You're Probably Paying More Than You Need To — Here's the Fix
There's a pretty simple reason some people always seem to find better deals than everyone else: they check more than one place before buying. That's it. No secret code, no insider access — just the habit of comparing before committing, which is exactly how you learn to buy and sell online without paying full price out of habit.
WHY THE TOP RESULT ISN'T ALWAYS THE BEST DEAL
Big retailers price everything the same regardless of demand, and search engines tend to surface them first because of ad spend, not because they're the cheapest option. Independent sellers on smaller marketplaces don't carry that same overhead, so when the platform isn't taking a heavy cut, that savings shows up in the price you actually pay.
WHAT MAKES A MARKETPLACE ACTUALLY WORTH USING
Before trusting a new site with your money, it should have:
A real range of products, not one narrow category
Honest photos and condition notes, not stock images
A way to message the seller directly
Some kind of seller history or rating you can check
Skip anything missing more than one of those, especially for a bigger purchase.
Having a rough price ceiling in mind helps too — what the item costs new. A couple of similar secondhand listings then give you a realistic floor, and anything priced way outside that range deserves a second look before you commit.
NEW VS. SECONDHAND, THE SHORT VERSION
A "like new" or gently used listing is frequently 30% cheaper than retail, often with zero real difference once it's in your hands. Worth checking first for electronics, furniture, collectibles, and health and beauty products — categories where independent sellers regularly beat big-box pricing. If nothing decent turns up used, buying new is still fine. The whole point is checking first.
A FEW HABITS THAT KEEP YOU FROM GETTING BURNED
Read the full listing, not just the price and photo
Check seller ratings when the platform offers them
Ask a quick question if anything's unclear
Add shipping into the total before comparing
None of this takes long, and skipping it is usually how a good deal turns disappointing. Think of it as the online equivalent of checking the stitching on a jacket before buying it in person — a quick habit, not extra work.
WHERE THIS ACTUALLY PAYS OFF
TrueGether fits this pattern directly — a free marketplace, so sellers aren't padding prices to cover listing fees or commissions. Categories span electronics, clothing, health and beauty, and collectibles, so it's a real regular stop, not a one-time visit.
New and used listings sit side by side too, so you're not stuck bouncing between a "used only" app and a full-price retailer just to compare options. It's all in one place, which makes the actual comparing part a lot less annoying.
BOTTOM LINE
Comparing before you buy is the whole trick. If you want a wider mix of new and secondhand finds without a platform fee baked into the price, TrueGether is worth adding to your rotation.