Shopping online now days is a breeze. We can search for pretty much anything and find it. All it takes is a few minutes and get it shipped directly to your door. Most companies have made the shipping process lightning fast and have options for same day delivery. People like the fact that they can get what they want with little wait time. What people don’t like is that shipping could easily cost more then what they are buying, there has to be cheap shipping options out there.
As a consumer is there a way for you to still shop online and not bite the shipping cost bullet?
Some times its just unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find other methods to help offset the shipping costs.
Here are a few ways and tools you can use when trying to save on online shopping.
Sites like Retailmenot are great for getting extra discounts that could double up on current online sales. The great thing about this site is that it searches the internet for coupon codes and conveniently shows you. People can even submit their own coupons, this means that you can get the latest valid coupons.
You can download the app or bookmark the page to get the latest coupons. This is an easy way to reduce your costs which could help offset the shipping costs making it a cheap shipping option.
Don’t you just hate it when you get ready to buy something online or in stores and the day after you buy it the item goes on sale. Well luckily most stores are nice enough to refund you the discounted price. Some stores may have a limit on the number of days that can pass before you can take advantage of the refund.
If you notice that a sale is going to expire in the next day or two and you have no time to buy it, give customer service a call. Let them know that you are interested in buying it and see if they will extend the sale for you.
Most sites have live chats so you can quickly ask them on the spot. Depending on the sale, you may be able to ask for shipping cost reduction, but that totally depends on the company and product your buying.
Online stores now days have ways to monitor people as they shop their sites, like in a real store. One way that could help get you a discount is if you add items to your cart then abandon it. Wait a day or two and see if anyone will contact you.
Stores hate seeing customers getting to the last part then leaving so they may offer you an incentive to make the purchase. Incentives could be in the form of a discount code sent to your email.
Price comparison sites will let you save even more and help you save lots of time combing through sites trying to find a deal. Pricegrabber.com is a great site that lets you compare products and prices with ease. These sites will even help you compare shipping costs.
The last tip is to use middle men for shipping sites. Sites like Reship allow you to buy online and receive no sales tax, get packages gift wrapped and shipped directly to your house. All of this at a low monthly or per package price which can drastically reduce your shipping costs.
With these tips you should be able to save money, afford shipping rates and find alternative ways to ship your purchases.