Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

Half

Sometimes when I am scanning the web, I may overlook the obvious. I was reminding of the obvious by an intrepid internet shopper this last month who pointed out www.Half.com and when I went back to look it over…. Well I loved the deals.

Half.com is an online market place, like Ebay where buyers and sellers come together. This isn’t an auction, prices are fixed, but the discounts on retail can range from 25%-70% off with most products hovering around 50% off.

Unlike Ebay, you can’t find anything and everything here. Half.com is limited to books, music, movies, video games and game systems. There is more than enough to look through in each category in both new and used. Besides the description and price they also rate the item for quality. But, like Ebay, Half.com is easy to navigate and straight forward to purchase or sell.

With back to school on my mind, I looked through the Textbooks superstore section. Here I compared a bunch of “Biology” (Hardcover, 2004) by Jane Reece and Neil Campbell. The Range of quality went from Acceptable to Brand New and the prices went from $64-$156 with the highest prices being in the acceptable range.

I also priced some X Box game system and found prices ranging from $75-$240. Some new, some refurbished all well described and a few with games.

Half.com is a useful source both for comparison shopping, evaluating market pricing and getting great deals. Start you hunt here and you may nab your best deal on your first visit.

Estate Sales

Savvy bargain shoppers can get real deals on estate furnishings, collectibles and artwork at Estate Sales. Estate sales are where the dealers shop to find inventory for their antique shops. Outside of cruising through local papers for listings, where can people go to get information? Try Estate Sales LA sales calendar www.estatesalesla.com

Here they list the Estate sales they will be conducting in the Los Angeles area along with a brief description of inventory offered. They don’t list pricing, so it’s up to you to decide when you get there to what’s offered up for sale is a reasonable deal. Like all bargain hunting … do your homework.

Another source on the internet to try for estate sales and garage sales is Craig’s List garage sales page http://losangeles.craigslist.org/gms/. Craig’s List has pages for cities nationwide so you can even help Aunt Edna find a garage sale near her home in Milwaukee.