Shopbots Article Discussion

subwoof8

I seem to be using Google (froogle) price comparison more and more but I am not sure how good it is because I am sure they are missing out some shops.

I recently found another price comparison site for video game at www.g4u.co.uk - seem to get better prices from them than Google.

Miss_Money_Penny_6

For special offers I recommend Boogleshop.com :j

Rebecca_T_2

Hi, I'm Rebecca from http://www.twenga.co.uk/ which is an unbiased shopping search engine with over 7,000 UK retailers and 20 million products listed. If you're looking for the cheapest products online, try setting up one of our price alerts, which lets you know each and every time a specific product drops in price. It really does help you find and buy the cheapest products online at any one time. If you give it a go, do let me know whether you like it. Cheers

jaymac_2

I tend to use www.kelkoo.com have done for some time now and find it's usually good.

Chriswil

For games have a look at https://www.gamestracker.co.uk, but then also check hotukdeals for vouchers and the games bargain thread of avforums.com.

WebShoppingPro

from the view of a professional in online retail:
Shopping comparison seems fantastic, all of the stores and all of the prices in the same site, just sort and price and you have your item.
In reality there are a few basic points that mean you should go back to good old Google and word of mouth / forums.
The big names in shopping comparison charge retaillers upwards of 30p per click, so each time you click on a product the store is being charged 30p or for popular items like digital cameras maybe up to £3, so as you browse around you cost the store ££££'s, who ultimately will pay for these marketing charges in increased prices - the shopper.
Stores are wise to your search for the lowest price, so advertise through shopping comparison in a similar way to avoid fees in eBAY, low price - high delivery cost, few shopping comparison sites accurately show the total cost of product + delivery.
Performance is also not taken into account, you find product x for £10 from shop A or £12 from shop B. Shop B will deliver your goods tomorrow and shop A sometime next week - is the £2 saving worth the wait if you miss that important birthday.
The beauty of the internet was always the obscure, small shops offering those niche items that you could not get in any supermarket or high street. The internet due to the flooding of shopping comparison by the "big boys" will soon be like the high street with all the same names and all the same prices, the fun and adventure lost. If you really want customer service that goes the extra mile or that extra special unique item then go back to search engines and forums and try someone new.
A quick pointer about Amazon, with the removal of their market place areas, Amazon will now only accept product feeds from shops containing products they already stock, all identified by barcodes and product codes - where is the adventure - just pages and pages of the same ol' same ol'? If you are looking for a slightly different spec or variation on a product - the big boys are well worth avoiding, and by association shopping comparison too who are following a similar policy.

supersaversi

I would just like to let people know that google also works as a very good 'shopbot'. Simply go to the google.co.uk home page, then select Shopping, usually highlighted in blue in the top left hand corner of the screen. Simply type in the product you are looking for i.e. Pentax Digital SLR Camera and it will then produce results based on the sites linked to google including eBay.
You then have the option to filter by relevance, price, product rating and seller rating. This has been invaluable to me when it comes to finding the cheapest price available on the web, although make sure you always check that the price includes delivery as well as this can tip the scales sometimes.

Rebecca_T_2

Hey WebShopping, agree that word of mouth and forums are vitally important more so than ever. As comparison sites continue to grow, we will see more opportunities for consumers to contribute reviews of retailers and products as well as expert reviews from editorial websites - this is likely to become the area where comparison sites can provide real assistance to consumers. Comparison sites who pride themselves on keeping honest feedback systems will most likely become the point of referral before the purchase has been made.

Where retailers pay comparison engines on a 'cost per click' basis it's difficult for them to be neutral. Twenga does not operate in this way it has built its own search technology (a bit like Google's) that scans the web for retailers and then bring together details of those products into one place. This means it doesn' t need to have a relationship (paid or otherwise) with retailers so can offer an impartial service.

Supersavsi - definitely think that Google service cannot be discounted however it has potential limitations in the fact that it is not a specialised service.

markanuk

I have recently just signed up with this http://!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/markanderson/ site it saves you money on what you buy and you can also sign friends up also just click on find out more through the site, and you get a small percentage on what they save on shopping absolutely great, save 25 quid already and making a small income

pinkdrink

I'm a bit weary of price comparisson sites because they only seem to list shops that PAY to be listed - seems to defeat the purpose if you ask me. I always wonder am i missing a REAL bargain because that shop wont pay to be listed?? What do you guys think? I recently looked into changing my mortgage and used a broker to search the best deals for me but he also told me that some banks don't let them search their deals so its a similar situation - are we really getting the best deals or should we seek out bargains another way?