When times are tight - find a donkey

Well metaphorically speaking anyway, we mean find someone to do all the cost-saving, bargain-hunting, donkey work for you.

We all know that when it comes to internet shopping, price comparison sites are usually the first point of call to find the cheapest deals out there. They are however often outdated, focus on a limited number of suppliers and there’s no flexibility in price.

But there’s one site that goes that step further. TipaTipa is an innovative new site where people help each other find bargains, the kind of bargains that price comparison sites can’t.

And let’s face it, in the current economic climate, with rising bills and falling property prices, we need to get smarter with how we spend our hard earned cash.

Tipatipa.co.uk works by people listing an item they’re looking for such as a TV, computer console, or even a car or a holiday, and the price that they’re prepared to pay for it. A community of bargain hunters then use their skills and expertise to find you the best deal. It could be someone who knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone, or a tradesman with great deals at their fingertips, or simply someone who knows how to haggle.

At the end of the listing, which can last from a matter of hours up to a week, the user can choose from the best bids, and if they’re happy with what’s been found, they can leave a discretionary tip, thanking the ‘tipper’ for their services.

Dave Dixon, TipaTipa Director said: “It seems an ideal time to launch TipaTipa, with the credit crunch, everyone is counting the pennies and trying to spend as little as possible. What TipaTipa does is take all the effort out of searching for that bargain, as the old saying goes, time is money – and that’s something people don’t have to spare at the moment.

“The internet is already awash with price comparison sites but TipaTipa is different. Often you’ll find that these sites just have headline offers that aren’t the real deal, they’re outdated and only focus on a limited number of suppliers. With TipaTipa it’s real people, searching for real bargains, in real time, like a network of personal shoppers.”

The site already has hundreds of users registered with listings ranging from DVD series, to LCD televisions, holidays and laminate tiling.

It’s free to join and create listings and all users are asked in return is to rate bids and consider leaving a discretionary tip to fellow users that help save time or money. Tips are paid through Paypal but users can also use the messaging service to agree an alternative payment.