Online Shopping Tips

Finding Online Shopping Sites

Most traditional stores also have an online presence at storename.com. Shopping at stores like Sears or JC Penney online can be even better than visiting them at the mall. The online versions of tehse stores tend to carry a wide variety of styles, sizes and colors. Your local Best Buy store may only have a small jazz music or foreign film collection because that’s all the market will support. BestBuy.com however, carries a wider variety of CDs, DVDs, video gamesand appliances.

Here are some more online shopping tips. While it can be convenient to visit Walmart.com instead of heading to the local Super Walmart, one of the biggest advantages of shopping online is the ability to find specialty stores and niche retailers. If you’re an anime fan living in a rural area, you’re probably not going to find a store that sells much more than a few Pokémon toys and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Through online shopping, you can find all of the anime merchandise you could ever want, including items imported from Japan. If you’re a gourmet food aficionado, the local Kroger will leave you missing some vital ingredients for your next dinner party. An online store can satisfy your discerning tastes for fine wines and aged cheeses.

Paying for Purchases Online

You’re generally going to need a credit card or a debit check card to make online purchases. Sites that will allow you to place an order and then mail in a check are rare. Gift certificates are perfectly acceptable at online retailers. When you get a Kohl's gift card for your birthday, you can visit Kohls.com instead of driving to the store.

Shop Safe

Credit card fraud is a real concern. Make sure that a site is secure before you submit any credit card information. Your web browser can show you whether a site is secure or not with security icons, usually a lock, and alerts. Check your credit card provider for special anti-theft programs. For instance, Discover Card offers special online card numbers that you can use to keep your actual account number private.

Shipping Costs

Be aware of shipping costs when shopping online. Some sites place their shipping information on their FAQ or help pages. Other will only show you shipping charges after you’ve added an item to your shopping cart. You will still have to confirm your order before the store charges your credit card, so this is a perfectly safe way to check the cost of shipping.

Be on the lookout for shipping discounts, and combine your orders whenever possible to take advantage of these deals. While it’s not always worth it to spend more money just to get free shipping, if your order comes to $45, would you rather spend $7.95 on shipping or find a pair of socks that cost $5 to qualify for free shipping?

Finding Discounts

If you’re a bargain hunter, don’t worry; store websites honor weekly sale ads. They may even offer special web-only products and discounts.

You can find other sales, discounts and coupons for online shopping if you know where to look. Forums and websites devoted to bargains share good deals and coupon codes that any shopper can access. Simply looking closely at the links and banners at any website you visit while shopping online can reveal end-of-season closeouts, discontinued merchandise and irregular items. Finally, compare prices at price comparison websites like PriceSCAN.com before committing to a sale.

Buy Used

With online auctions, online classifieds and websites devoted to selling previously-owned merchandise, you can take advantage of good prices on quality used merchandise. When buying used items online, you enjoy the increased selection that comes from sheer numbers. Alibris offers more used books than any one brick-and-mortar used bookstore could ever hope to carry. You should exercise extra caution and read descriptions, terms and conditions carefully before buying any used product.