Friday, October 15, 2010

Shopping Online For Savings Is Easy

Online shopping is awesome.  You can save tens and hundreds of dollars on essentials, if you do your homework.

You save money because you have access to many sellers and special deals.  No longer are you limited to just the stores in your local area.  After a thorough search, you can place your order with a merchant, who offers the best value, regardless of his city, state or country.  Always look for quality and free shipping  ... or a steal, so that you get a bargain even if you do pay the shipping charges.

The internet gives you the tools you need to be a savvy comparative shopper.  I use Google's search engine, plus websites such as Pricegrabber, Amazon, and Overstock to pinpoint information.  Whether I need a new laptop, or pillow case, I type in the name of the item to see what my choices are.  A few clicks will pull up a list of sellers, offering the best bang for the buck.

Not having to drive out and haul a product home, saves money also.  My laptop and printer were each delivered straight to my door, free of charge.  Not only do retailers offer free shipping, they post exclusive price reductions on their websites.

If you are shopping for shoes, or a big ticket item like furniture or electronics, look in a few stores first to find the models you like.  Try the shoes on to get your correct size.  Listen to the sound of a stereo system.  Then check online to find them cheaper.  You want to avoid the hassles of returns, when possible.

Only shop online with retailers well known for quality merchandise and super customer care.  Why take unnecessary risks and end up stuck with products that don't work out?  When ordering online, I always read what other customers say about a product and the company under "customer reviews."

There are many online retailers who meet my criteria of “awesome” – i.e., they have great stuff, prices and easy returns.  Favorites include:
Amazon – Books, music, everything
Apple – Computers, ipods, iphones and accessories
Brody's Of Brooklyn – Undergarments.  A family business for over 30 years. Old style customer service and super knowledgeable staff.  If your style has disappeared from department stores, Brody's may have it.  Speak to Douglas.  He won't let you order mistakes.
Canon – All-in-one printers.
Land's End – Everything from outerwear and snow boots to bathing suits and more.
LightingUniverse – Lighting fixtures at unbeatable prices.
Overstock – Jewelry, housewares, furniture, and everything else, too numerous to mention.  Up to 70% off.
Zappos – Shoes, clothes and more.  Free shipping both ways.


And before you buy anything, visit currentcodes and RetailMeNot for extra savings. A reader contacted me to say Fatwallet is gone. (Here what happened to it.)

5 comments:

  1. From a not-very-savvy online shopper: Thanks for the helpful advice. The idea of joining an auction on ebay still petrifies me! But I enjoyed looking over the items on overstock, which I had never visited before. Loretta

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  2. I'm such a shopping addict and whenever I have money, I always do make it a point to shop for the things that I want to have. And I'm also a fan of online shopping, I've been doing for two years now.

    Right now, I've been searching for blogs that has posts on online shopping while I'm here in Orange County. Search engine optimization has been an effective tool in finding what I want to find out that's why I find your blog here. Orange County SEO is very helpful for a lot of companies and websites these days for them to have sales increase.

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  3. I'm a self-confessed shopaholic like you, Dianne! Whenever I have money, I'll buy all the things that I want whether here in Ohio or in different places that I've been to. And since online shopping existed, I became a fan also! Whenever I see sites that have cute website design, I go there and shop. Now, I'm planning to do have my own online shopping site, too! Wish me luck!!

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  4. My wife actually introduced to me this online shopping craze few years ago. I thought it was hard doing some online shopping but when I tried it, it was just as easy as ABC. I bought a lot of stuff like clothes, shoes, authentic designer purses for my wife and just today, I've purchased some designer purses from Canada.

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  5. I think online retailers just give you more options, and you end up buying where you get the most bang for your buck. As I've said, I usually start with Amazon to see what my choices are and go from there.

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