Save money while shopping online

Shopping online is a new trend which is growing at an exponential rate. There are many e-commerce sites which provide convenience in purchasing products from them like cash of delivery, free shipping etc.

Here I'll list some methods to save some more extra cash while shopping online.

Disclaimer- All the methods listed below are handpicked by the author using his immense knowledge and experience. These methods are only listed after rigorous experimentation and usage.
Author is not responsible if you still end up paying a higher price for a product.

1. Not all products available online are cheaper than the market price (MP).

Most of the products available online are cheaper then their offline counterparts. Always make sure to check other related online sites as well as the bricks and mortar stores to get the best deal.

Sometimes it so happens that the grocery products and those we use everyday are available at MRP on these sites but they are cheaper in the local markets.

In electronics, clothes etc, I've generally seen that the online stores are much cheaper. Although you must compare sites like Amazon, Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra and not Snapdeal (:P).

2. But there are huge discounts on every product on XYZ.com so the products must be cheapest.

Although there may be mind boggling discounts on a product but it may not be the cheapest. Many times the the products are listed at MRP rather then the MP.

Example- When I bought the S3, few years back then the MRP was 30k and I got it for around 25k from an offline store (which was the usual selling price at that time as it was around a year old). Now what do the online retailers do is that they show discount as a percentage on 30k instead of the usual 25k.
So the discount would be around 16% even when they are offering the product at the market price. Obviously the products there would seem cheaper because of a"discount" on them. Don't fall for these minor scams.

3. Always use cash back sites before buying online.

Cash back sites provide you with some percentage of amount you spend on shopping as cash in your bank account. The top cashback site is Cashkaro. It provides cash back on nearly all major sites including Amazon, Jabong, Snapdeal and even Dominos.

 

Yes, exactly. I have earned around 4.5k cashback till now and around 3.7k is with me. Isn't it super awesome? 

Make an account here.

4. Use price comparision tools such as Buyhatke.

This tool can compare price of an item on different sites, provide a graphic representation of the price of the product during the previous months on that site and can even alert you if there is a price drop. Download the buyhatke extension for free on Chrome.

5. Use coupon sites for extra discount

I generally use couponduniya for coupons to get added discounts apart from cash back and retailer discounts. 

6. Products available at very cheap price/huge discounts on the their MP are generally fakes.

Exceptions could be the the Big Billion Day sale at flipkart. I myself got a genuine product at a very low cost.

However there are other factors to consider before purchasing a product from an e-commerce site:

A. Shipping cost

B. Goodwill

C. Cash on delivery

D. Shipping areas covered.

E. Amazon fulfilled/3rd party sellers on flipkart

F. Terms of return/refund

G. Using your rational mind so you don't get a fake.

Happy shopping!

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

AAP 2.0: Janta ka budget

Amidst all the controversy surrounding the AAP government in Delhi, it has managed to grab attention of the Delhites especially the people from the Parpatganj assembly constituency under Mr. Manan Sisodia.

AAP had promised "Swaraj" in its manifesto during elections. This initiative to have a "participatory budget " will be it's first attempt to give power to the people.

Banners have been put up and invitations have been sent to the voters of the constituency to attend the first "Janta ka budget".

People will be allowed to give suggestions and proposals regarding how the Rs 20 crore (proposed fund for each of the 11 constituencies) should be spent for their constituency.

Their view will be recorded under the headings- public grievances, demands for minor development work and work that require considerable expenditure.

They will be allowed to vote on each project and a list will be prepared with projects listed according to priority.
Then these projects will be taken up by the authorities.

At first glance, it seems like a pretty good idea as the new AAP government is doing something different and is also giving the power to the people to decide what happens in their locality.

With its success, AAP is sure to gain more credibility and trustability from the people of Delhi. It will lead to a much faster development of Delhi as the people know much more about their locality than the authorities. Cooperation between both of them will lead to optimum utilisation of resources.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Net Neutrality: What is it?

Net neutrality looks like a very sophisticated term appearing online and in the news quite frequently nowadays. Before your friends make fun of you for not knowing it,  let's quickly have a look at it.

What is this gibberish term?

As the name suggests net neutrality means internet that allows everyone to communicate freely. It means a service provider should allow access to all content and applications regardless of the source and no websites or pages should be blocked, as long as they aren't illegal.

Why is it in the news frequently?

Frankly, because of Airtel. First time Airtel did something (I'll explain to you below), the term became an internet rage. Before that, the term was seldom in the news as the telecom operators were not happy about it (Will explain about that too). 

Quite recently Airtel (again) whipped up the issue regarding net neutrality.

How does it affect you?

Catastrophe. Net neutrality is the only reason they you are able to access your "favorite websites" without any hiccups. If it was up to the  telecom operators and the ISPs, then god forbid, but they would have charged innocent consumers like you and me for accessing them. Or worst, even banned them. 

Example- You get water from the Delhi Jal board. Now how would you feel if they told you for what purpose to use the water. If they told you that water can't be used for bathing (never ending joy for some people, especially during winters) or maybe it can't be used for washing the dishes and you would have to pay extra to use water for these facilities.

This is exactly what the telecom operators and TRAI are thinking to do. If this is implemented, very soon the ISPs will follow suit.

What was the stimulus to stir up the controversy?

A few months back Airtel came out with special type of data packs that could be used for the purpose of calling using OTP apps such as Skype, Line, Viber etc. Your ordinary data packs could not be used for these services. You would be charged extra for these calls if you didn't have these special data packs.
This decision was reverted back after interference from TRAI.

Quite recently Airtel has launched "Airtel Zero Program" which goes against the spirit of net neutrality. Some of the apps, who have a tie up with Airtel and have paid then some fees, can be downloaded on Airtel network without consuming data.

Seems like a"win-win" situation for both the consumers and the telecom companies. But on a closer look, we can see that it gives a huge advantage the the developers who have the resources to enroll for the program. This program will reduce the prospects of small-time app developers by a huge margin, since they won’t be able to pay the charges of the program and will hence lose their visibility. Secondly it is against net neutrality.

What argument is giving by these operators for the violation of net neutrality?

They say that are are losing a huge chunk of their calling and messaging revenue because of these apps. Yes I agree with the statement but what they don't realise is that the sale of data packs have increased exponentially.

Most of the people I have seen, have data packs on their phone especially the youth. Also the price of these data packs is increasing, validity is decreasing and also data consumption limit is decreasing.

What can you do?

The regulatory body has asked the public for their opinion on the debate, and you can contribute to that by submitting your responses by mail before April 24 on the TRAI website.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Worthy android smartphones in the 10-15k price bracket

Hello

Nowadays a number of companies are releasing smartphones. The number of smartphones are increasing at an exponential rate. As a consumer, we are faced with the dilemma regarding which one to buy.

Here I will try to list some smartphones which have made it to my list. They are the best in the price range and offer a bang for your buck.

1. Yu Yureka:

Quite an unconventional choice for people with budget of around 15k as this phone costs only 9k (Rs 8999 to be precise). See the full specs here.
One of the best phones out there. Seems finally Micromax has done something right and cater to needs of the geeks out there. The phone comes loaded with the immensely popular, Cyanogen OS.
Highly customizable, plenty of themes with a whooping 5.5" screen.

Pros- Snapdragon 615 in this price range, Cyanogen, good camera quality

Cons- Average battery life, some people are facing bugs such as the proximity sensor or the overheating issue, HD display instead of full HD(though in my opinion it doesn't even matter).

Verdict- A great buy considering the price and specs. A few chinks in the armour here and there but nevertheless it's a knight.

2. Asus Zenphone(s) 2:

So many models under the same name, it's really confusing. I think it's the only drawback of the phone. But fear not, as of now only 3 variants are launching in India and best way to differentiate between them is to look at the specs.

A. ZE551ML- The phone with top of the line specs. Comes with 4gb of RAM and a full HD display. Surprisingly, this model comes in sub-variants as well. 

The flagship is with 2.3 GHz quad core Intel Atom Z3580 processor with storage options of 16/32/64 GB.

The next one is with 1.8 GHz quad core Intel Atom Z3560 processor. 

All of the versions are 5.5" full HD.

B. ZE550ML- It features 2gb of ram(the norm nowadays) with the same Z3560 processor. The only difference is that it comes with an HD screen as opposed to full HD. 

Both the models have a 13 and 5 mp rear and front camera respectively and a 3000 mAh battery.

C. ZE500CL- Basic model of the series, sports a 5" HD display. It is a single SIM model as compared to the others. Features a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 processor. It has a 8 mp rear camera alongside a 2mp front camera. Battery too is inferior compared to others variants, only 2500 mAh.

All models have expandable storage and feature ZenUI, based on Android Lollipop. Indian prices have not been revealed. Launching on 23rd April.

Verdict- I'm pretty sure one of these models will fit your budget and expectations. Do wait for the launch before getting a new smartphone.

3. Redmi Note 4g:

A great phablet by Xiaomi(pronounced as "Shao-Mi", bet you didn't know :P). Comes with a price tag of Rs 9999. Quite refreshing to see MiUI which is  based on Android 4.4.2. Like Cyanogen, it is highly customizable. Gives an iOS feel to android.
Talking about the specs, it is directly comparable to Yu Yureka given the price point. On paper specs are inferior as compared to the latter. Inferior processor, GPU, single SIM make it a not so great buy.

Verdict- Buy only for the refreshing MiUI feel, great battery backup ie 3100 mAh.

4. Lenovo A7000: 

Last and the latest smartphone in the list. Will launch on April 15 @ Rs 8999 and will be exclusive to Flipkart. 

Dual SIM phone running android running lenovo's own Vibe UI. It features a 5.5-inch HD IPS display and packs an octa-core 1.5GHz (MediaTek MT6572M) processor with 2GB of RAM. 

Sadly this means that the popular Cyanogen won't be available due to the mediatek processor. Will be able to review comprehensively when the phone is out.

Verdict- New kid on the block, if you are afraid of brand names of Micromax(Yu), Xiaomi and Asus then this is the thing for you.

Feel free to leave comments and suggestions.

My first blog

Hello

I'm very excited today to start my new blog. I have been suggested by our teacher in class to start blogging as it will help me to express my thoughts, improve writing skills and get clarity of thought.

Everything the teacher told me to do, he did it with so much conviction that I'm here writing this. I am thankful to my teacher for this.
I hope this blog will be successful. I will try to write reviews about gadgets and movies, games, food etc. My very first blog :).

Raghav Gupta