Let’s be honest, most everyone likes to shop, and even better if you can shop online from the comfort of home. Even better if you can save money while shopping, right? TipsAndCoffee.com presents to you 6 Online Shopping Tips and Tricks to Save Money that everyone should know.
1. Utilize Online Discount Services
These services, such as Groupon, are free and easy to join. You can subscribe to the service and receive emails directly to your inbox that highlight deals of the day in your particular area. You can also search for deals in other areas. Typically, these deals are 50 to 75 percent off the regular price of goods and services. The deals you can find through these services allow you to enjoy things you already love or try something new without spending a ridiculous amount of money. You purchase the item directly from Groupon, or the like, with a credit card on file, or a PayPal account. You either receive the coupon directly to your email, or it’s stored within your account on the Groupon site.
There are a few catches to these types of services. The deals tend to end quickly, in 24 to 72 hours, from when it is announced. However, the coupon is often good for 6 to 12 months from the date of purchase. In some cases, there are a limited number of coupons available. I have seen a limit of 100. So, you must act quickly when you see the coupon you want, because it might go fast. Often times, there is a required number of coupons that must be sold. For example, for a coupon to be valid, there must be 100 purchased, or no one will receive the discount. This does encourage you to share the wealth with friends. You can forward any deal to a friend to purchase. Even the downsides don’t seem to be that bad, huh?
2. Be open to try new things
One of the great things about online discount services, such as Groupon and LivingSocial, offer deals in your surrounding area, so they are places you can easily access. This allows you to try new places and services. You can explore your area at a discounted price. Get out of that rut of going to the same restaurants and stores over and over again Discount service sites gives you the chance to try something new without the worry of losing a lot of money, if you don’t like it. Who knows, you might find your new favorite place.
You don’t have to just stay in local area because online discount services, like Groupon, also allows you to search for deals in other areas. You can save money on wherever you planned for your next vacation. Or you could plan a new place to visit based on exciting discounts that you have found. Groupon and LivingSocial even offer international and domestic travel discounts, so you could find a discount on a place that you’ve always wanted to visit.
3. Amazon, Amazon, Amazon
Amazon is the top online retailer out there today. They offer millions of items and those items are available at varying prices. Amazon Prime is one of the most amazing concepts a company could provide. This program offers free shipping on most things. Typically, the shipping is in two days or less. What more is there to say? Actually, there is a lot more to say because Prime is much more than free shipping. Sometimes, there are even discounts offered for those who have Prime.
Some of the other things that Prime offers are free two hour delivery on groceries. They offer free delivery of Prime Pantry items, such as paper towels, toilet paper, etc, as long as you order at least five items. If you order less than five items, there is a flat delivery charge of $5.99. Unlimited video streaming with Prime Video. Limited music sharing with Prime Music. Unlimited photo storage. Amazon makes it incredibly easier to reorder items with Amazon Dash, where you can reorder items with the press of a button. And some items you can sent up for automatic scheduled delivery.
There is a cost associated with Amazon Prime. It is not a free service. The cost has recently increased to $119 annually. The cost may seem high, but if you utilize Amazon to purchase all of your items, ultimately you save time and money. Amazon has also recently added something called Add On Items. These items can only be purchased in combination with other items and you have to spend a certain amount before you can add them to your cart. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to what is an Add On Item.
4. Utilize a Wish List / Online Shopping Cart
Here is a tip that you may never have realized. If you put an item in your online shopping cart or wish list and leave it there, the retailer will tell you when there has been a price change, such as a sale. If the item is on sale, they will even alert you when the sale is going to end. Sometimes, the retailer will even offer you a discount to purchase the item, if it’s been sitting in your cart for an extended period of time. This is all in an effort to get you to purchase the item.
5. Don’t Forget the Promo Codes
Don’t forget promo codes. There are many secret promo codes online that offer deep discounts. A quick search can help you locate those promo codes that are available for use. Just a few minutes of your time can yield large discounts. There may be promo codes available for items you wouldn’t even consider to offer discounts. Even online discount retailers like Groupon allows you to use promo codes.
6. Always Plan Ahead
If you think ahead for seasonal and holiday purchases, you can find some great savings. We all know the best time to purchase a seasonal item is after the season is over. If you think through the season and decide what you want, you can plan to purchase at the end of season at deep discounts, often as much as 75 percent off the original price. Always be on the lookout for those post season incredible deals.
There you have it…the top 6 tips and tricks to saving money while shopping. All of them are incredibly simple. Some have more to offer than others, but all are worth giving a try.