Dare to Share

This section will updated frequently and will contain some very useful websites that you may not have heard of or even if you have then they’ll be nicely listed so you can use as a kind of directory. If you think of any links that may be of use then please send them to me and I’ll be sure to include them here.

It may seem a little random, at first, as to what’s included on the page but bear with me - it will all come together, in time, and be a great one-stop directory for all your needs.

Books

Amazon: I’m sure you’ve heard of Amazon, along with eBay and Google it is probably the most famous website business especially for books. I’ve always been put off by their high cost or postage but just recently this changed. Now, if you spend over £5 then shipping is free. Amazon also allows businesses to sell their books via Amazon and these can sometimes be cheaper but just watch out for the postage costs

Find Book: A great price comparison site purely for books. It lists in order of price and also includes postage costs so you know exactly how much you’ll end up paying.

Play.com: There’s a few things I like about Play. Firstly all their prices include delivery so you know exactly how much everything costs. Secondly they have something called PlayTrade (these prices will show when viewing the actual item) which allows users to sell their stuff through Play. Now, this is great for the shopper as you can really find some great value items, and often new (it clearly states the condition)

The Book People: I can’t quite remember how I stumbled upon this site but I’m so glad I did - it’s great. They have a huge variety of books at ridiculous prices. They do sell single books but the best bargains are to be had on collections of books. A great site for kids books. An example of the price is The Complete Horrid Henry Collection of 15 books for £12.99 (that’s a saving of over £60!

Cashback Sites

Before you buy anything from anywhere on the web, including just about everything from signing up to a gambling site to buying a car just check out these sites first to see if they offer any cashback for shopping with those merchants. You’ll be amazed at what you can get by simply clicking through from their sites. With the exception of Top Cashback all the others charge a yearly subscription, which at the time of writing is £5, but this is taken from your earnings so you don’t really notice it.

Cashback Kings: I find Cashback Kings and Quidco have the highest rewards on offer. I also like the forum on this site to discuss offers, rewards, problems etc.

Quidco: These seem to have the largest range and quality of merchants available. Their customer service is also quick to resolve any issues that arise.

Top Cashback: Great, because they don’t charge an annual fee so whatever cashback you receive is all yours. I do find that the deals cashback can be slighly less than other sites so just make sure you compare.

We Promise To: Nicely designed and very clear. Do charge a £5 yearly subscription deducted when you’ve earned that much cashback.

eBay Tools

Auctiva: Some great selling tools such as a scrolling gallery which adds exposure to all of the items you’re currently selling and Image hosting which enables you to add up to 24 images to your auction for free.

ecal: Calculate what fees you’ll end up being charged by eBay and Paypal with this very handy tool.

Goofbay: Some great tools including a Sniper, which will automatically bit for you up to the last second and various other search methods such as misspelling and keywords not in title.

Mobile Phone Deals

mobiles4everyone.com: A great site allowing you to compare mobile phone deals. Very straight-forward and easy to use and allows easy searching for SIM free phones which can be useful if you’re just after a cheapo phone.

onecompare.com: Compares the latest mobile phone deals, both Pay as you Go and Pay Monthly deals are included. Allows you to enter the amount of minutes and texts you use to find you the best deal

The rest: Carphone Warehouse, o2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile, Three (although their customer service is not the greatest), Virgin Mobile, Tesco Mobile (uses the o2 network and has very good PAYG prices), Asda Mobile (uses the Vodafone network and is currently the cheapest PAYG in the UK with 8p per minute and 4p per text)

Mobile Phone Handsets

eBay: Yes, I know that’s an obvious one but you really can find some bargains on eBay when it comes to new, second-hand or refurbished phones. Just make sure the seller is legitimate and has a good feedback from previous sales. Also, don’t be put off if a phone is locked to a particular network - you can usually get them unlocked (yes, it’s legal) at a mobile phone shop down the road for around a fiver.

Orange Store on eBay: Orange has some great deals on it’s refurbished mobiles on their eBay Store. Most auctions start off at 99p and if you take your time and don’t rush into paying over the odds you really can get a bargain. Usually the phones are locked to the Orange network but you can get them unlocked at a mobile phone shop (not the Orange Shop because they’ll either not do it or charge you more than you should be paying)

Play.com: I’ve found some pretty good PAYG and SIM Free Phones on their site, in the past. It’s a great looking site but I’ve always found it tricky to search by Price so you may have to hunt around a bit but bear with it as it’s definitely one to check out and again, don’t worry if you’ve found a phone at a great price but it’s locked - you’ll be able to get it unlocked for no more than £10

Photo printing

moo.com: See Printers section

Photobox: Easily my favourite in this marketplace. Customer Service is great, quality and speed you receive your goods is lightning quick and the prices are very reasonable. Simple to use. You can also share your online albums with friends. And you get 50 free prints for joining and 50 free prints for every friend you refer (they get 50 as well). I love the site.

Price Comparison Sites for everyday goods

Here’s a few that I use regularly for anything and everything. If there’s anything specific, such as books or dvd’s then yes, use these but also check out the relevant section on this page.

It’s best to use a few of these sites when hunting for the cheapest price. Different sites have different shops so what may be cheap on one price comparison site could actually be very expensive on another.

Dealtime: Now, I’ve listed this one but I do find the results a bit hit and miss depending on what you’re after. Definitely worth a look though and the user reviews are very helpful in making an informed decision on your purchases.

Google Product Search (formerly Froogle): This is still my first port of call whenever I’m wanting to buy anything. It has got a bit annoying in recent times as they seem to include any old shop from around the globe and the results aren’t that specific but it’s worth trawling through. It also includes some eBay results which is useful.

Kelkoo: Nice and easy to filter the results down to what you’re looking for. Just another one to use alongside the other comparison sites.

Printers

JamJar Print: Products range from recycled stationery to stickers to posters. Can’t quite remember how I stumbled upon this site but I’m very glad I did. The quality and timescale of print is fantastic.Very easy to order, direct on the site, and the prices are clearly laid out. The prices are very reasonable considering the high quality of the final printed products. Great customer service and quick to answer any queries.

moo.com: Offer a fun range of products from business cards to greetings cards to minicards. If you buy items in bulk then they’re not the cheapest but for gifts and short runs then they’re great. The really nice thing is you can upload your own photos and, if you like, have a different photo on every single thing you have printed. Nice site, simple to use.

Product Reviews… By Consumers

Reevoo: Probably the most well known of all the review sites, it provides clear and easy to understand customer reviews and at-a-glance summary and ratings for each product. Where available there’s also a handy price comparison but remember to use a few different price comparison sites to find the cheapest price.

Review Centre: A quick loading and easy to find what you’re looking for site that includes reviews for anything and everything such as cameras to broadband (Take a look at the review for Tiscali Broadband and you’ll see why I’m not the only one to despise this company getting 1.4/10 from 739 customer reviews). It’s an incredibly simple design and predominately text based but maybe that’s what makes it so quick and easy to find what you’re after.

Travel… By Coach

Megabus: Book in advance to get cheap UK coach travel from just £1 each way. Definitely the first place to look when you want to go somewhere in the UK.

National Express: Has reasonably priced fairs and every now and again they have £1 each way fares. Worth registering on the site to receive offers and updates - they don’t bombard your inbox.