Spend less time and money getting it right.

Solvitask publishes practical guides to buying smarter. We help you spend less time comparing options and less money on the result, so you end up getting the decision right the first time. Every guide is built on research from consumer organisations and regulators.

Shopping  15 September 2026, 5 min read

How to read online reviews without getting misled

Reviews shape most purchases, and regulators say a share of them are not what they appear. A few simple checks help you separate real opinions from paid ones.

What tends to be cheaper this month

Seasonal price patterns compiled from consumer research. Pick a month to plan a purchase.

  • Cruises
  • Jeans
  • Toys
  • Lawn equipment

October is a quiet month for cruise lines, which often run promotions.

Sources: Consumer Reports, Reader's Digest, Consumers Credit Union

What you will find on Solvitask

Shopping

Our shopping guides cover the decisions behind a purchase rather than the products themselves: when prices usually fall, how to tell genuine reviews from paid ones, and how to judge whether a discount is real. They are written for anyone who buys online and wants fewer regrets.

Browse all shopping guides

Travel

Travel guides focus on the biggest and least predictable cost of most trips: the fare. We explain how free tools show whether a price is low, how price alerts work, and why the cheapest ticket on the screen is not always the cheapest trip.

See the travel guides

Money

Money guides explain everyday financial tools in plain language, starting with cashback portals and card rewards. The aim is to show how each one actually saves you money, where the catches are, and when it is not worth the effort.

Explore the money guides

How we research our guides

Every guide starts with research from organisations that test products or protect consumers, such as Consumer Reports and the US Federal Trade Commission, and from established personal finance publications. We read the original material, compare it across sources, and rewrite the useful parts in plain language with practical context.

Each article ends with a list of its sources so you can check our work. When a source is unclear or out of date, we leave the claim out rather than guess. Some pages contain affiliate links, which help fund the site, but they never decide what we recommend. Learn more about Solvitask

Quick answers

Is there a best month to buy a TV?

TV prices tend to drop in January and March, when retailers clear older models, and again during the large November sales events. Off-cycle promotions happen all year, so a price alert is a useful backup to the calendar. Read the month-by-month buying guide

How can I tell if a review is fake?

Watch for a sudden burst of reviews posted within a few days, vague praise without specific details, and reviewers who may have received the product for free. Comparing reviews across several independent websites gives a more reliable picture than any single page. Read how to spot misleading reviews

Do cashback portals really pay?

Yes, as long as the purchase tracks correctly. A portal receives a commission from the store and passes part of it to you. Starting from the portal, allowing its tracking cookie and keeping your order confirmation make the difference between being paid and missing out. Read how cashback portals work

When should I book a flight?

There is no single best day of the week. A more reliable approach is to check whether the current fare is low compared with past prices for the same route, set a price alert, and book when the fare drops into that range. Read our guide to cheaper flights