How to Shop Online to Your Full Potential

Shopping online is quick and easy. Instead of racing out to the store every time you need an item, you can simply order it online. When the holidays roll around, you don’t have to fight with crowds to find that perfect present. You can type the name of the item into a search engine, and choose to purchase it from your favorite seller. How can you make shopping online even better? Read on to find out.

Find Free Shipping

If you’re purchasing an item but have to pay for shipping, you’ll likely spend more than if you just head to the store. Look for websites that offer free shipping Amazon, Zappos, Shoes.com, and Newegg have many products that include free shipping. Or do a google search for free shipping codes for the store you are looking to make a purchase. Kohl’s, Sears, and other popular stores regularly release free shipping codes that can save you money. Another option is to see if you’re eligible for an Amazon Prime membership. For one yearly fee, free two day shipping on many items is available. In addition to that you get “Amazon instant movies”, which is like Amazon’s version of Netflix.

Use Coupons

Once you’ve decided upon the website from which you’d like to order, search for coupon codes in Google. Fatwallet and Anycoupons are two major websites known for their extensive array of codes. On Fatwallet, you’ll be able to see reviews from other shoppers regarding whether or not the coupons actually worked. Be sure to check out the expiration date!

Use Discount Sites

Try to pay full price for online purchases as infrequently as possible. One of the ways in which you can accomplish this is to use discount websites such as Ebates. Ebates is connected to thousands of different stores. After signing into your Ebates account, you’ll be able to directly visit any of these stores, and you will wind up getting a certain percentage of what you spend back. This amount is then credited to your Ebates account, and you receive a check a few times a year for the balance.

Minimizing Shipping Costs

Sometimes, no matter what tactics you employ, you will simply have to pay the shipping costs. In order to avoid huge shipping fees, try to purchase all of your items from one website. Frequently, the shipping fee will be one standard price no matter how many items you ordered. Therefore, instead of paying five different shipping fees for five different websites, everything will arrive in one bundle.

Watch for “Impulse Buys”

It’s true that shopping online does curb some of the problems associated with impulse buys. However, when you find an excellent coupon or deal, you still might be tempted to purchase more than that which you originally planned. Think about the purchase for at least 24 hours. Unless it’s an item that is about to go out of stock, chances are you will still be able to find it online the next day. Just because you have a coupon does not mean that you need to spend an excessive amount of money.

Shopping online makes life so much easier; however, it’s important to understand the proper ways in which to do so. Plenty of options exist to make such shopping less expensive, but you must not go overboard with the purchases simply because there are some deals available.

Jen Marx is both an avid writer and online shopper. She buys everything from shampoo and conditioner to Christmas presents online.