As you all might know by now I rarely buy anything for full price. So, I have learned some amazing tips for online shopping to find the items I want for the cheapest price possible.
Sometimes if you don’t know the basic tricks to online shopping you can miss out on great deals.
I have listed all the basic tips and tricks you need to make your money go as far as possible.
This article is purely for uncovering the secrets of online shopping on a budget.
Secret Tip 1 – Go to the Sale Section of the Online Shop
Most retailers have an outlet or a sale section on their website even when the sale seasons are over. I recommend having a look at it as you can find some really great deals there.
Also if you wanted an item and it was out of stock check later because I have found that most of the times items come back in stock.
Online Shopping Sale and Clearance
Secret Tip 2 – Set price from low-to-high
When you get to the page you want on a retailers website, the first thing you should do is to set the price from low to high.
Secondly, filter the items in your size this would save you time and money also save you from being disappointed. Usually, what happens is you find an item you absolutely love but it’s either not available in your size or it’s not in your budget so either you are spending more than your budgeted for or you are left disappointed.
By doing these 2 simple things you are saving your self from being disappointment, wasting time and going over budget.
Secret Tip 3 – Get a Promotion Code by Signing Up For newsletter
If you add an item to your basket and fail to check out, the retailers sometimes send you a promo code to get you to come back but make sure before leaving your basket you sign in or sign up for an account otherwise they won’t know who you are.
It’s a good idea making an account with your favourite brands to receive promo codes and offers specific to you.
For example, recently I got £10 off £50 offer from House of Fraser, NEXT £10 off £25 and Matalan £5 off £25 also Argos Sent £5 voucher with no minimum spend.
Misguided is always sending code with 30% to 50% off and H&M with 10%-20% off codes includes sale item and free delivery codes.
What I have done is made a separate email id for all the newsletter subscriptions so I don’t mix my other emails with them.
Secret Tip 4 – Share Delivery Charge Tip
If you’re buying from an online retailer and you don’t meet the minimum spend for free delivery or the delivery charge is high.
Consider sharing with a friend or a family member, if you order together you can meet the minimum spend for free delivery or share the delivery charge.
Delivery Saving Tips on Online Shopping
Secret Tip 5 – Online Stores Offer Student Discounts
Don’t forget student discount, a lot of retailers offer a student discount of up to 20% and some even more or do special offers for students. It’s worth checking into, also check your NUS card as it will have special offers for you.
Secret Tip 6 – Gift Cards for 2-25% less from Zeek
I personally don’t like buying gift cards as with gifts there’s always the danger of it getting lost or the recipient not spending it in time and if that happens your money is gone down the drain.
But if you want to buy from a specific store it’s a great idea to buy a gift card from sites like ZEEK where people sell their unwanted gift cards for 2-25% less which is great because you rarely get offers on gift cards.
Gift Cards Saving
Secret Tip 7 – John Lewis Price Match Even After You Bought Item
When buying electrical items, most of the time they come with a 1-year guarantee but buy them from John Lewis and you get 2 Years guarantee to add that to their never knowingly undersold policy (not just on electrical items) and you’ve got yourself a great deal.
How it works
- find the cheapest price for what you are looking for, the retailer must have a physical store in the UK. Not just online.
- Take a proof. For example, a picture
- Get John Lewis to price match and you also get 2 years guarantee. If your product breaks down while under guarantee John Lewis will fix or replace it. Accidents are not covered.
Keep in mind John Lewis does take into account delivery charges, installation charges and stock availability.
Save on Online Shopping
Don’t forget John Lewis price match apply even after you’ve bought the item.
If you Buy anything from John Lewis either in-store or online and find a cheaper price for a similar item within 28 days either with another shop (with a physical store) or John Lewis itself.
You get the difference back using the payment method you paid with, if you bought the product online fill this form https://m.johnlewis.com/customer-services/prices-and-payment/never-knowingly-undersold
If it was in-store just pop into any John Lewis store.
Secret Tip 8 – Tips for finding the Voucher Codes
If you ’re thinking about buying something and can’t seem to find a discount code for it I would suggest waiting.
The most common days that discount codes are released are Tuesday and Wednesday and sometimes Monday.
Secret Tip 9 – 28 Days to Return
If you buy anything online you have 14 days to cancel your order and then another 14 days to return your item thanks to consumer contract regulations.
Make sure you contact the retailer within 14 days of the item being delivered to you to let them know you want to return the item.
Whereas if you’ve bought in a store, you are only due to a refund if the item is faulty, though most stores policies will allow non-faulty refund as well. Most of the times stores offer an exchange. Read your consumer rights at https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights
Secret Tip 10 – Don’t use PayPal for Credit Card Purchases
If your buying goods between the value of £100 and £30.000 and pay on credit card then your card company is jointly liable with the seller. So if you’re order turns up broken, faulty or doesn’t arrive the credit card company must refund you.
However, if you make the payment through PayPal this will make this act void as you need a direct connection between the goods and debt.
Hope you found the article helpful if you have your own tips and tricks for online shopping or even in-store please comment below.
