Shop smart! Bargain-hunting experts reveal the cheapest time to buy popular items such as a TV, football boots or even sun cream
- Shoppers can make big savings on some products at certain times of year
- For example, football boots are 56% cheaper in February, on average
- PriceSpy data also reveals peak times when cost of certain items rockets
Plenty of people are trying to keep a tighter grip on their finances at the moment.
One tactic is to shop smarter. That might mean changing where you shop, for example, buying groceries from a cheaper supermarket.
But new data reveals that saving money is not just about where people shop – it can also be about when they shop.
Knowing the best time of year to buy a particular product can deliver big savings, according to the product comparison service, PriceSpy.
It compared prices on more than 700,000 products over the course of the last year and has now revealed the cheapest – and most expensive – times to buy popular items such as air fryers, televisions and even sun cream.
Bargain hunting: Football boots could be this month’s bargain buy, with PriceSpy finding that they cost shoppers 56% less on average in February
For example, putting off the purchase of a new garden furniture set until October, after the summer has finished, can typically save someone £52 compared to the average price of garden furniture throughout the year.
Similarly a sewing machine had an average price of £494 during 2022, but dropped to £396 in June.
Laptops were found to be a best buy in January, while TVs were cheapest in December, according to the data.
For example, the Microsoft Surface laptop had an average price of £543 throughout last year but was £493 in January.
Meanwhile a Sony Bravia 65-inch 4K HDR TV had an average price in December 2022 of £1,933, down from its yearly average price throughout 2022 of £2,416.
At the same time, PriceSpy’s data demonstrates the premium shoppers pay when they buy products at peak times.
Buying a barbecue in the middle of summer will typically cost someone an extra £75, and buying skis at the beginning of the ski season in November will set someone back an extra £148.
Those with babies on the way would be best to avoid buying pushchairs, prams or strollers in January. According to PriceSpy they’ll end up paying a 15 per cent premium when doing so.
Peak pricing: Those shopping for espresso machines may want to avoid making a purchase this month, or they could face paying a 8% premium.
Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, UK country manager at PriceSpy said: ‘Whilst people’s reasons for shopping will differ, one thing will surely be the same – no-one wants to pay over the odds for a product if they can help it.
‘Knowledge is power, and knowing the best time to buy certain items means that people can make their money go further.’
Shoppers can check the price history of things they want to buy using comparison sites such as PriceSpy and Idealo.
They can search for a product and find out when the cost has gone up and down, as well as getting alerts when the price drops.
Liisa adds: ‘Setting up price alerts on products that you’re after is a good way of ensuring that you buy at the right time and right price for you.
‘Using a service like PriceSpy, you can receive notifications when products drop in price.’
Similar to PriceSpy, Idealo allows shoppers to compare specific products across retailers, compare the price history and also factor in any delivery costs.
It also allow shoppers to set price alerts so they are warned when a particular product falls below a certain price.
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