predispose you to buy items. Because no one is.
You quite likely have a good grasp on what constitutes a good deal on bicycle wheels though (I'm assuming you have some interest in cycling) so you have a better reference point when it comes to shopping for these items. However it's not a given either.
I reckon Diji1 that plenty of people are aware of what goes on to predispose people to influence their buying behaviour. It is a science and knowing the science is a profession. I dont work in retail, I mostly sell big contracts to government departments etc but have a look on the web for firms like Huthwaite and Shipley. These guys have taken the science of selling and used it to develop procedures, manuals and training courses that they sell to big businesses so that those businesses can train their salespeople. I am sure there would be a retail extension of most of this and I'm sure the top salespeople employ this science on consumers.
How are you aware of a subconscious process going on. I would really love to know that. It doesn't matter that you understand the science, it is subconscious and knowing does not make you immune.
@Diji1: There are overt and covert methods used to influence buying behaviours.
Hence there are processes we are aware of, and others we aren't aware of. I think you're both correct.
There are LOADS of influences around us constantly that affect us subconsciously. But there are also plenty of in-our-face, simplistic, 'ugh-we've-seen-this-crap-before' type sales tactics that bore us and no longer entice us because they are stale and predictable, too, IMO.
Complex. I love the topic, personally. Hate it, and love it :P Love the psychology to an extent… but hate how it's exploited in a consumerism sense (yet, here I am on a bargain hunting site lol).
Diji1, by any chance are you into the illusionist/magician/mentalist/whatever lol Derren Brown? He's a pretty awesome guy. Performs live shows and does TV shows. Mostly comes across as an entertainer but does a great job of demonstrating just how easy it is to influence people with very very basic every day environmental cues. Fanstastic thought material when you think about it applied to advertising and marketing. Brilliant man. I adore him :)
Ha … Just noticed the prerequisite advertising at start of your post. From" wayfair.com.au .. 70% off (for) everything home. " Just to annoy you of course!
With the drop in the $ AU it is not all too surprising and many businesses finding the going a bit tough. Yes once the sales are done with, unless you are a tracking something specific, the prices haven't really moved much.
I did a follow up on a particular bed we "tried" to buy online … massive savings etc … more than the price I paid 6 months ago. They even sent us an inferior bed then and tried to tell me it was the same one … or they no longer had it. I had the bed picked up last time after unwrapping. What's the bet they are still trying to pull the same stunt? Pity really; if they had what they advertised (photo on website) in the first place would have been happy to buy.
I was just trying to replace my son's bed with something of suitable quality. Seems much cheaper and better quality too, if we stick with what he has. Seriously there is some really poor quality beds out there. Buyer beware … or compare with older styles for sale on ebay … so you know the quality just isn't there anymore. His original bed was purchased 20 years ago … double/single bunk bed.
okay my whinge done.
Happy New Year all!
too many beds, 7/10
Son still wanted the same style … so I thought black was a better colour than pale blue. The top bunk comes in handy when not used … everything gets tossed up there!
Well they could have made a sale and now I don't think I could trust them to deliver the order that you would pay for. The price (sale price at that) certainly has not gone down either. They have had 6 months to change their advertising … that photo of the Laredo … or if they now really do have it in stock … contact me … No … wondering if this whole episode is nothing but false advertising.
So much for their sale.
maybe you should start another thread about this ordeal, so i can choose to ignore it.
It's the dollar. It has plunged. Plus as usual there's Australian Tax.
Order from the UK or European Union. Our currency hasn't fallen nearly as much there as compared to the US dollar.
Lindt 100g blocks haven't been half price for months! My stocks are running low!
Er … except for about a whole month in December. In Rundle Mall Coles and Woolies.
You know what - you are absolutely correct: for some reason I assumed the regular price was $6.
YES. I've been waiting too.
Come on Lindt blocks!
thats good news, we dont miss anything good plus we dont spend any money
True, but not necessarily good from an economics standpoint.
we talking about a bargain, dont worry, people still bought groceries, petrol, eat, drink, services their car, etc
A lot of bargains from overseas cost a little bit more because of the Australian dollar losing value. Amazons has had some good specials since November on tech goodies. I bought of Alibaba for the first time last year. Aus sales haven't been all that exciting…
I found that alot of the bargains this year was more in-store than online.
Like during boxing day Lululemon was doing huge sales instore and at the outlets. It was like 70-80% off. lol.
lololemon?
I noticed a shortage of mobile phones and computer parts bargains.
dollar is up chit creek vs USD, AU retailers know we're looking to spend within AU and it's time for them to recoup some of their losses from 2011-13 when we sent all of our money overseas. They have us by the b@lls at the moment.
Not really. I still buy online.
Yes its more expensive than before, but then Australian Tax is more expensive than the change of currency.
Stuff I buy overseas is around 2-3x more expensive in Australia, so even if the currency changes, it still makes me want to buy overseas. No change in currency can negate the Invisible Australian Tax unless our currency falls by 50% lol.
Currently its only around 8-9% more expensive due to currency drop.
a falling south pacific peso will push local prices up anyway, so buying from overseas is going to stay relatively cheaper.
Hmmm, I seem to recall some ridiculously good TV prices just before Xmas. Fitbits were also going at below $100. Those were the standouts. However, the low AUD has already caused prices to increase post sales.
I agree about the TVs, i think the new curved TVs has dropped the prices of all the flat screens.
I went out looking for bargains during the Boxing Day sales and basically found nothing to buy. Either I already had it, or the prices being offered were nothing special.
Case in point: BigW always had Brita water filter cartridges discounted by 30% at every New Year sale, so I would stock up for the coming year. I needed some new cartridges, but sneaky BigW only had the jugs on special with cartridges at full price. I went to Amazon and ordered a pack of 12, air mailed from England at $6.75 all inc per cartridge. BigW price was $8.67 per cartridge. Costco $8.
Retailers are crowing this year that their November and December sales are very healthy, so I think that has flowed through to much less discounting.
I agree, early last year there were bargains that kept me up feverishly at night… These days most are ho hum… are we getting desensitized from oversaturation?
Interesting point regarding oversaturation.
Personally I don't look at every single deal and take an average of all of them to determine whether they're bargains. I have specific items that interest me - electronics, hardware/homewares, travel, and I'm also a sucker for the random freebie samples. But if I'm just looking out for certain deals, I'll remember what prices have been in the past and judge whether a deal is really a deal based on that.
For example, the latest Logitech UE Boom speaker. I think the lowest it has been is around $120-125 (don't quote me on this). There was a deal earlier today selling it for $139. Good price, but not a bargain for me. If it dropped to $100 tomorrow, I would pee myself a little before putting it on the credit card.
I suppose this brings me to the conclusion that 1) It's hard to judge deals across the board, and 2) Bargains are usually subjective… unless there's 20% of eBay.
Alot of bargains I see posted have actually been emailed to me earlier.
I guess people try and get a quota going and post everything.
Sometimes I get annoyed when people post "deals" just because it's the cheapest price atm even though it's been way cheaper in the past.
Inflation will do that …
I mean a month or 2 later when the item still has the same RRP
I get annoyed because a lot of business / assosciated are using Ozbargain to advertise.
I dont think they should be doing this unless it's a true BARGAIN. 10-15% is generally not considered a BARGAIN for most ozbargainers… especially for obscure goods like … head massagers…. or shitty electronics…
this is OzBARGAIN afterall…. not OzMediocreDiscount
Well bargians get upvoted. If the community thinks it's a weak bargain then it won't get many votes.
you're right… but wouldnt it be nicer to have more bargains to upvote… rather than 1 in 5 being remotely worthy of an upvote
Comes down to a user's individual opinion of a bargain. I see no value in Udemy courses where you may see them as a fantastic bargain when they are free.
@ShamelessBargains: yeh agree. just seems like there's a general consensus there are less bargains lately… for everyone in the community….hence the topic of this thread…
Its a bit strange that there is a lack of bargains lately. Just the weekly free music, online courses and samples clogging up the homepage.
Hopefully it picks up around Easter perhaps?
There seem to be less 'significant' bargains lately e.g. eBay sitewide sales, Dick Smith / TGG game clearance sales etc. Groceries* seem to be down too but that's probably a result of pre-Christmas / New Year / pre-Australia day focus on expensive party / prepackaged food etc. Just this time of year?
I'd be interested to see the breakdown of 100+ votes from the last month compared to a year ago.
We remember the excellent deals e.g. $40 Rebel gift cards for $1 but these just don't happen everyday.
*Full page ad in Herald Sun today: Helga's bread $5.39 $3.85 Everyday. I've been conditioned to not spend >$3 on a loaf of bread unless I'm desperate. You used to be able to get Abbott's / Helga's bread for $2.50-$3 from Coolies every 1-2 weeks, now it's more like 4-5+. Lower quality bread doesn't do it for me.
True not many great deals around I can tell purely by my bank balance going up instead of down !
Can't find an ozbargain deal for selfie sticks anywhere
Maybe the people that usually post deals are too busy taking selfies.
Ive seen a few decent deals around in the last 2 weeks, but i no longer bother to post them. With some particular members skirting around the rules and it becoming a fanboi voting wankfest i no longer see the point.
The Boxing day sales were not as good as 2013 and I think that's because retail was up last year and 2013 was a really bad year for them
Completely agree. Retailers are doing better than they have for years.
Maybe its cos OzBargain "ain't got it" no more…
The web is all about what's "fashionable" at the time. No website stays on top forever. Its all about how much traffic goes to the site.
OzBargain has pretty much become "mainstream" now which means the killer deals will be few and far between as the people who posted them move on to the next upstart.
Will we all be using OzBargain in 5-10 years time? Maybe. In 10-20 years time i would say definitely not.
What's the next upstart so I can keep refreshing that page every 5 minutes? xD
Chromeloop Bargain ;-)
I actually need some AAA eneloops. Before I would see a deal on Eneloops every other day. Now that I actually need some I haven't seen anything.
same thing, but chromecast
Same thing, but romoss chargers or cheap but high quality usb chargers. haha
australia day not far away… fingers crossed for the next sale then
Got the DC29 Motor Head Dyson Vacuum for $300 that was post on here. Absolute bargain.
Dc23 I think it is ;)
I'm going to have to agree with the topic. There hasn't been any good sales which make me say wow.
No Xbox, no Samsung Gear Live, no clothing deals. It's baron.
*Barren , you thinking of Baron Nashor by any chance ;)
I agree. Used to check OzBargain daily, but now give it a miss some days.
Getting pretty bored of the iOS / Android Apps, eBooks and Eneloop Batteries
Give us some good bargains internet and post them on OzBargain!
Been plenty of good deals but maybe a small drop off due to Aussie dollar lowering. Add about 30% to the price of everything from the US and UK as the dollar has basically gone down from 1.05 to 75c things start to make sense.
i was thinking the same recently…. but then again i've not really been looking to buy anything either…. but then again ozbargain should make you want to buy something you never even intended to buy in the first place.