What Does YMMV Mean (and why do I need to know)?

So, you begin to become a savvy shopper. Together, you and DealDump’s clever deals and tips are conquering the sales world. Now that you’re getting more comfortable in the world of smart shopping, you’re probably coming across industry jargon. YMMV is a very common thing to find in deals, but what does it mean for you and your buying experience? Let’s take a closer look.

The history of YMMV, or, Your Mileage May Vary

In a nutshell, the definition of YMMV is Your Mileage May Vary. Used in day-to-day conversation, it means that your experience of a situation, or opinions on a matter, could be different from the one the other speaker is disclosing to you.

Imagine someone telling you about their new BlendMaster 5000. They could be using it for smoothies and love it, but they’re aware of the fact you want to use it for baking ingredients. So they will tell you everything they love about it and add the caveat ‘YMMV, though’, because they’re just describing their experience, not a guarantee.

YMMV meaning in sales posts

When we take it to the world of online deals, what does it mean? At the core, the meaning is very similar- your experience could be slightly different from that described. It can still be pretty loose, however, so you’ll need to use common sense when decoding it in online product reviews.

Typically, it means the discount or availability of the deal is a little uncertain. Why would this happen? You’ll often see it used when sites like ours let you know about deals that are not universal. It may not appear in your store, in your region, for shipping to your area, or based on your PC IP. It also may be dependent on things like shipping choices.

What other contexts does YMMV have?

In the world of great deals and sales, there are a few other situations where you may see YMMV. These could be:

  • This deal is clearance- This means it may not appear in certain stores or areas
  • This deal is regional- Pretty much the same as clearance, you might not have a chance at it. This can apply to coupons too.
  • This deal is limited time only- you may miss out
  • This deal may or may not appeal to you- perhaps you have to do something to get the deal, and you may not want to.
  • This deal may depend on the store- sometimes you can get coupons, discounts, promotions, or access to ‘secret’ items at the til, but it will depend on the store policy, cashier mood, and manager

What YMMV doesn’t mean

There’s also a few YMMV meanings you’ll see that cheats suggest that aren’t really safe strategies for deals. While you probably won’t encounter anything like this using legit sites like DeapDump, it’s good to know what to watch out for.

YMMV isn’t, and should never be, used to refer to:

  • Situations where you can ‘get away’ with something if you’re mean, cruel, abusive, or bossy
  • Situations where you abuse a coupon, misuse it, or rely on a manager giving in to a tantrum
  • Situations where you don’t read the store’s discount or coupon policy properly and decide that’s their fault. 

So YMMV is something of a catch-all term to cover sweet deals that you may or may not be able to get. This is versus definite deals, nationwide bargains, and targeted sales days like Memorial Day Weekend, Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday. Treat all clearance deals and similar situations as YMMV.

Knowing sales jargon will help you find the very best deals possible, so don’t be shy to reach out and ask if you have questions about YMMV or there’s another term you’d really like to know about! The DealDump team is always keen to hear from you.

Sarah McCord
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