The week with the most deals of the year has arrived! Are you prepared to purchase those goodies you've been waiting all year for? Really? Do you even have a real list? Perhaps the budget is what guides you through the many options.

Most of the people will probably go after the Amazon pages first and only after it, consider looking at other websites. In the end, time is very limited, specially given individual conditions and our daily lives; as a parent, as a child, as a collector, etc. We all have many tasks to do.

But are you really satisfied with Amazon or eBay, the biggest online stores or Brands and the price comparison machines? The search for the product, gift or toy has limited alternatives after all. Let me whisper you a secret, all of them have something in common, they run by contracts. I'll leave deeper details for a future topic.

Now that you know it * don't say it too loud *, what if I tell you that not all shops available in Germany take part in it? Not all market parts can truly benefit from these contracts. We would like to leave you an exclusive tip (better than Amazon) on how you can find these precious online shops, treasured hidden gems.

Considering you already know what you want to buy, you should already have a list of keywords to at least describe it. Pick one of those and search it in Google or similar search engines using this procedure:

E.g. 1: Keyword was fluffy ball
The input to use in the search engine would be: +"fluffy ball" +price

This way you are telling the search engine to filter the results and refine them as exact as possible. Let's go through a second example.

E.g. 2: Keyword was playmobil
The input to use in the search engine would be: +playmobil +buy

You can replace the word price or buy by some word which is always presented in the product purchase page of an online shop.  

The Trick

Now that we both know how to refine the search, our tip can be explained by following steps:

1. Have a list of keywords to describe or to name a toy, a product or some similar ones
2. Search for them using the extra refined input
3. If the amount of results listed in none, try reducing the words amount in the input without removing the usage of 2 "+" characters and search again
4. If the amount of result pages is more than 2, go to the second page right away, ignore the ads and check some of the websites of online shops
5. If the amount of result pages is only 1, go through the first page, ignore the ads and check some of the websites of online shops
6. Check if the found store is trustworthy and safe, before purchasing the item

 

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How do I check if an online shop is trustworthy?

There are many websites listing both the trustworthy and fake online shops. You can simply verify the shop through an online search in an online search engine you trust.

E.g. 3: The store I found is called HeartyWoodyToys.
The input to use in the search engine would be: +HeartyWoodyToys +Trustworthy

Double check by doing a second search, this time to see if it is fake.

E.g. 4: The store I found is called HeartyWoodyToys.
The input to use in the search engine would be: +HeartyWoodyToys +Fake

Other alternatives to replace +Fake are +Scam or +Fraud

Another option is to ask people you know , if any of them have ever bought something there...
Or to join our online community, where we want to provide a free and safe place for the benefit of all. 😊

Do small stores and local ones take part by joining black friday and deals?

Yes, they do. Some of them will even surprise you. Stay in touch with us and we will keep developing this topic and other interesting ones.  

Lastly...

Pros:

• Stop buying just what is advertised (All of the sites here listed use ads first/in the front)
• Get well informed
• Support local shops and economy
• Become more sustainable without paying for it

Cons:

• During the first attempts you may spend a bit more of time before a purchase
• To gain insights about market and businesses may affect how you buy, which can be negative for some people

  Hopefully we made your day easier. The choice of supporting small and/or local businesses definitely helps the entire market to grow and stabilize. We have so many cool toys producers and sellers in our market! As well as great buyers! By staying together, we can see each other again and fight against bad common issues: such as the pandemic situation, the inflation, etc.

Perhaps someone you know needs this info. Why explain yourself, if you can share this? 😘