Buying a Breast Pump

This morning I'm going to go over something a little more serious when it comes to saving money. In my last post I discussed the importance of investing in brand new breast pumps, essentially to avoid the probability of spreading illness. I figured since I didn't really talk much about what to look for, or how to find a good buy online specifically for a breast pump, it might be something a reader could be searching for.

First off, I'm biased when it comes to one specific pump brand. I have read a lot of online reviews, including the good, the bad and especially the ugly. After a lot of research and live forum chats, I have come to the conclusion that the Medela brand itself offers the highest quality and customer satisfaction of all the rest. Of course, this is just my opinion, and you can most certainly decide for yourselves! Now, I haven't purchased one yet, but there are so many styles and lots of ways to upgrade or downgrade when you've made the decision to look at auctions.

Amazon offers a large selection of Medela products from various sellers. These orders may be filled by an Amazon distribution center, or they might come straight from an individual or company. Regardless, this online marketplace has a lot to offer. The model I have decided to pursue is the Medela Swing Pump, retailing for $170 from BabysRUs, or $160 on Amazon. But a quick Google shop search will pull results of $140, with free shipping and no taxes. That's a decent difference, but we can dig a little deeper.

When we head to eBay we need to be super specific about our product (later on I'll discuss how misspellings can be both a blessing a cursing in disguise). I will be searching with the keywords "medela swing", notice I'm not including "pump" or "breast pump", or even selecting a "baby" category. I will also specify that this item is located in the United States (or North America for you Canadians), and that the item is New. At this time I'm not concerned with whether it's a Buy It Now, Auction, or offers Free Shipping. You'll notice that the first results can yield great choices, or you can categorize them by lowest to highest, or auctions that are ending soonest. When I wrote this article, the first auction was selling for about $90 including shipping. That's an $80 savings when compared to the BabysRUs pump!

Keep in mind that Buy It Now lots could be a great option, especially when it features a Best Offer opportunity. Decide on a number you're comfortable with on that exact auction, and go lower on your first offer. Sellers generally come back to you with a counter offer, and if you have gone lower than where you're hoping to be, they may come back with something you can accept. Good luck!