Contents
I’m obsessed with saving money. I spend hours trolling through online shopping sites, looking for deals and trying to find ways to save a buck. And if you’re like me, you probably do the same thing. But there’s another way to save money when you shop online: using sneaky tricks! If you don’t believe me, just check out these 10 super-simple tips that will help you save big bucks when shopping online.
Make use of online discount codes
Whether you’re buying software, clothes, groceries or even a new car, there are plenty of ways to save money when shopping online.
Here’s how:
- Make use of online discount codes. These codes can be found on the product page for many items and offer deep discounts off the list price. In some cases, they can offer up to 75% off on items that aren’t being promoted at all! Take care to read through all terms and conditions before using them so you’re not surprised by any rules that apply after checkout. You can also try searching online on a coupon website where there are thousands available right now (if not more).
- Use cash back credit cards if possible – Some credit cards will give you cash back rewards when shopping with certain retailers (or sometimes any retailer). This means that they’ll refund some percentage of what was spent as part of their ongoing rewards program which is usually around 2-3% depending on how much purchases were made throughout the month (and sometimes year). If possible don’t use these types of cards whenever possible because it’s money going straight into your pocket rather than theirs!
Shop the clearance section first.
The best way to save money on your next shopping trip is to hit up clearance sections first. Items in the sale section are often better deals than brand-new items, as they’ve been sitting on shelves for a few weeks or months longer than their fresh counterparts. (And they’ll be cheaper.)
If you’re shopping online, try looking for sales and clearance items by clicking through “sold out” listings or searching for products with discounts on them. This works especially well with fashion sites like eBay and Amazon—you can find great sales on both of these platforms, even if you’re not sure what kind of clothing style will best suit your body type.
Create a separate shopping email address.
Create a separate email address for online shopping. It’s a simple concept, but one that can save you money. You see, when you sign up for the majority of online stores, they’ll ask for your email in order to send you newsletters and promotional materials (some of which are worth reading).
But if you’re only using your main email address for this purpose and then deleting them after reading them once or twice, then there’s no way for these companies to know that you’ve seen their ads and offers—and therefore no reason why they should give them to you! So here’s what we do:
Create an alias (also called an “alternate name”) on the service provider of your choice—like Gmail or Outlook—and use it instead of your main address when signing up with retailers.
Then set up filters so any mail from these retailers automatically goes into that new alias inbox rather than cluttering up your primary inbox. If there are any messages coming through as spammy-looking emails, check out our handy guide on how to avoid being spammed in the first place!
Once everything is set up correctly, open up private browsing mode in Google Chrome or Firefox (or whatever browser(s) you use most often). This will allow all cookies stored by websites visited during this session without storing them permanently on hard drives where anyone else could see them later down the road when accessing those programs again from another computer connected directly via WiFi network connection instead…
Switch up your shipping method.
If you’re buying a few small items, try to combine them into one box. If you’re ordering from the same company and are shipping to the same address, most websites will allow you to combine orders and save on shipping costs.
This is especially useful if you’re buying something that costs $50 or less (e.g., pens) so it can be shipped free at some point during an order’s fulfillment process, even if it doesn’t qualify for free ground shipping normally.
It may sound counterintuitive when we’re talking about saving money on online shopping, but sometimes taking advantage of free two-day shipping is actually more expensive than paying for faster delivery options like overnight or standard FedEx Ground rate days later—especially when there’s a coupon code available! You might even find that paying extra for expedited service could end up saving you money compared with waiting longer periods of time before receiving your merchandise too late to make use of it right away
- Sign up for the mailing list. Mailing lists are an excellent way to find out about upcoming sales and special offers, so make sure you’re signed up.
- Follow the brand on social media. Not only can you follow brands on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, but many companies will offer exclusive deals and promotions through their accounts too. So if you want access to these kinds of deals, consider following them!
- Keep an eye out for “free shipping” offers from online retailers such as Amazon or eBay: You may have to spend over a certain amount in order to qualify for free shipping — but it’s always worth checking out because it could save hundreds of dollars in shipping costs alone!
Also Read: 6 Easy Steps to Escape from Falling into more Debts Traps
Take advantage of price drop alerts.
If you’re okay with waiting a few days or even weeks, then this is the best way to save some money on your next online shopping spree. Here’s how:
- Sign up for email alerts. Many retailers offer free price drop alerts that you can sign up for, so if there’s a particular product that you want to buy but don’t want to pay full price, just keep an eye out for those emails and take advantage of their deals when they roll around.
- Set up a wish list on Amazon or another retailer with great prices. Amazon has an amazing Wish List feature where users can save products they want without committing to buying them yet—and it also keeps track of how much each item has been marked down over time so there’s no need for any math skills involved! If the item goes down below what you’d be comfortable paying (like $10 instead of $15), then simply go ahead and add it to your cart before someone else does!
Conclusion
With these tips, you can save money when shopping online. The best part about them is that they can be applied to any website, so you’re not limited by just one store. Happy savings!