How can you save money while shopping online?
So you’ve learned the basics about searching, price comparison sites and using voucher codes and while these items are all useful to save money, there are other ways you can save money while shopping online. In this article, we’ll examine ten of the best ways you can save money on everything from your weekly shop, to ensuring that you get money off vouchers to tempt you back, even if you are a regular customer!
1. Cashback!
Cashback sites are a great way to save money on a wide variety of items. You register with the site and then when you buy from a partner or affiliate site through your cashback site, a certain percentage of your purchase is put into your cashback account. Quidco and TopCashBack are two of the most popular sites and over time, the amount of money you earn back through deals, or by taking out certain financial products, can result in a hefty amount in your cashback account!
2. Voucher sites
Cashback sites and voucher sites are one of the best ways to save money when shopping. It is always worth checking these sites before you make a purchase as simply by checking them, you may well find a voucher entitling you to money off the item you were intending to purchase. Best of all, if you use a voucher with a cashback site, not only do you save money on the initial purchase, but you also earn a percentage of that back as a cashback for a neat money-saving double!
3. Get Tweeted the best offers each day!
Don’t think websites are the only way to save cash! Get yourself sorted with a Twitter account and follow some of the best Twitter bargain hunters, such as @delloutletUK, @quidco, @unbeatableUK, @DabsDotCom and @voucherfinder to be tweeted news of daily deals and special offers which can save users hundreds of pounds if they buy at the right time!
4. Get Smart, use your phone!
Smartphones have become the must-have gadget of choice for millions over the past few years and it is not difficult to see why given the sheer flexibility of the item. Now you can download a free app called “ShopSavvy” which can scan the barcode of your chosen item and find the best price for the item both online, and even show you where you can find the item for cheapest in the local shops (if you have GPS support enabled).
5. Get a helping InvisibleHand!
If you are browsing the web from your computer and you want to check whether the product you are looking at is cheaper elsewhere, why spend minutes searching through price comparison sites or looking for vouchers? Simply install a fantastic piece of software called InvisibleHand onto your chosen browser (IE, Firefox, Safari or Chrome) and the software will automatically search the web about the item you are viewing and bring you details on the cheapest price it can find!
6. Use a Price Tracker
Price trackers can be particularly beneficial for the user who is on a strict budget for buying an item and wishes to spend no more than a certain amount. By using a piece of software, such as those provided by Shopping.com or Idealo, you can tell the software how much you want to pay as a maximum price for a particular item.
What the software then does is track the price of the item over time across a large number of different outlets, identifying trends (such as if the price of the item is falling, or increasing in general terms). When the cost of the item reaches your stated limit, the software will then send you an email stating you can now buy the item from the provider for the price you wanted. A simple, elegant and brilliant solution for those who are in no rush to buy.
7. Get your weekly shopping cheaper!
Most people are well aware you can now get your weekly shop delivered by a whole host of supermarkets by ordering online. However, how can you be sure that you are getting the cheapest deal? By using the MySupermarket website, you can fill up your virtual trolley with them, using a selection of items available from Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda or Waitrose.
The software will then check the latest prices from each provider as you add items to your trolley and give you a running total of the items in your basket. Meaning that when you have finished shopping, you can clearly see where you can obtain all your weekly essentials, in one delivery, at the cheapest possible price.
8. Use Two Accounts
Another great way to secure yourself vouchers and cash off goods is to join a retailer you use frequently and set up two accounts. Use one of the accounts, such as one in your name, as you would normally, but in the second account in your partners name, only use this account infrequently.
Many retailers target users who use their accounts infrequently to receive special money off vouchers and other offers to tempt them back, so you can then use the second account to get the benefit of these offers, even if you are a regular customer.
9. Find the eBay Bargains
Did you know there is a whole secret section of eBay that you don’t realise is there? When listing items, many people can make basic spelling mistakes, which means that when they list their item, they don’t show up in the majority of searches. This means that these items can often sell for a great deal less than other items. Websites like FatFingers helps you find these items and hopefully snap them up at rock-bottom prices!
10. Slash the cost of buying at Amazon
Using the website PriceCutReview, you can drastically reduce the amount you spend at online retailer Amazon as the site will automatically filter out all the items that are currently being sold at more than half the recommended retail price. This means that every item listed, is available for a bargain price from one of the Internet’s biggest and most trusted retailers!
