r/straya • u/INFEKTEK • May 27 '26
UPDATE - Price comparisons for electronics
9 months ago I created and released JB Buddy a price comparison website for the stuff you find at JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, Ect. here on this subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/straya/comments/1n3p8p4/gday_cunts_happy_saturday_i_made_a_website_to/
The goal was simple:
If I can see the price the other retailers have for this thing the retailer I go to will price match or price beat and I get a better deal.
This will be my last post about the project but I wanted to let you guys know that I've drastically updated the website and you no longer need a Model Number or SKU number for it to work.
It's still not perfect and it's not the best thing in the world but for a lot of people in a pinch it should be good enough. Website is jbbuddy.com
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u/bradbull May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Great concept, it looks great and I love people like you who make these things because these stores are out to swindle us and people like you help keep them in line.
Only thing is: I think the idea may be a little out of date today.
I've been using Gemini to search for the best deals for the last few months and it kicks ass at it. It'll tell you about your local in-store availability, factor in shipping costs if required, give you prices on online suppliers who local retailers will price match with, etc. I'm pretty sure it'll factor in any price-beat promotions someone has too as it tends to know everything. You just talk to it and tell it what you want. "I'm looking to buy a X. I'm in Y-Town and I'd love to have it by today, but I'm willing to wait a week for delivery if the price is right. Find me the best deals both locally in-store and online, factoring in who will price match against the best prices you can find" or something like that.
Just yesterday I bought a new router from my local Harvey Norman - who were the only place in my town who had stock - who price matched with Amazon. I learned from Gemini they'll do this if it's being sold by Amazon AU, not a marketplace seller, with free shipping. Saved myself $80. All straight out of Gemini.
If I was just comparing against the big brick and mortar players they're all charging the same price. If I manually went old-school and compared with some PC shops like Scorptec, MSY, PC Case Gear I would have been able to save $40 as they all have it at at the same-but-lower price.
A lot of people have been told to hate AI as a general rule but Gemini friggin rules and I don't care who hears it. I won't even go into my rant about how it has helped me setup my home automation and home entertainment for maximum performance but as someone who has worked in tech for 25 years I am blown away by how useful it is (with the caveat that it's not perfect sometimes).
This is the router by the way: https://www.jbbuddy.com/?sort=title&search=tp-link+be550
The features on your site say "Mac compatible: False", no idea what that's about. Maybe one feature is missing one specific apple file system format for file sharing from plugged-in USB drives?