Apologies for a lack of postings recently! I don’t think I have explained before, but I am currently in my 3rd year at University which means I am battling the hefty dissertation at the moment, not to mention other assignments, working three jobs and trying to spend some quality time with my lovely Mr M! So life is pretty hectic!
This is me at the moment… (its not actually me, but you get the jist…)
So, I thought I’d reward your patience by highlighting some ways to get yourself some bargains! Some will be recaps from previous posts, but there is some newbies in there too!!!
Wedding Forums
I LOVE wedding forums!!! Not only are they a lifeline of support and inspiration for any Brides-to-Be out there, but they are also a haven for bargains!!! Whether you are looking to buy your wedding dress, jewelry, accessories, centrepieces, favours, Bridesmaid dress, you’ll most probably be able to find what you are looking for on there!
The majority of things on there are second hand or “pre-loved” as I like to call them, but there are plenty of Brides out there (a bit like me) that see all these pretty things, buy them, loose the receipts and then realise that they have got absolutely nothing to do with the colour scheme/theme that has been planned for, and then want to sell them on to recoup a bit of money!!
Most Brides will be happy to succumb to a bit of bartering, just to get the bits out of their cupboard and get some extra money to buy new lovely things!
The best forums I have found (and used are);
- You and Your Wedding Swap and Sale
- Hitched For Sale
- Confetti For Sale
…but there are plenty of others out there!
Wedding forums are also a brilliant resource for being shown bargains by other Brides as they come across them, so keep your eyes open and check in once every so often to catch up with what’s on offer. Just remember that buying things online can sometimes be risky; if it looks too good to be true, it probably is (although I’ve bought some absolutely brilliant items on them which were perfect and a bargain.. more on that another time)!
Ebay
Ebay gets a bad reputation sometimes, but you can get some excellent items on there for a fraction you’d pay in a store. The main reason for this is most legit sellers sell and store items from their own home rather than a shop. This means all the bills such as heating and store rental aren’t being added on top of the sale price to cover costs, ultimately making things cheaper.
You can usually pick up all your crafting items off here (brilliant if you want to make your own stationery) and if you ask nicely, they’ll often reduce p&p or the price of an item if you buy in bulk! But if you don’t ask, you won’t get, so be a little cheeky! The worst they can do is say no!!
Look for sellers with high ratings; you’re more likely to receive a good quality product and have a much better online experience than if you bought something off someone with lots of negative feedback. Make sure you read the Ebay Ts&Cs before buying; you can be PayPal protected on some items, but not all, so make sure you know your rights!
Gumtree & Freecyle
You can find loads of bits on these website! From outdoors decorations, to wedding dresses, there’s loads of cheap and unwanted bits on these two sites! You can often contact the seller and ask to view the item if you are in the local area; a bonus if the deal seems too good to be true! Gumtree items do incur a price, but Freecycle (as the name suggests) is kind people selling FREE items! Take advantage of this!!!!!
Boot Sales & Charity Shops
Boot sales are fun for both the seller and the buyer! You can pick up loads of bits and bobs from these places, for pretty cheap and reasonable prices! Charity shops are very similar in that you can pick up lots of items very cheaply!
Whether you’re looking for Bridesmaid dresses or toys for the kiddies corner, both these two locations will host a wide variety of items ready for a bargain hunter to pick up!
I don’t suggest you go into a Charity Shop and start haggling (bit of a dodgy ethical one there!), but boot sale stall holders are ready and waiting for people to challenge their prices! So do it!! Get there early to get the best bits! 6am is a horrible time to consider going out on your weekend, but it could really save you some money!!
Bargaining Tips
- DO NOT demand discounts; this just puts seller’s backs up and they’ll stick to the original price. Politely ask if there’s anyway that they could do a special deal on the p&p, or reduce the price for a cash sale.
- DO you research about surrounding companies and the offers they are advertising. If you can prove that you could get a better deal else where, but would be happy to purchase off them if they reduced it by 10% or gave you 10% extra free, then they’ll be more inclined to give the stuff away to get your money.
- DO ask if they’ll give you a “special deal” if you buy more than one item from their range.
- DO state your budget, and ask what they could give you for that price. Explain the budget is tight, but you’d really love this that and the other, and see what they can do for you
The main thing to remember is BE POLITE!! Making demands won’t work, but then being a pansy and agreeing on the first price they say won’t get you anything either. If it means you walk out of the shop empty handed then so be it, you’ll most likely find a better deal somewhere else anyway!
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