how to

Here are some tips that I have learned to get the most bang for your buck when buying online.

1) Make sure you are getting the lowest price

Comparing prices online is much easier than in brick and mortar stores. There are some websites devoted to finding you the lowest price. Here are the major ones:

pricegrabber -Search for your product and find a low price
nextag -Just like pricegrabber
beat my price -People powered price comparison
buxr -A community powered site that pays you for good deal submissions

2) Buy used

Just because something is used doesn’t mean it isn’t good or like new. If you aren’t buying something that just came on the market why not try checking out resale sites first.

ebay -Still a great place to find a deal
craigslist -Local sellers mean no shipping cost
etsy -Great for handmade and vintage goods
amazon -Many items you find on amazon are also listed used at a lower price used

3) Look for price drops before and after the purchase

Check and recheck. There are websites that will monitor the price of the item you wish to buy. Get alert when the price drops. Some online retailers have price guarantees for a certain period of time after the purchase. The ones that don’t will sometimes work with you. Save as much before and fight for the difference after.

priceportectr -Monitor for price drops after the purchase and try to get the difference back
pricegrabber -Pricegrabber also has a price monitor

4) Coupon codes

Coupon codes can be used for free shipping, discounts on products, and free extras. There are plenty of places to check when you are going go buy online.

retailmenot -Retail me not is the first place I check when looking for coupon codes. Sometimes they will not allow coupons to be posted because of the seller requests them not to. This is when you go looking elsewhere.
the bargainist -The barganist is a general hot deal site that also features a coupon section.
spoofee -Another general deal site that has a coupon section.
Google -A good old fashioned google search for the company name and coupon code will often yield results.

5) Get cash back

When you click on ads someone is getting paid…why not you too? Plenty of online retailers pay for ads online and some sites have popped up willing to split that commission with you. It is like getting the sales commission on your own purchase. After signing up for one of these cash back sites you can search for the website you are buying from. Imagine finding the lowest price online, and then by clicking a link you get 20% cash back from your purchase. Here are sites that give you cash back for clicking.

ebates -I have received over $160 from ebates!
cashbaq -I earned $35.60 on one purchase.
Microsoft Cashback -This works with paypal. Sometimes you can get 20% off ebay buy it now.

6) Pay with a rewards credit card

Why not let your credit card work for you? With some cards you can get cash back or point on every online purchase.

American Express Blue Cash -up to 5% back with no annual fee
Visa Rewards -lots of cards to choose from
Mastercard -lots to choose from