This article was first published on DollarsAndSense.sg

Christmas is coming and it is time to start thinking in advance on what are some gifts to buy for your families and friends.

If you are someone who prefers to start the Christmas shopping early, then you would probably already know that Black Friday offers the best opportunity to get what you need at the best price, while simultaneously also helping you to beat the holiday madness which will come in December.

Because great deals don’t just come and stay forever, the key to acing these online shopping events is to prepare the items on your wish list in advance, and to know the tricks to get the best possible price available on the day.

The beauty of online shopping is that there are many great options available to make your life easier when the frenzy commences. Here’s a list of our top 5 websites to sign up to prior to Black Friday if you are really serious in making sure you get the best deals.

Wishlistr

Most of us shop online on our smartphone and other devices. We love it because it is fast and convenient.

However, one problem you will frequently encounter while shopping online is that it is very difficult to keep track of every single item that we are interested in across so many different websites.

Wishlistr is a global online shopping list creator which helps you collect, store and organize any items you find online that you’re interested in buying, but haven’t quite made up your mind yet.

Using an online list platform like Wishlistr for Black Friday is a great idea, as you can do your shopping a day or two in advance, and have all your items ready and waiting on Wishlistr. After that, it is simply a matter of checking your Wishlstr account on Black Friday and viewing what sort of discounts are available for these items, before proceeding to checkout your purchases.

Flipit Singapore

With web store pages for over 300 different brands, Flipit Singapore will be featuring thousands of coupon codes to be used for discounts at online checkouts across the web this Black Friday.

It’s also worth remembering that Black Friday is a global shopping event, with more stores across the globe getting involved each year.

Here is one trick to try if you can’t find a particular code on Flipit Singapore. Use one of the other 20 country sites available on Flipit.com. Because most brands offer worldwide shipping on Black Friday anyway, you might potentially be able to take advantage by shopping online on Black Friday and then stealing a code that which was meant primarily for an overseas audience.

VPost

If you find a site that is crazy enough not to ship to Singapore on Black Friday, try using SingPost’s international delivery service, vPost.

vPost works to overcome those annoying restrictions imposed by retailers who don’t offer shipping options to Singapore. It does so by offering a warehouse address in the US, Europe, China or Japan, where your purchases can be sent to initially before being shipped by Vpost to Singapore.

As some (particularly US) sites don’t offer worldwide shipping during the holiday season, a service like Vpost will be your best friend! Not only this, but check out Vpost’s own Black Friday page, as they even have their own discounts going at top US stores this year. For more info, check out this guide to using Vpost.

Shopbot

The beauty of shopping online on Black Friday is that you don’t need to drag yourself around various malls trying to find your desired items at the best price. With the click of a button, you can use price comparison sites such as Shopbot to help you source for the lowest prices available on the Internet.

Here is a possible trick you can employ. Before Black Friday, use Shopbot to find the most competitive prices for items that you are interested in buying. Add these items to your Wishlistr. Check back on these Wishlistr on Black Friday and see the discounts that are offered on the day itself. Before committing to any purchase, browse which coupon codes are available using Flipit Singapore. These combinations will allow you to get your desired items at the best possible price.

Shopback

Not only will you get exclusive coupon codes as well as up to 80% off at various stores across the web on Black Friday, but you can also start earning cash rewards for every dollar you spend.

Cashback service such as Shopback rewards you with cash simply for signing up to their service and shopping via their homepage, rather than go directly to webstores. Check out this guide to credit card-free cashback options if you are interested to find out more. Katie Paterson.

DollarsAndSense.sg is a website that aims to help people make better financial decisions. If you like what you read, subscribe to the DollarsAndSense.sg Newsletter.

Photos: Răzvan Băltărețu; Website screengrabs