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Entry bubble Sneaky Tips for Shopping Online

By: Nancy | December 11, 2008 | Category: Money

Are you finding this holiday season rushed, stressful and confusing?

I am! And my being sick isn’t helping. (Would you believe that I have laryngitis AGAIN? ) Third time this year. The last time I had it back in July, I decided to do all my car buying negotiations online. Bidding seven dealers against each other, I ended up getting a great price. That experience worked so well, I’ve decided during this latest bout of speechlessness to forgo the mall and do all of my holiday shopping online too.

There are some great bargains out there. But I’ve got some sneaky tips that can help you get even better deals, not just during the holidays, but anytime you’re shopping online.

I’m kind of methodical when I’m buying something. I hit websites like CNET.com and ConsumerSearch.com to compare features, read professional reviews and get the ratings and reviews of people who already bought the product I’m considering.

Once I figure out the brand and model number, I use sites like Shopzilla and MySimon to compare prices.

Now for the sneaky part: coupon codes. As you’re getting ready to make your purchase on most online stores, you’ll see a little box to type in a coupon, promotional, or discount code. Online stores usually send coupon codes to their email update subscribers. Happily, you don’t need to clog up your email in-box with every store’s email updates. Just go to a site like CouponCabin.com and type in the name of the online store you’re interested in, to see what offer pops up. Cut and paste or type the coupon code into the box before you check out of the online store and depending on the offer, you can get a percentage off discount or even free merchandise.

The thing I don’t like about buying from online stores is their shipping and handling fee. Is it my imagination or do some online stores seem to inflate their shipping costs? I’m so cheap. So I was delighted when I found websites like FreeShipping.org that search online stores for free shipping deals. In the past week, I’ve saved over $20 in shipping from one online store alone, using the free shipping code I found on FreeShipping.org.

For ways to make sure the online seller you’ve chosen is reputable and for tips on what to do if your purchase isn’t what you hoped it would be, check out USA.gov’s section on shopping from home.

What are you buying online this holiday season?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: coupons   money   nancy   online   shopping  

Comments (5):

blue comment bubble Posted by Guru on December 11, 2008 at 10:11 AM EST

I don't like the "Holiday Season", because so many people are poor and lonely that the suicide rate spikes during this time frame. But that is just my personal view I know that it isn't shared by most.

The reason for posting this is to talk about shipping and handling. We as customer should be able to pick our carrier. I pay taxes to help fund the USPS, but most on-line stores do not offer them as a carrier. Why? I just don't understand how can these companies can tell me what carrier they are using without asking or caring about which I prefer.

Is there a law or some rule that allows the (US) customer the right to use the USPS.

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blue comment bubble Posted by hot_burrito_1 on December 11, 2008 at 12:28 PM EST

Guru, tax dollars don't fund the USPS. They are funded by stamp sells and by the amount of packages mailed and other services. I prefer to use USPS, myself. I have been delivering a lot of packages that have been mailed through the USPS at a discounted rate by UPS because UPS won't go to the boonies where my route is located. Since Saturday, I have not seen the UPS trucks much on my route.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Nobody N. Particular on December 12, 2008 at 07:40 AM EST

Hi Guru,
The reason most shipers choose to use UPS or FedEx is for their Tracking infomration. They track shipments from pick up to delivery and you get updates along the way as to where they are and when they expect to get there. Often there is a discounted rate for commercial shippers and there are scheduled pickup times, sometimes by the truckload. S&H charges also include the shipper's overhead to get your product to the truck. Adding another option, such as USPS may sound like a good idea, but may actually add enough overhead that it could cost you more. Next time though, try asking your shipper, they may not advertise it but will do it if you ask. How much of a savings is probably negligible.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Thomas on December 14, 2008 at 05:42 PM EST

Thank you for this post. The links have been put to good use over the last few days.

Thomas

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blue comment bubble Posted by JD Slim on December 16, 2008 at 01:31 PM EST

another great resource for shopping online is http://www.Bestcovery.com

It is an excellent resource to identify the best item for a users specific use or price range. For example, the website identifies items ranging from the Best point & shoot digital camera for beginners, to the best LCD TV for watching sports, to the best tools for speeding up your computer.

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