I’ve always been a big shopper (shocking, I know…) and as much as I prefer to go to stores where I can see and touch things in person, I do more online shopping now than ever. Mostly because I live further away from my favorite stores than I did before we moved but also because so many places now offer free shipping, which is huge for saving both time and gas. Most online shopping and price comparisons are simple Google searches but how do you price shop when you can’t find other stores selling the item you’re interested in because they’ve named it something totally different?
That’s where my favorite trick comes in:
So what are the most common things I use this trick for? Lighting, mirrors, and rugs. A lot of online stores sell the exact same mirrors, sconces, etc. but they call them different names so when you Google the name of the item you found at one store, you won’t find any other stores that sell it. Tricky, right?! So let’s talk about how to get around that.
I’m going to use the example of this beautiful mirror that I found at one of my favorite online shops. I love the mirror but not the price tag – the cost would be about $370 with shipping. I did a Google search using the name of the mirror to see if anyone else sold it for less but my search came up dry.
So I put my favorite trick into action. The first step is to save an image of the item you’re searching for on your computer. From my Mac, this means doing a two finger click while hovering over the image and selecting “Save image as…”. For a lot of PCs, it’s done by right clicking while hovering over the image.
Every now and then I encounter a site that doesn’t give you the option of saving the image. In this case, a simple solution is to Pin the item onto one of your Pinterest boards, go to Pinterest and click on your Pin to enlarge the image, and then save it in the same way as described above.
Once the image is saved to your computer, go to Google. In the upper right corner of the Google home page, click on the word “Images”. You’ll see a little camera appear on the right hand side of the search box. Click it.
Next, click “Upload an image” and then “Choose File”:
It will open up your File Directory where you’ve saved your image. Double click on your image file and it will be uploaded to the Google Image Search. Now you’ve got a list of all of the web pages that include an image of your item. For the mirror I searched, I got 92 results.
Those 92 results weren’t all for online stores but enough of them were for me to be able to shop around for a better price. In addition to looking at the item price, I also take into account whether there is a cost for shipping and whether there are any promo codes out there to lower the price (just do a Google search with the store name and “promo code” to see). If the online store isn’t one you’re familiar with, it’s a good idea to Google reviews of it and check it’s rating with the BBB.
The best price I found on my mirror (which is actually an Uttermost mirror sold at a ton of places) was just under $300 on Amazon. So a two minute search would have saved me about $70. Not bad!
Oh – and one last feature to point out to you. At the bottom of your first page of Google Image search results, you’ll see a section titled “Visually Similar Images”. Sometimes I’ve found great look-alikes for a ton less money by looking through these images (you can see more images by clicking on the title). For our pretty little bamboo mirror, Google didn’t do quite as good of a job as finding look-alikes as usual (what’s up with the purses?) but it’s definitely a feature worth checking out.
Speaking of mirrors, I ordered one yesterday for our bathroom makeover. As much as I loved the mirror from my bathroom inspiration board, I figured out that it was too tall and I also decided that I needed to go with a medicine cabinet as part of Project Hide My Husband’s Bathroom Crap. Have you looked at the mirrored medicine cabinet options lately? Not good. But I think I have a winner – you can decide for yourself when I share it on the blog tomorrow along with the rest of the bathroom progress. See you then!
Krystine www.KrystineEdwards.com/blog says
October 8, 2014 at 7:31 amWHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!!? I almost cried reading this! I had NO clue!!!! I wish I could hug you right now! Off to try and find something I’ve been looking for that everyone’s renamed!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:26 amSo glad you love my tip – fingers crossed that you find what you’re looking for!!
Anonymous says
April 24, 2015 at 9:40 amGreat trick.Thank you.Just help me find something that i was looking for.
Savvy shopper says
October 8, 2014 at 7:34 amGreat trick. Fellow shopaholic did not know that one, so thanks for sharing… Enabler
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:26 amYep, I’m dragging you and everyone else down in the gutter with me 🙂
Ms. Ivythwaite says
August 22, 2016 at 3:31 pmOMG! I am just reading this in 2016! I’ve been searching for such a tool and had no idea one was as near as my finger tips! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Kris Jarrett says
August 30, 2016 at 10:11 pmSo glad you found it helpful!
Tammy says
October 8, 2014 at 7:51 amYou are a genius and I will be a follower for life 🙂 Thank you for that awesome tip!!!!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:27 amYou crack me up Tammy – I hope it works well for you!!
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says
October 8, 2014 at 8:26 amGENUIS!
René says
October 8, 2014 at 8:33 amBrilliant! I search for images on pinterest that don’t have original sources all the time, but never thought to search for product this way. Thank you!
Pat says
October 8, 2014 at 8:58 amGreat information. I order a lot online and have spent hours going from site to site. Thanks so much.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:29 amIt’s so hard how stores rename everything to keep you from price shopping – hope this cuts down on your search time!
alysa says
October 8, 2014 at 9:08 amI knew there had to be a way…. thanks for sharing that important info:)
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:37 amI know, life-changing stuff, right? 🙂
[email protected] Stroll Thru Life says
October 8, 2014 at 9:14 amHow fabulous is this. Wht a great tip. Thanks for sharing.
Pam @ Simple Details says
October 8, 2014 at 9:43 amBrilliant, my friend!!!
Joy Schumann says
October 8, 2014 at 10:30 amWow Kris! If there ever is a shopaholic award it will go to you. I also am an online shopper and waste a ton of time looking for “the best price.” Thanks for the wonderful tip.
Of subject: I just finished reading your post on what Blogspot bloggers need to know: marvelous information…now if I just can understand all of it. Thanks for sharing…I wish I had know much of this when I first started blogging.
{{HUGS}}
Joy
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:39 amThat’s one award my husband probably wishes that I didn’t win but I’ll proudly accept 🙂 Glad you found the blogging post helpful – I’m still learning myself!
Patty Day says
October 8, 2014 at 10:37 amTHIS IS GENIUS!!!!
I HAVE BOOKMARKED THE ENTIRE POST!!!!!
Thank you so much.
Patty
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:39 amGlad you found it helpful Patty – shop away!
Kim says
October 8, 2014 at 10:43 amWow! I never knew you could search Google using a source image. Great info – thanks! And I can’t wait to see your bathroom reveal!
Shelley @ Calypso in the Country says
October 8, 2014 at 10:44 amGreat tip Kris! I think you have made a lot of people happy with this post!
Shelley
Terri says
October 8, 2014 at 10:49 amThanks so much for sharing this. The only thing I like better than shopping is saving money.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:39 amYou and me both Terri!
Eva @ Four Leaf Clover says
October 8, 2014 at 12:45 pmWow, I had no idea about this! That’s so clever! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:39 amNo problem Eva – thanks for stopping by!
Lisa @ Shine Your Light says
October 8, 2014 at 12:47 pmI love that trick! You are a professional! Looking forward to seeing your bathroom progress tomorrow!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:44 amI like that Lisa – “professional shopper” sounds so much better than “shopping addict”! 🙂
Pattie @ Olla-Podrida says
October 8, 2014 at 2:37 pmThis was new to me, and very timely as there was something I was interested in finding just this morning. Alas, no matches for what I wanted. Still, I appreciate the information and will try this again, I’m sure.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:41 amBummer that you had no matches. Sometimes it truly is something unique to one store and other times they use different images so you won’t be able to find it but hopefully you’ll have better luck in the future – this trick has worked for me a ton!
[email protected] says
October 8, 2014 at 5:53 pmThanks for sharing! What a great tip.
Cheryl @ Artzzle says
October 8, 2014 at 5:54 pmWhew! This will save all of us a lot of frustration, time … anger? … AND money. Thanks for the great post!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:42 amI sure hope it does Cheryl! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Dana says
October 9, 2014 at 4:55 amI feel like you just shaved hours off my day! So smart…thanks for sharing!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 9:43 amIt’s definitely a lot quicker than having to do 50 Google searches, right?! Hope it helps you find some things that you’re looking for!
RW says
October 9, 2014 at 1:20 pmHad you considered removing the four tiles holding the soap dish and towel bar and replacing just those four tiles with spares or newly purchased similar ones? The white square tiles appear fairly standard.
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 9, 2014 at 2:53 pmI did consider doing that but my tile is glazed (it is actually pink underneath!) and I’m too afraid that I’d chip the glaze on the other tiles in the process of replacing those four and end up having to reglaze everything which isn’t in the budget. So I think I’m stuck with them and just have to work around them for now. Thanks for the thought though – if they weren’t glazed that would be a great solution!
Catherine says
October 9, 2014 at 3:47 pmThank you, thank you! I do a lot of online shopping and had no idea about this. Keep showing us all your tricks, please!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 13, 2014 at 10:29 pmI’m so glad you found it helpful Catherine!
Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage says
October 9, 2014 at 11:12 pmAwesome info! I had no idea! Excited to use this in the future!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 13, 2014 at 10:29 pmI hope it works for you Lisa!
Jennifer @ Dimples and Tangles says
October 10, 2014 at 9:29 amSmart, smart, smart! Such a great tip, Kris. Thanks for sharing!
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 13, 2014 at 10:31 pmThanks Jennifer – I use this little trick all the time and am always surprised by the huge range in pricing of the same exact item.
Garden, Home and Party says
October 13, 2014 at 6:54 pmI love this tip. I’ve saving the link to this post so that if I forget a step I can check your great instructions again. Wow, who knew?!
Karen
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
October 13, 2014 at 9:41 pmI hope it works well for you Karen!
Kathy T says
January 23, 2015 at 7:48 pmThis is genius 🙂 thanks for sharing
Kris @ Driven by Decor says
January 23, 2015 at 8:46 pmThanks Kathy – I hope you find some great deals using it!
Sheryl says
June 17, 2015 at 8:19 pmAwesome tip! Thank you for sharing. I usually just pin it and scroll to “related pins”. : )
Kris Jarrett says
June 18, 2015 at 8:56 pmThat’s a great tip too Sheryl – thanks!!
Kathy Griffith says
August 2, 2015 at 12:06 pmOh wow, I tried this and it really worked. We are searching for patio furniture and it proved amazing finds, not always the better price but gave me sites that I didn’t even know about. Thank you.
Kris Jarrett says
August 10, 2015 at 9:31 pmI’m so glad it worked for you Kathy!
Melissa @deloom.com says
August 5, 2015 at 2:32 pmTHIS IS AMAZING!!! I had NO clue! I’ve been on the hunt for a raised garden bed the last few months, searching for something similar and less expensive. You’ve literally just saved me $150! Thank you! xo
Kris Jarrett says
August 10, 2015 at 9:31 pmYay! So glad it did the trick!!
Sheva says
August 7, 2015 at 2:05 pmIf you’re browsing via Google Chrome you also have the option of right clicking on an image & selecting “Search Google for this image” … it’ll save you a couple steps from the ones listed above 😉
Kris Jarrett says
August 10, 2015 at 9:32 pmThanks so much for the tip Sheva!
[email protected] says
October 2, 2015 at 2:57 pmthat is a life changing trick! Thanks so so much for shring
[email protected] says
October 2, 2015 at 2:57 pmsharing 😉
Kris Jarrett says
October 4, 2015 at 8:57 pmI hope you find some great deals with it 🙂
[email protected] says
October 5, 2015 at 9:20 amI’ve actually been trying to find an affordable peacock mirror but even with this I had no luck 🙁 I wish Pier1 would sell their version again
Hollie @ Stuck on Hue says
October 2, 2015 at 8:41 pmI thought I was a master online shopper, but that’s one thing I hadn’t thought of. Great tip!
Kris Jarrett says
October 4, 2015 at 8:51 pmGlad you found it helpful Hollie!!
Laura says
October 4, 2015 at 9:52 amTo make this trick even easier, you can actually right click on an image and click on “copy image URL” and then paste into the search box on google and search by image. It’s one of my favorite tricks! I never would have thought to use it for price comparison, though! Such a great idea 🙂
Kris Jarrett says
October 4, 2015 at 8:52 pmGreat shortcut! Thanks Laura!
Kim says
August 23, 2017 at 1:27 pmHoly smokes!! This is amazing! I am going to be a right-clicking maniac with this! Thank you!!
Kris Jarrett says
August 28, 2017 at 11:00 pmHa! Hope you have fun with it!