(MCT)—January can be a great month to buy a variety of items — depending on holiday sales trends. Recent holiday sales were disappointing for retailers, meaning good deals for January shoppers.
“A lot of times retailers will have sales in January to try to move some of this merchandise,” says Mark Di Vincenzo, author of “Buy Shoes on Wednesday and Tweet at 4:00: More of the best times to buy this, do that and go there.”
One of the biggest January sale categories is the home — ranging from an actual house to everything that goes inside.
“Housing prices are creeping up,” Di Vincenzo says, with winter — especially January and February — a good time to buy. “You have eager sellers and fewer buyers. This winter, especially if you are going to buy a house, you should make an offer early in the year because prices will keep going up.” If you’re not in the market for a new home, you can always beef up your current abode by taking advantage of carpeting and furniture sales.
Di Vincenzo says January is a really good month to buy carpeting and flooring because that industry is busy in the fall, then slows in January.
Furniture is another big January sale category, particularly living room items, as retailers need to make room for new models arriving in February. “For the most part, the furniture that is on sale is going to be very much like the new furniture,” Di Vincenzo says. “The same frames, same quality, but at sales of 40 to 50 percent off.” And while it may be cliche, winter white sales are a good time to get deals on linens and bedding — not just in-store but also from catalogs and online retailers that do not want to miss out on such seasonal revenue, he says.
Here are a few other things Di Vincenzo says you may want to buy this month:
—Winter coats and clothing: “Retailers assume everyone has their winter coats by January so you can see discounts as low as 40 percent.” The longer you wait, the lower the price — but the selection is sure to get worse.
—Jewelry: “You should always buy jewelry in the non-gift-giving months.” You can find sales on jewelry and perfume, so smart shoppers will buy Valentine’s Day gifts now.
—Bikes and boats: Stores that did not sell bikes during the holidays will discount them by up to one-third off. And January boat shows will bring the year’s best prices .
—Gift cards: The glut of unwanted gift cards from Christmas are available now at 15 to 25 percent off at resellers such as eBay.com and GiftCardGranny.com.
©2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.)
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