The Frugal Shopper’s Mini-Guide for Finding Big Bargains Online
Many of us have become more savvy shoppers than we used to be, just ask the supermarkets who have had to adjust to greater competition and less loyal customers.
One of the key tools that we have in order to bag a bargain is the ability to use the internet to search out bargains and compare prices.
For shopping online, there are a number of useful apps you can download to your phone and plenty of ways to make sure you don’t pay too much, whatever it is you are looking to purchase.
Online bargain hunting
The best way to find branded items, general fashion items and just about everything you could want at the lowest possible price, is to go online bargain hunting.
Your shopping strategy should involve letting the bargains come to you as much as possible, which you can do in a number of effortless ways.
Sign up to email newsletters for any stores and sites that you visit regularly or like, so you get notified of any reductions and promotions that are going on. You will also get promotional codes and subscriber priority discounts pinging into your inbox on a regular basis, making it instantly easier to grab a bargain online.
Price comparison
Another great way of making sure you don’t overpay for an item you are interested in, is to use one of the price comparison sites and apps so you can quickly and easily compare prices and see who is offering the best deal.
Some sites do offer the best prices without having to compare them against others and you will soon get to know which ones to trust and who won’t be beaten on price. It doesn’t take long to enter the item you are wanting to buy into a comparison site and let them do they legwork on your behalf, if you think the price can bettered somewhere else online.
Use filters wisely
A lot of websites will offer you the chance to use a sorting filter and sort prices in order from low to high in just one click.
This feature does help to save time but you shouldn’t always select the recommended choice that comes up at the top of the list.
The reason for this is that a number of websites can often put the item that gives them the highest markup first, so be sure to check out other factors like member ratings, so you know that you are getting a highly-rated product as well as a good price.
Remember shipping costs
A bargain can quickly turn into something more expensive than you thought if you don’t make sure that the shipping costs are acceptable.
Some sites might tempt you in with a lower price only to try and make up the difference with a high shipping charge, which they hope you will accept having clicked through to the online checkout page.
Look for sites which either offer free shipping and good product prices or websites which offer a flat rate for shipping or even free shipping if you spend over a certain amount of money on your order. Amazon Prime
Search for coupon codes
Having got to the checkout page of the site, it is always worth carrying out a quick search to see if there are any available coupon codes that you can enter in the box provided, so you can get the price down even more.
Register with sites like RetailMeNot and others, so you can get the latest coupons and discount codes available, as these can sometimes make a big difference to the final amount you pay.
Always use that little box on the checkout page as a prompt to see if there is a discount code available and if you register with sites that offer access to these, you will get a regular email alerting you to new codes and deadlines for bagging a bargain that could mean a mega discount.
Consider click and collect
Another good way of making sure you get what you want at the best possible price is to use the click and collect option if it is offered to you.
If you are going to be passing past the store and won’t be in for the delivery, it can make sense to save on the shipping costs and choose click and collect. It is also an option that can save you time as well, as you can check if something is in stock without having to go there and get it reserved, allowing you to pick it up without the hassle of searching through the store.
There are many ways to grab a bargain online, so make sure you take advantage of them!!!!