Finding Good Deals Using Slickdeals.net

The holidays are in full bloom and the economy is in the tank. Which means I’m scouring the internet and local sunday ads to find the best deals. I’ve recently posted about the different cash back rebate programs (Ebates, Mr. Rebates, BigCrumbs, Fat Wallet, Cashbaq and Live Search) and a directory that sorts the cash back programs based on the online retailer (ev’reward). The last piece of the puzzle for my holiday (and the rest of the year) shopping is slickdeals.

What is Slickdeals?

Slickdeals is a deal-sharing forum that is free and the information is supplied by the users. If there is a good deal to be had, you will find it at slickdeals. Users post deals and other users comment on and rate these deals as far as how good of a deal it is, the quality of the product and the quality of the retailer.

How do I use Slickdeals?

During the holidays I have been checking slickdeals multiple times per day, as new deals are constantly posted during the holiday season. With all of the slickdealers out there, the deals can expire or run out of stock quickly. Normally, I only check slickdeals once per day. At the very least, I always check the slickdeals on the front page. The front page has what is considered to be the very best deals for the day. Today, for example, there is a deal for 3 six foot HDMI cables for $9 shipped. The very same cables that Best Buy and Circuit City sell for up to $40 each.

In addition to the front page, I routinely click on the forums tab to read the “hot deals” forum. The hot deals forum is where users post what they consider hot deals. The best deals generally have the highest rating, which is donated by yellow fists with a thumbs up. You can also sort all of the deals according to category by clicking on the correct icon to the left of each deal or at the bottom of the page.

Recent Personal Examples

I’ve used slickdeals to do some of my holiday shopping, but my best deals have been on purchases for myself. I recently bought a ps3 for a final cost of $176.02! The starting cost for an 80GB ps3 was $399.99. I bought it from Dell online with a 5% coupon stacked on top of a 15% coupon. These coupons reduced the price to $322.99. Add in tax and free shipping and as far as Dell was concerned I paid $342.19. I initiated my purchase through Mr. Rebates for another 5% cash back. Finally, I applied for a Sony Visa credit card that offered a $150 credit on a $299 qualifying purchase. All of this information was gathered on slickdeals.

Unfortunately, the ps3 does not come with a game like the old fashioned console systems did. This did clear the way for a super deal at Toys R Us, which started this Sunday. Normally Rock Band 2 is $189.99. Toys R Us had a Rock Band 2 sale for $109.99 and a $25 gift card. After subtracting out the gift card, the total cost was 84.99.

In the end, the ps3 and Rock Band 2 should have cost me $589.99. With the help of slickdealers, I was able to score both for a combined cost of $261.01!

Conclusion

With the economy struggling, deals are just one way to reduce the effects. Keeping a watchful eye on slickdeals, I have been able to save a lot of money for holiday gifts, as well as purchases for my own amusement. Although slickdeals will make you more aware of some awesome deals, you have to stay strong and only make the purchases you were planning on making anyways. It can be very easy to spend too much on these great deals. Now that you’re ready to be fellow slickdealers, I’m going to go be a rockstar!