How to Actually Find the Best Deals Online in 2026 (Beyond Just Googling)
Here's what happens when most people try to find a deal online:
- Google "[product name] best price"
- Click the first three results (which are ads)
- Maybe check Amazon
- Buy it and hope for the best
This is how you overpay for everything.
It's not your fault. The entire online shopping ecosystem is designed to make you think you're getting a deal when you're not. "Sale" prices that are actually the normal price. Comparison sites that rank by commission, not by value. Coupon codes that expired in 2023 but still show up on page one.
In 2026, finding genuinely good deals requires a different playbook. The good news: the tools have never been better. The bad news: most people don't know they exist.
Let's fix that.
Strategy 1: Price History Trackers (The Foundation)
The single most important deal-hunting skill is knowing whether a "sale" price is actually a sale. And the only way to know is to see the price history.
The tools
CamelCamelCamel — The OG Amazon price tracker. Paste any Amazon URL and see the full price history. It also lets you set price alerts. If you buy anything on Amazon without checking Camel first, you're gambling.
Keepa — Similar to Camel but with more data, including third-party seller prices and availability tracking. The browser extension embeds price history charts directly on Amazon product pages. The free tier is limited; the paid tier ($20/month) is worth it if you buy a lot from Amazon.
Google Shopping — Better than it used to be. Google now shows price history and "typical price range" for many products. Not comprehensive, but it's free and integrated into search.
The strategy
Before buying anything over $50:
- Check the price history on Camel/Keepa
- Note the all-time low and the average price
- If the current price is near the average, it's not a deal — wait
- Set an alert at your target price and forget about it
This alone will save you more money than any coupon code ever will.
Strategy 2: AI-Powered Deal Finders
This is the newest category and honestly the most interesting one. Traditional price trackers watch one product across one retailer (usually Amazon). AI deal finders flip this: they watch entire categories across multiple retailers and surface deals you wouldn't have found manually.
The tools
Dealhound — Tell it what you're looking for in plain language ("wireless earbuds under $50 with ANC" or "mid-century modern coffee table") and it continuously searches across retailers, compares prices, and alerts you when something hits your criteria at a good price. It's particularly strong for niche and secondhand markets where traditional price trackers don't reach.
ChatGPT / Claude with browsing — You can ask AI assistants to search for deals, but they're doing a one-time search, not continuous monitoring. Good for quick research, not for catching time-sensitive deals.
Various AI shopping assistants — New ones pop up monthly. Most are wrappers around affiliate links with an AI chatbot on top. Be skeptical of any "AI deal finder" that only ever recommends products from one retailer.
The strategy
AI tools are best for:
- Niche products where you'd otherwise spend hours searching manually (vintage gear, specific components, used luxury items)
- Category shopping where you're flexible on the exact product but firm on the price
- Continuous monitoring — set it and forget it, let the AI tell you when something's worth buying
📖 Related: Best Wireless Earbuds Under $50 in 2026 — a practical example of how AI-found deals surface better options than manual searching.
Strategy 3: Reddit Communities (The Secret Weapon)
Reddit is, no joke, one of the best deal-finding resources on the internet. The key is knowing which subreddits to follow.
The communities
r/deals and r/DealsReddit — General deal aggregation. High volume, variable quality. Good for catching major sales.
r/BuildAPCSales — If you're buying computer parts, this is the single most valuable resource online. The community is ruthless about flagging bad "deals" and celebrating genuinely good ones.
r/frugalmalefashion and r/FrugalFemaleFashion — Clothing deals. The comments are as valuable as the posts — people share sizing info, quality opinions, and alternative options.
r/VinylDeals — Every meaningful vinyl deal, posted within minutes of going live.
r/GearTrade and r/GolfClassifieds — Niche-specific buy/sell communities for outdoor gear and golf equipment respectively.
r/hardwareswap — Used PC components. Legitimate, active, with a reputation system.
Niche subreddits — Almost every hobby has a buy/sell/trade subreddit. r/mechmarket (keyboards), r/Watchexchange (watches), r/coffeeswap (espresso gear), r/photomarket (camera equipment). These are goldmines because sellers price based on community norms, not retail markup.
The strategy
- Subscribe to deal subs relevant to what you actually buy
- Sort by "new" — deals go fast
- Enable notifications for the subs you care about most
- Read the comments before buying. Redditors are brutally honest about whether a deal is actually good
- For buy/sell/trade subs, check the user's post history and reputation before transacting
The catch: Reddit deals require you to be fast and to check frequently. Which is exactly why tools that monitor for you are valuable — but Reddit remains the source where many deals first surface.
Strategy 4: Browser Extensions That Actually Help
Most browser extensions for "deals" are privacy nightmares that mostly show you expired coupon codes. But a few are genuinely useful.
Worth installing
Keepa (browser extension) — Embeds price history directly on Amazon pages. You don't have to go to a separate site. Just look at the chart before buying.
PayPal Honey — Auto-applies coupon codes at checkout. It works maybe 20% of the time, but when it does, it's free money. It also has a price history feature. Note: Honey was acquired by PayPal, so consider the privacy tradeoffs.
RetailMeNot / Capital One Shopping — Similar to Honey. Having one of these installed as a passive coupon checker is fine. Don't install three of them — they conflict.
Not worth your time
- Any extension that asks for "full access to all websites" — that's surveillance, not savings
- "Price comparison" extensions that redirect you through affiliate links — they're making money on you, not saving money for you
- Multiple coupon extensions simultaneously — they fight each other and slow down your browser
The strategy
Install Keepa + one coupon extension. That's it. Browser extensions are a supplement, not a strategy.
Strategy 5: Cashback and Stacking
Once you've found the actual best price, cashback programs let you shave off another 1–10%.
The tools
Rakuten (formerly Ebates) — Cashback on purchases at thousands of retailers. Typically 1–5%, occasionally 10%+ during promotions. Legitimate and reliable.
Credit card rewards — If you're not using a card with at least 2% cashback on purchases, you're leaving money on the table. Some cards offer 5% rotating categories.
Store-specific programs — Target Circle, Amazon Subscribe & Save, Best Buy rewards. These add up if you're already shopping there.
The strategy (stacking)
The real power is combining these:
- Find the lowest price using price trackers or AI tools
- Go through Rakuten (or similar) for cashback
- Pay with your best rewards credit card
- Apply any coupon codes (via Honey or similar)
On a $200 purchase, this stack can easily save $15–30 beyond the "sale" price. It takes 60 seconds of setup.
Strategy 6: Timing Your Purchases
Some deals are about when you buy, not where you buy.
The calendar
- January/February: TVs (post-Super Bowl models arrive), fitness equipment (gym resolution oversupply)
- March/April: Winter clothing clearance, last-season outdoor gear
- May (Memorial Day): Appliances, mattresses, grills
- July (Prime Day + competitors): Electronics, smart home, Amazon ecosystem
- September (Labor Day): Appliances, summer clearance
- October (Prime Big Deal Days): Second Prime Day — often better than July
- November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday): Everything, but check price history — many "deals" aren't
- December 26+: Post-holiday clearance on seasonal items
Beyond the calendar
- New model launches are the best time to buy the previous model. When iPhone 18 launches, iPhone 17 prices crater. Same for TVs, laptops, and headphones.
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to have lower online prices than weekends (less traffic = more discounting)
- 2–5 AM ET is when many Amazon algorithmic price drops happen (per CamelCamelCamel data)
Strategy 7: Going Direct and Going Used
Not everything needs to be bought from Amazon or Best Buy.
Manufacturer direct sales
Many brands sell directly at prices competitive with or better than retailers, especially during their own sales events. This is particularly true for:
- Mattresses (Casper, Purple, Tuft & Needle)
- Audio gear (Sennheiser, Audio-Technica outlet stores)
- Outdoor gear (Patagonia Worn Wear, REI used gear)
- Electronics accessories (Anker direct)
Used and refurbished
- Amazon Renewed — Hit or miss quality, but the return policy protects you
- Back Market — Refurbished electronics with warranty. Often 30–50% less than new
- eBay refurbished — The "Certified Refurbished" program (with eBay guarantee) is legit
- Facebook Marketplace — For anything large (furniture, appliances, fitness equipment), local pickup prices crush online retail
📖 Related: What is Dealhound? — learn how AI deal finders scan across retailers, marketplaces, and secondhand platforms to surface deals humans miss.
Putting It All Together
The most effective deal-hunting setup in 2026 looks like this:
- Price tracker installed (Keepa) for everything you buy on Amazon
- AI deal finder running (Dealhound or similar) for categories you care about
- 2–3 Reddit deal subs in your feed, sorted by new
- One cashback program (Rakuten) bookmarked
- One coupon extension installed and forgotten about
- A general awareness of seasonal pricing patterns
You don't need to become a deal-hunting obsessive. You just need to stop doing the default thing (Googling and clicking the first result) and start using the infrastructure that's already out there.
The difference between someone who overpays and someone who gets great deals isn't effort — it's systems. Set up the systems once, and the savings compound forever.
Want to skip the manual work? Dealhound automates the searching so you can focus on the buying. Free during beta.