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I have been getting a lot of comments and emails from readers about how they don’t get all of the coupons I list on my coupon preview. Whether your area gets a particular coupon or not, or a different value is a marketing decision made by the manufacturers that issue the coupons. So, what can you do when you look forward to a certain coupon and find out that your Sunday newspaper insert did not include that coupon? You have several options:
- The easiest solution is to order coupons from a coupon clipping service. I wrote this post about using coupon clipping services a little over a year ago. I would like to add Coupons By Dede to the list. This is the advice I will give about using a coupon clipping service:
- Use a reputable one: ask around, read on HCW or AFC about any experience other couponers have had: look for reliability, good communication and fast shipping. If timeliness is an issue, try to find one that’s closest to you. Ultimately it may take trying more than one service to find the one that works best for you.
- The next solution is to get your coupons from Ebay. You can view seller feedback and search by closest to your zip code to get your coupons. The main drawbacks I have found with buying from Ebay is that if the coupons “are hot” they will be really expensive because of demand. Using a coupon clipping service may turn out to be a better deal in that case. The only problem is that a lot of the auction are for lots of 20 coupons. That’s a LOT of coupons in most cases. I am all for stockpiling but I can’t find room for twenty sets of several products on my pantry. What ends up happening is that I don’t get to use all of the coupons, hence wasting the money I paid for them.
- The final solution is to trade for coupons. Both Hotcouponworld and A Full Cup have coupon trading forums you can use to get those coupons you are looking for. I have been using the Hotcouponworld trading board for more than a year now and although my coupon trading has slowed down a lot (thanks to my stockpile), I still use it often. Here are some things you need to know before you consider trading coupons:
- Find a trusted medium for trading coupons. If you are a member and frequent visitor to A Full Cup and Hot Coupon World trading forums you should explore their trading boards before jumping in. I like the trading board at HCW because you need to apply to be able to trade. They are also very good about following up on “bad trades” and will flag members who don’t honor their end of the trade agreement.
- Begin small, don’t try to make really big trades at first and instead test the water with trades for one or two coupons. Unless you already have coupons others are looking for chances are your end of the trade will involved either stamps or cash. Yes, just like on Ebay or with a coupon clipping service some coupon traders will want money (or stamps) for their coupons. Make sure the trader has good feedback and you have a Paypal account to be able to pay. I have never traded for concealed cash because I don’t want to send cash by mail AND it delays getting the coupons.
- Make sure you start collecting coupons other than insert coupons. This means get in your hands on tearpads, blinkie coupons and others. These are the typs of coupons that sometimes have the most demand because are not as widely available as insert coupons.
The point on this post was to give you ideas of what to do when you don’t get the coupons you were looking for in your Sunday newspaper. There are alternatives for you to be able to still save money on those items. They may just take a bit more effort than just picking up the newspaper from the front lawn, but in my opinion the effort is worth it. Whether is worth it or not for you, would depend on your personal experience but hopefully you will find a solution that works for you from the alternatives I have provided.
