The Google Play Store and App Store have apps that help you save money when you buy school supplies. Through services such as Mercado Livre, Zoom and OLX, you can search for the best prices on notebooks and backpacks, and even find used books in good condition. In this way, the consumer is able to save money at a time marked by the arrival of tax slips.
Next, the dnetc brought together five applications for Android and iPhone (iOS) that help to save back to school. All options are free to download.
Apps help to save on back to school – Photo: Ana Marques / dnetc
List brings the best apps of 2017 for Android and iPhone
Mercado Livre app allows you to buy and sell second-hand items – Photo: Caroline Parreiras
Mercado Livre is one of the largest e-commerce portals in Latin America, with an application available for Android and iPhone. The platform allows you to buy and sell new and used products in a very simple way.
In addition to the possibility of purchasing products sold by individuals, it is still a marketplace that encompasses the main stores in Brazil. There is no charge for advertising, but Mercado Livre may keep a portion of the sale value, depending on the user’s plan. For those who will use the app to make purchases, the only fee that can be charged is shipping.
Zoom price comparison has alert and price history – Photo: Caroline Parreiras
The Zoom price comparator allows you to search for school supplies on the web or via an app for Android and iPhone, which is completely free to download and use. One of the advantages is the price alert – which can be used in categories such as books, backpacks and sneakers – and notifies you by email and cell phone notification when the product reaches the desired price.
You can also see the price history to see if the lowest value shown for the product is high or low at the time of the survey, compared to the last six months.
With Yzye, you can exchange, buy or donate used books – Photo: Caroline Parreiras
Yzye is an application for Android and iPhone aimed at exchanging, donating and selling used textbooks. Still in the experimental phase, the app shows how many kilometers away the seller is, and allows trading via chat within the platform itself.
One of the ideas is that students from schools and universities use the app to exchange books in a simple way, and still save money by purchasing the necessary items at lower prices than the bookstores.
OLX has free ads for those who want to sell second-hand school supplies – Photo: Caroline Parreiras
OLX works in a similar way to Mercado Livre, one of its main competitors. Also present on the web and in applications for Android and iPhone, at OLX it is possible to sell and buy new and used products without paying any fee. It is worth noting that for some categories there is a limited amount of free advertisements. To create extra ads, you must pay a fee.
The platform also offers a paid service that highlights the ads selected by the user, increasing the visibility of the product. Another function is the chat, with the objective of making the exchange of messages between sellers and buyers more agile. To find the desired product, you can use filters or search for the specific model or brand.
Purchases made through JáCotei can earn miles – Photo: Caroline Parreiras
Another price comparator is JáCotei. The search for the lowest price of the desired product can be done through the website or application (Android and iOS). Among the functions of the platform are the price history of the last six months, to help know if the product is cheap or not at the time of the survey, in addition to the price alert, which can be configured for various items.
An advantage of JáCotei is the possibility of earning miles in programs like Smiles and Multiplus when purchasing products through the platform. For those looking for school supplies, it is easy to compare prices at the largest Brazilian e-commerce stores. There are books, notebooks, pencils and other categories that can be explored on the platform.
