9 Ways You Can Save Money While Shopping Online

Shopping online is convenient and gives you access to a much wider array of products than when shopping in person, but it’s certainly easy to overspend if you’re not careful. Fortunately, there’s always a way to save money on your online orders if you know what to do and where to look.

Let’s explore 9 easy ways to save money while shopping online.

1) Price Comparison

The first place you find an item online is most likely not the cheapest place. So, to ensure you save some money, make sure to compare prices across multiple websites. There are price comparison tools to do this, so you don’t necessarily have to do it yourself and the Google Shopping tab also has a mechanism for comparing the same product between online providers.

Furthermore, when using Amazon you can click through to the Marketplace to see if any individual sellers are offering the item cheaper than Amazon or the highlighted seller. 

2) Coupon Codes

Most popular online stores and companies provide discounts and other deals through the redemption of coupon codes — special number and letter codes that you enter into a box during the online checkout process.

While they won’t usually promote these front and center on their homepage, there are many coupon code websites that aggregate them for you and make them easier to find.

Simply do a Google search for the online store or service provider you want a discount on, followed by ‘coupon code’ or ‘promo code’ and you will usually find something. 

3) Sales

Online shops are always running sales. You can check out the sale sections directly or if you have a specific product in mind, check multiple outlets to see if any of them have that item discounted. Websites that provide coupon codes also commonly list sales information as well. 

4) Bulk Buying

Getting a discount for buying in bulk used to be a concept reserved for retailers purchasing their stock from suppliers, but with the internet, the average person can also benefit from such ‘economies of scale.’

If you don’t have the cash upfront to benefit, you might consider using a payday loan, but make sure you crunch the numbers to make sure you’re saving money in the long run.  

5) Buy Pre-Owned or Like-New

While there has always been a second-hand goods market, the internet has opened it up much wider. As long as you’re careful in reading the item descriptions and check the feedback of sellers on platforms like eBay, you can easily find products that are essentially brand new with deep discounts.

Some sites like Overstock.com also have a category for unwanted returns — items that have been purchased from the site but the buyer has returned it. The only difference is that the box may have been opened. 

6) Importing

A huge number of unbranded products are made in countries like China and sold to retailers in the West, who mark-up the price to make a profit. Now manufacturers are cutting out the middle-man and selling products online directly to customers worldwide.

So, if you need some generic electronics or unbranded clothing, you might want to consider importing them through sites like AliExpress.com. 

7) Ebate Programs

Some online stores are partnered with Ebate platforms (the online version of rebate), which means you get cash-back each time you make a purchase. This may come in the form of points, which you can redeem at a later date for products or coupon codes. 

8) Newsletter Sign-ups and App Downloads

If you want to be the first to know about sales or coupons, it is a good idea to sign-up to your favorite online store’s newsletter, follow them on social media, and download their apps.

9) Pickup In-Store

If free shipping isn’t an option for your online purchase, there may be an option to pick up your item for free from a local retail branch or another location that handles parcel collections. This will save you money on shipping.

There you have it! By applying the above tips, you will soon knock down the cost of your order and never have to pay full price when shopping online again? Got any other money saving tips for online shopping? Let us know in the comments below!