Have you ever spent way too much time comparison shopping online hunting down the best deal? Or have you ever forgotten to comparison shop, only to discover a much better deal after you have placed your order? If you want the best deal with the least amount of effort, check out Invisible Hand.
Invisible Hand is an Add-on to Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari browsers that alerts you to better deals online. Invisible Hand runs in the background, you won’t notice it unless you are shopping online or search for a product in a search engine such as Google.
When you search for a product, either at an online shopping website or through a search engine such as Google, Invisible Hand automatically searches to see whether there is a better price elsewhere. If it finds a better price, a yellow bar pops up at the top of your screen under your toolbar to show the better price.
In the example above, Invisible Hand popped up to let me know that the DVD for The Big Lebowski is $15.01 cheaper at NBC Universal Store than at Barnes & Noble. If you click on the drop-down menu, you can see prices for the DVD at seven other stores. Invisible Hand doesn’t always calculate Shipping and Handling charges, so viewing other retailers’ prices is very useful.
The yellow bar also gives you the option of seeing related items and reviews. For this movie, the related items included the Limited Edition, the Widescreen Collector’s Edition, non-Blu-Ray editions, and other related movies. The reviews ranged from a review of the added scenes on the DVD to a review of the movie itself.
Invisible Hand offers real-time prices. The list of prices refreshes every time you use it, so you’re not wasting your time with expired deals.
Flights
Invisible Hand was recently updated to include searches for airline flights. Invisible Hand will not only show you the cheapest flights, it will also show you the most direct flights. Invisible Hand can also check hotels and rental cars for you as well.
As with its shopping feature, Invisible Hand shows a yellow bar when you search for a flight. The bar will show you the lowest price, along with a drop-down menu for alternative flights. The menu allows you to see alternative flight prices, schedules and the duration of the flights.
Adding Invisible Hand to Your Browser
To get Invisible Hand for Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer or Safari, go to this link: getinvisiblehand.com. (To find out more about Add-ons, check out Fun with Browsers!)
Here is a link to a video from Invisible Hand showing you how to get started: Invisible Hand Getting Started.
Bottom Line
By taking a few minutes to set up Invisible Hand on your Firefox or Chrome browser, you will save countless hours in hunting for your best deals online. Get Invisible Hand today for efficient online shopping!
Do you comparison shop online? Have you ever purchased an item only to find a much better deal later? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Carolyn – This is a nice add-on, now i dont have to worry about visiting all those sites for a better deal. Nice name also – Invisible Hand 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Hi Praveen, You’re right, this is a great add-on that is very handy. I use it often, not only for shopping, but for researching my articles for The Wonder of Tech!
I’m happy you like the add-on and the name! 🙂
I was just complaining about the price of flights. 😀 The add-on is soooooo handy, Carolyn! Time and money saver. 🙂
Thanks a lot for sharing this with us. I am sharing it everywhere!
Mouh
🙂
Hi Mouh, Invisible Hand is great for price comparison on flights. It will even tell you if you there isn’t a better price that they can find.
Thanks for sharing this article, Mouh!
I.love.my.iPhone………..just sayin’………….:)
Google Chrome is my browser, I will have to check this out.
Hi Bill, I’m thrilled you are loving your iPhone, though I’m not surprised. You will have a lot of fun exploring apps and getting to know Siri.
I hope you enjoy Invisible Hand as well! 🙂
I have been using this add-on for quite some time. Comes in ‘handy’ (akaka) though mostly the site I go to first tend to have the best prices already. (I.e. Newegg)
Hi Matt, Lol, you’re right, Invisible Hand is very “handy”! 😀
One of the many great features of Invisible Hand is that it will tell you when it can’t find a better price. So if you land on a page with the best price, you don’t have to waste your time going elsewhere.
Happy shopping!
So cool Carolyn. I think I mentioned in an earlier post of yours that most of my online shopping is done on eBay (and I suspect this doesn’t really help much with auction sites…), but it’s good to keep in mind for comparison shopping with airline flights.
Where do you find all of these interesting gadgets, gizmos and technologies to review and share? Just curious how you find your material 🙂
Great news, Ruth! eBay is covered by Invisible Hand. If you look at The Big Lebowski image above, eBay is listed as the second seller. The DVD is listed as Brand New, Buy It Now for $19.99 with $2.99 shipping.
The eBay comparisons are for Buy It Now listings, auction items aren’t included. That makes sense because price comparisons with auction items wouldn’t be accurate.
Do you purchase mostly auction items or Buy It Now items from eBay? If you are bidding on an item, Invisible Hand can guide you as to the best price so you can set your maximum bid accordingly.
A Wonder of Tech reader let me know about Invisible Hand. I get a lot of great tech tips from brilliant Wonder of Tech readers! I also read tech articles and listen to tech podcasts daily. Tech news is reported constantly. My goal is to find the greatest tech for Wonder of Tech readers. 🙂
Wow! That’s great news. Off to download now!
Carolyn, aloha. WooHoo! Yet another great resource from you. Thanks so much; I can tell this will be lots of fun to use.
In fact, I left for a minute before finishing this to install it and test it out. All I can say, Caroyn, is WOW! Love it! And You!
Off to share with the world. Aloha. Janet
Hi Janet, I’m so glad you installed Invisible Hand. It really is a game changer for online shopping. Thank you very much for your kind words and for spreading the news about Invisible Hand and The Wonder of Tech! I appreciate you! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
This sounds like a great one for shopping, especially with flights. I will look in to this one. I know my husband will love it as well.
Hi Cathy, You’re right, Invisible Hand is a valuable, but free, resource for comparison shopping. They just added the travel feature recently, which makes this Add-on even more useful!
Just in time for the holidays too! Great find Carolyn, what a way to go. I immediately ran over there to install it on Chrome. This will be a really cool tool to use.
I normally shop on Amazon the most but with the holidays coming up, my niece and nephew just give me a list of what they want. It varies from year to year so no telling what will be on their list for this year. I do mostly shop online for whatever they want mostly because it’s so convenient.
I’ll be sure to use this tool and thanks again for sharing this. You’re the best.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, I’m with you, I usually shop on Amazon too, especially because I’m a member of Amazon Prime. I really love free two day shipping. But if I can save a lot of money shopping elsewhere, I want to know about it!
Hi Carolyn,
I have spent a lot of time comparing prices online, especially close to Christmas. Most of the things I buy online are from stores in Norway, except when it comes to books and movies. I have used several websites that helps compare prices, but nothing that seems to be as good as Invisible Hand.
Thanks, perfect timing 🙂
Hi Jens, I’m glad you like this Add-on. I love that it runs in the background. Sometimes I completely forget about it and then I will see the yellow bar pop up. That yellow bar always makes me smile.
With more and more people shopping online, Invisible Hand will be increasingly valuable to save time and money!
Hi Carolyn,
This tool puts me in dual state of mind.
The mind of customer which says “I am going to get the best deal now ”
and the mind of the entrepreneur which says “Oh my God, a big threat to business” .
Sometimes back if you remember there was a similar tool called as Gator. I don’t remember why it was closed down but it sent shivers down the spine of business.
Invisible hand is also an opportunity because if it cannot find an item at other locations/ retailer, then customer needs to buy from a single retail shop. That means shop will have to offer exclusive to be viable. That also means they can have more exclusive costly products 🙂
As for business who are in commodity selling, one more barrier has dropped
Hi Ashvini, Excellent point. The marketplace has become very competitive and tools such as Invisible Hand require companies to remain competitive on prices. Companies must strive to keep overhead costs low in order to survive with competitive pricing.
But I also believe it’s a good idea to base purchase decisions not only on which site offers the lowest prices but also on which site is secure, has a fair return policy and offers competitive shipping rates. 🙂