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More and more people prefer online shopping to actual shopping. First off, online shopping saves you time as you don’t even have to leave your room or office to complete your purchase. Another advantage of online shopping is that you can read reviews from current owners of the items that you are wanting to buy. And the last but not least, while shopping online, you can catch the best deals and get the maximum available discount. In case you don’t know how to get the most out of online shopping, our online shopping tips will give you information on the tricks you can turn to. Read on to find out how to online shop like a pro.
1. Read the reviews
The first rule of online shopping is reading the reviews of both the website and the product you’d like to purchase. The best thing is to read reviews and find pictures, if any, on personal blogs, on Amazon, or on YouTube (if available). However, if it’s a reliable online store with a trustworthy reputation, you find feedback from people who already own the desired item you wish to buy right on the store’s webpages.
2. Check the coupons
Why pay the full price when you can save some bucks with the help of the store’s coupons. Sometimes the websites show the available coupons in the header of the website, and sometimes you need to google valid coupon codes. However, this is a thing you must do before you actually proceed to the checkout. There’s also a Google Chrome extension called Honey which shows you all the available coupons on the sites of the online vendors.
3. Subscribe to newsletters
Plenty of online stores offer you 10-20% discount on the first order if you subscribe to the newsletter. In addition to that, you’ll stay aware of all the current promos and events of the store, so you don’t have to check the website itself over and over again in the search for a deal.
4. Google the item by its title
Even if you’re a devoted and true fan of a certain brand or a certain store, you can still google the brand and the item’s title to see if some other people resell it on eBay or other similar websites. You can find both NWT and used items, and it might save you some money.
5. Monitor the prices
Some multibrand stores don’t usually offer the same price for specific items on a daily basis, and the prices may vary at different time periods. If you check the prices of an item you wish to buy on a daily basis, you might catch the moment when the price is lowest. Also, don’t forget about the price adjustment policy – familiarize yourself with the policy before you make the purchase. If the website offers that, they might adjust the price within a certain period of time after the purchase in case there was a discount for something that you’ve already bought.
6. Contact the website’s customer service directly
Don’t hesitate to contact the customer support of the website through an online chat, email, or by phone to get to know all the up-to-date information about the current promos and deals. By doing so, you’ll never miss any offers or coupon codes.
7. Check if the website is secure
If a website is relatively new to you or it’s not that popular or famous, double check that it’s secure. Read the reviews from buyers, check the website’s security level, and do some research as it might save you from an unsuccessful purchase and bitter disappointment from the purchase.
8. Don’t use public computers
Obviously, this measure will save you from leaving traces of your personal information on public computers. Also, you won’t leave any information about your credit card or PayPal account. We might be a bit too paranoid and watch too much of Mr. Robot, but still, we do recommend using your own computers for online shopping.
9. Reward programs
Some online stores offer their own reward programs – in such a case, the more you spend within the website, the more you receive as bonuses for your future purchases. This is definitely a great way to cut your expenses on online shopping that requires basically no effort.
10. Leave an item in the cart overnight
That’s another sly trick that works on some websites. Log in to your account on the website, add a desired item to the cart, and leave it overnight. Some online stores do have a trigger for such a situation when they notice your hesitation and offer you a discount for your cart. This tip is definitely worth a try.
These online shopping safety tips can help you save some money and avoid any disappointment from the purchase and interaction with some online stores, and keep your personal data safe. If you’d like to stay completely safe online, then check out our guide of how to maintain privacy on the Internet.