Videogame Bargain Hunters: The pre-season season is open and online!

One thing I realised a few years back about this time of year in the US, and in particular New York City, was just how crazy the country’s specials were. If you ever needed a kick-start to your buying addiction then the Christmas season practically injects a mega-vial of shop-a-holic tendencies right into your jugular. The best part of it is if you somehow miss out on these great season specials you can still find (sometimes even better) clearance sales at the end of it all.

I have very fond memories of looting (in a totally legitimate, pay for what I take kind of way) the Disney store in Manhattan for all sorts of marked down trinkets (and before you judge me, the other stores were pretty much emptied out already and the ones that remained were giving out freebies so there was no need to buy anything) after Christmas and if you’re a miser (or a pauper, ahem) then immediately post-Christmas is the best time for you to shop.

Either way, Black Friday (and now also Cyber Monday) is the precursor to the Christmas rush and if you want to hook some decent deals, now’s the time!

Since the South African market isn’t really celebrating any sort of Black Friday I have focused this post on the overseas market. Please bear in mind that none of the following sites are ‘dodgy’ or tax-evasive so you are 100% guaranteed a legitimate purchase and don’t have to worry about import violations! As with every purchase, be open to paying duties on these products because that’s the law - if you don’t get charged then count yourself lucky.

Amazon. Always a good start, and the first in the queue alphabetically. Check out the UK store and the US store for options. The Videogames sale at Amazon.com starts in around twelve hours so if you keep your eye on the Lightning Deals section you can secure some fantastic deals. Digital downloads are also discounted.

Remember, you may have to pay import tariffs on these items but the last time I placed an order I was able to get the stuff in without any levies.

CDWOW. A site offering FREE international shipping and often coming in at great prices for some bargain bin games - they’re presently running the twelve days of Christmas special and today is gaming discount day!

My personal experience with them has been 90% of the time is free shipping and 10% has been import tariffs (and associated delays with the customs officials). It’s a bit of an uncertainty but if you order individual items you are usually safe.

Steam is currently running their Autumn Sale with new deals every day and hundreds of deals all weekend.

Get yourself braced for some serious spending, and don’t get in Oltman’s way!

I can’t emphasise enough - as with everything purchased overseas, it’s a bit of a gamble so please feel free to add your own experiences with these online retailers in the comments below - and if I’ve left anyone out, please share! We are all in this money saving game loving addiction together!

There is one taste of upcoming savings for the South African market, however, currently running at online retailer TakeALot.com, which is offering a 250GB Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle for R3299 - you had better be quick though, there is a limited amount available!

We’ll be back with more specials and savings soon!