price comparison
Money
Bigger Numbers Trick Your Mind Into Buying
10:30PM Kevin Purdy | Next time you’re shopping for a big-ticket item, or even a very-small-ticket afterthought, break down what you’re paying in smaller numbers. Because, researchers suggest, your brain probably can’t do it by itself. Anyone who’s ever thought about why car dealers price everything to end in a string of nines knows that the brain can pull tricks on your wallet. Ohio State University researchers found, however, that test subjects were led astray by seemingly first-grade differences in price description. In a study model that rewarded subjects for deserting the person they were teamed up with, the offers with more numbers won out more than the same exact amount put more plainly: When the reward for cooperation was increased to 300 cents from 3 cents, the researchers found, the level of cooperation went up. But when the reward went from 3 cents to $3, it did not. You’d have to hit the link to get a full read on the study. The long and short of it is, though, that “people tend to overestimate differences between small quantities and underestimate differences between large ones.” That’s food for thought the next time you’re looking through a value menu, or pricing out a flat-panel TV. Behavior: $1? No Thanks. 100 Cents? You Bet. [New York Times] More »
Check Home Prices on Your Cell Phone
6:00AM Gina Trapani | US-centric :Ever drive by a house for sale and wonder what the price is? Find out on the spot using voice transcription service Jott and real estate valuation search engine Zillow. You’ll need to register at Jott (it’s free), and to set up a Zillow link within your Jott account. Once that’s done, you can call Jott on your cell phone and speak the address of the home to get back a text message or email with the “Zestimate,” Zillow’s valuation. Hit the play button on the link to hear how Jott and Zillow work together to help you hunt for real estate. Jott Zillow Link More »
Track Price Drops at any Site with Price!pinx
7:30AM Kevin Purdy | Want to keep an ever-present eye on an item you just know is going to go discount at any moment? Price!pinx offers a price-watching service that doesn’t require searching (like PriceAmbush) or limit itself only to Amazon, eBay, or any other big-name site. You provide your email address to Price!pinx, then add their bookmarklet to your browser’s links bar. When you see a price you think/hope will go lower, highlight it and then hit the “!pinx” link. The site will then email you when it notices a drop in the digits. Looks like pretty handy stuff, although I haven’t had the good fortune to see an item go on sale in the last 30 minutes. Let us know if you’ve used this service, or prefer another, in the comments. Price!pinx [via The Red Ferret Journal] More »
See Real Recent Car Sale Prices at PriceHub
12:30AM Kevin Purdy | US-centric: No car, new or used, has just one price—there’s a “published invoice” price, an MSRP listing, the “Blue Book value,” and many more to weigh when haggling with a dealer or private party. PriceHub, a price-tracking web site for new and used cars, serves up real and recent transaction prices submitted by users. Enter your car’s make and model into the search and see what cars like it went for. It seems, at a glance, like cars suited for auto enthusiasts (Porsches, BMWs and the like) get the most listings, but I was able to see what my Nissan Sentra, with less mileage, is going for—and now I’m suitably depressed. For more automotive backup, see how to buy a car without getting screwed and learn how to protect yourself from used car scams. PriceHub [via eHub] More »
