How to Get the Best Bargains When Shopping Online!

Photo Credit: Petr Kratochvil

The majority of emails that land in my inbox from readers have to do with coupons. How to use them, how to stack them and how to obtain them. Another question I get asked quite often is in regards to online shopping. It seems there is still quite a bit of wariness about making purchases on the internet.

I totally understand! I still am squeamish about purchasing clothing for myself online. I know I’m tough to fit and things that look nice on models, don’t necessarily look very nice on me!

However, sometimes you can get out of this world bargains online, so it’s definitely something I think we all need to start getting comfortable with!

Here are my tips for getting the best bargains online:

1. If you like a store, sign up for their email newsletter. They ALL have one. Nine times out of ten, if you see a deal here…it originated in my inbox! Sure I go a few steps farther to find what is worthwhile to purchase and what coupon codes to use, but you all have the power to know about the sales that I do…as soon as I do! (Okay, that’s not totally true. I am an affiliate for many sites, so I do get *some* advance notice, but I can’t share it with you until the sale starts anyway!)
2. Sign up for daily deals sites. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they can really be your best friend. In just the past two weeks we’ve had an awesome Old Navy Groupon, an out of this world Living Social Fandango sale and several great deals from Eversave, Plum District and SaveMore. Juice in the City is GREAT for local purchases and be sure that you are signed up to receive emails from all the mama daily deals sites if you have little ones (like Mamapedia, Totsy, Zulily, etc). Check out the post on My Favorite Daily Deals sites to make sure you are signed up for all the movers and shakers!
3. Follow blogs. Obviously my blog should be #1 on your reading list *bats eyelashes*. I’m just one mama though, with two very cuddly kiddos. I can’t possibly grab every deal for you! Check out my fellow Bargain Network bloggers and follow a few on that list. I don’t recommend following more then 6 bargain blogs though. You’ll find yourself overwhelmed and wondering where all your friends and family disappeared to on Facebook!
4. CASH BACK baby! Ebates, Shop at Home, Joe Shopping, Swagbucks, MyPoints…it seems everyone wants to pay you to shop through them! How can they do this? It’s simple. They get a cut of what you purchase and they give a percentage back to you. All of the above sites are legit. My personal favorites are Shop at Home and Swagbucks (although I only shop through Shop at Home and search through Swagbucks!).
5. When all else fails…hit Amazon. With the invention of the subscribe and save program and Amazon Prime/Mom/Student…Amazon is often your absolute lowest price option for many things. It used to be that shipping was what prevented online shopping from being the frugal choice over going to your local mall. With Amazon offering free shipping on almost 75% of all purchases (I have no idea if that statistic is correct, it seems to ring true for me though!) when you sign up for their Prime accounts, they are fast becoming a major influence on the online shopping industry as a whole!

Shopping online is a great way to bargain shop. Utilizing all 5 of the above tips ensures that you will get the best of the best deals online!

What are your suggestions for shopping online?

Be sure to check out the ENTIRE Strategic Shopping Series today!