Can You Time the Retail Market?
We frequently hear the advice “You can’t time the market”. The market the advice refers to is the stock market. The idea is that predict the perfect moments to buy and sell stocks is very difficult. But what about other markets? Like the market for bicycles or appliances or cars.
Bankrate.com has an article that goes over many different markets and the best time to be a buyer. You can summarize most of the suggestions as: “buy in the off season”.
Buying in the off season has many advantages beyond price breaks. I have very much enjoyed visits to Boston, Washington D.C., France and Germany during the winter. There was less crowding and better deals all around. Of course you have to deal with the cold and sometimes bad weather.
Even if you find it desirable you may not be able to take advantage of seasonality. If your air conditioning breaks in the summer you might have to deal with it then. If your roof leaks you can’t wait for the summer to fix it.
Read the article and take the time to think ahead to your big purchases over the next 12 months. Taking advantage of seasonality can save you a bundle.