Online shopping has grown immensely over the past few years. There are so many advantages to shopping online in addition to just finding a great deal delivered to your door. Here are some great tips to help you save money while shopping online.
Shop Ahead of Time
Give yourself plenty of time before special events when shopping online to allow for shipping of your order and avoiding costly expedited shipping fees. Giving yourself some time also allows you to shop around for specials. You might have a purchase in mind and know you don't need to order it today and then you find it on sale or a particular website is having a promotion to help you save money.
Earn Cash Rebates and Incentives for Shopping Online
There are several free websites out there that work as virtual shopping malls and offer incentives for shopping through them. You actually make your purchases through actual merchant's websites, but you get there through the virtual mall website in order to earn your rewards. Some of these websites offer points that can later be redeemed for gift certificates or gift items. Two examples are Club Mom and My Points. Other free websites offer cash back rebates on every purchase you make by shopping online through their website. Some of these include My Power Mall, Ebates and Inbox Dollars. The great thing about these free websites that offer cash back is that you earn cash to spend however you choose. You are not limited to specific gift cards or gift items you don't really want.
Look-up Coupon Codes
It's always a great idea to see if there are any valid coupon codes you can use toward your purchase. Sign up to receive notification from websites who specialize in this. One example is Couponcabin. You can sign up to receive a newsletter with the hottest online deals and you can also go to their website before a purchase and look up the store you're considering to buy from and see if there are any deals you can take advantage of. Sometimes you can find a coupon code for a certain amount off of a purchase, or my favorites are a coupon codes for free or discounted shipping. Some other examples of coupon code websites are Fightdivx, Ecoupons and Currentcode. Please note though, if you shop through a virtual mall as mentioned above, write down the coupon code, go to your virtual mall, click on the merchant link and only then input the coupon code. Clicking directly to the merchant website without going through your virtual mall will cause you to lose your rebate or incentive from the virtual mall.
Be Sure to Add It All Up!
Make sure you take all things into consideration before you decide you've found the best deal online. Just because you found the cheapest price on a product in one place doesn't mean that it's the best deal in the end. You need to be sure to add the price of the product, tax if applicable and shipping. Sometimes there is an outrageous shipping charge to make up for the low price on a product. You should be able to look up this information on the website under "customer service" or "FAQ" but if you still can't find all the information you need, go ahead and enter the product as if you were going to purchase it and see what they calculate for tax and shipping. Just don't enter your credit card information. Only then can you legitimately compare prices between online merchants.
Free Membership to Money Saving Newsletters
You should sign up for newsletters directly with companies and with some money saving groups. For example, if you shop regularly at Toys-R-Us, Fisher-Price or Lillian Vernon, make sure you're on their mailing list so you hear about their online shopping sales right away. Often times there are deals for free shipping. Free shipping can make or break an online shopping deal. You also want to sign up to forums or online newsletters from groups who are out there scouting out the best online shopping deals. One great newsletter is from Mommysavers.com. They also have a superb forum to learn about many other ways to save money.
Don't Ignore Shopping from Smaller Websites/Retailers
Just because you're not familiar with a particular website doesn't mean it's not any good. I have found some great deals on some smaller merchant websites and have had great customer service as well. That doesn't mean you shouldn't check them out. Be sure to read their return policy, and make sure there is a way to contact them for customer service should you need it. You may also be able to find merchant ratings online.
Added Bonuses
If you're anything like me, I don't look forward to hauling two kids to various stores or to the mall for the day to shop for something. It's more frustrating than enjoyable and there is no guarantee I'm going to find what I'm looking for, or for a reasonable price. By shopping online I save time and money. No hassle of crowds or grouchy kids and it's much easier to comparison shop between stores for the best deal. And I'm saving money on gas and not polluting the air!
I hope you found these online shopping tips useful and may you find some great deals on your future online shopping adventures!
Shop Ahead of Time
Give yourself plenty of time before special events when shopping online to allow for shipping of your order and avoiding costly expedited shipping fees. Giving yourself some time also allows you to shop around for specials. You might have a purchase in mind and know you don't need to order it today and then you find it on sale or a particular website is having a promotion to help you save money.
Earn Cash Rebates and Incentives for Shopping Online
There are several free websites out there that work as virtual shopping malls and offer incentives for shopping through them. You actually make your purchases through actual merchant's websites, but you get there through the virtual mall website in order to earn your rewards. Some of these websites offer points that can later be redeemed for gift certificates or gift items. Two examples are Club Mom and My Points. Other free websites offer cash back rebates on every purchase you make by shopping online through their website. Some of these include My Power Mall, Ebates and Inbox Dollars. The great thing about these free websites that offer cash back is that you earn cash to spend however you choose. You are not limited to specific gift cards or gift items you don't really want.
Look-up Coupon Codes
It's always a great idea to see if there are any valid coupon codes you can use toward your purchase. Sign up to receive notification from websites who specialize in this. One example is Couponcabin. You can sign up to receive a newsletter with the hottest online deals and you can also go to their website before a purchase and look up the store you're considering to buy from and see if there are any deals you can take advantage of. Sometimes you can find a coupon code for a certain amount off of a purchase, or my favorites are a coupon codes for free or discounted shipping. Some other examples of coupon code websites are Fightdivx, Ecoupons and Currentcode. Please note though, if you shop through a virtual mall as mentioned above, write down the coupon code, go to your virtual mall, click on the merchant link and only then input the coupon code. Clicking directly to the merchant website without going through your virtual mall will cause you to lose your rebate or incentive from the virtual mall.
Be Sure to Add It All Up!
Make sure you take all things into consideration before you decide you've found the best deal online. Just because you found the cheapest price on a product in one place doesn't mean that it's the best deal in the end. You need to be sure to add the price of the product, tax if applicable and shipping. Sometimes there is an outrageous shipping charge to make up for the low price on a product. You should be able to look up this information on the website under "customer service" or "FAQ" but if you still can't find all the information you need, go ahead and enter the product as if you were going to purchase it and see what they calculate for tax and shipping. Just don't enter your credit card information. Only then can you legitimately compare prices between online merchants.
Free Membership to Money Saving Newsletters
You should sign up for newsletters directly with companies and with some money saving groups. For example, if you shop regularly at Toys-R-Us, Fisher-Price or Lillian Vernon, make sure you're on their mailing list so you hear about their online shopping sales right away. Often times there are deals for free shipping. Free shipping can make or break an online shopping deal. You also want to sign up to forums or online newsletters from groups who are out there scouting out the best online shopping deals. One great newsletter is from Mommysavers.com. They also have a superb forum to learn about many other ways to save money.
Don't Ignore Shopping from Smaller Websites/Retailers
Just because you're not familiar with a particular website doesn't mean it's not any good. I have found some great deals on some smaller merchant websites and have had great customer service as well. That doesn't mean you shouldn't check them out. Be sure to read their return policy, and make sure there is a way to contact them for customer service should you need it. You may also be able to find merchant ratings online.
Added Bonuses
If you're anything like me, I don't look forward to hauling two kids to various stores or to the mall for the day to shop for something. It's more frustrating than enjoyable and there is no guarantee I'm going to find what I'm looking for, or for a reasonable price. By shopping online I save time and money. No hassle of crowds or grouchy kids and it's much easier to comparison shop between stores for the best deal. And I'm saving money on gas and not polluting the air!
I hope you found these online shopping tips useful and may you find some great deals on your future online shopping adventures!
Thanks toTracy Greene who is a very savvy Stay-at-Home-Mom !
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