Thule 682 Sidekick Cargo Box

Over the summer I was faced with the need to drive four people (my growing family), with accompanying luggage, on holiday - a drive of 5-6 hours. For the first time I realised there just wasn't going to be room INSIDE the car and something was going to have to go on the roof! The solution of course was a cargo box, like this one, the Thule 682 Sidekick.

Suddenly, a whole new world opened up! After having crammed the trunk of the car to absolute capacity, usually there would be nowhere to go, and Things would have to get left behind. Important Things! Now there was a solution! Those Important Things could go up in the 8 cubic feet of space offered by the Thule 682. Not only that, but they are as safe as houses, the universal attachment system of this cargo box keeping it locked to the roof, steady as a rock.

I found the Thule 682 for a bargain price, too! Details here - only $218.95 at time of writing, if you apply the coupon code quoted on the sales page. Now where to put the bike...

Garmin nüvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

We used the StoreMinator once again to compare prices on eBay and Amazon, this time for the bestselling Garmin nüvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator. This is currently the bestselling satnav/GPS device on Amazon so there must be a wide variety of prices.

Well, our cunning comparison engine threw up the following results:

Amazon: $154.99 - this was one of those "Price too low to display" items, which usually means there is a bargain lurking and you have to click through some (no obligation) to actually get it. But it's usually worth it!

eBay: $139.99 - new not second-hand! You never know with eBay, tomorrow you might not find it at the same price as the item we found, but again, shows you need to shop around!

Both stores were offering free shipping, so there you go, eBay wins this one.

By the way, the StoreMinator also threw up a result from another retailer (who shall remain nameless) at the VERY hopeful price of $420.99! This shows why you need to shop around, using a comparison tool like the StoreMinator, because someone out there is hoping to sell you the same thing at 3 times the price!

Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop

With the help of the StoreMinator, we compared... prices on Amazon and eBay for the Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop.

Lowest Amazon price: $399.99
Lowest eBay price: $399.99

And the winner is...
Well, we'll call this one a draw - we DID find the Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop for the same price on eBay as on Amazon, both with free shipping.

But there were plenty more Aspire Ones coming up on eBay for prices over $400, and there was even frantic bidding (25 bids plus!) on some of them that was exceeding the Amazon list price! Imagine paying more than you need to - now that's just silly...! The message once again is, shop around, and remember to consult the StoreMinator, just to be sure!