So you’ve stumbled upon this article because like so many others, you love shopping on Amazon!
But sometimes you wish that you could save money with Amazon. You’re worried that every time you shop on Amazon, it causes a huge strain on your bank account.
Don’t fret — we’ve prepared this online shopping guide for Amazon to help you save on Amazon.
This includes finding Amazon coupons, Amazon discounts, and finding ways to pinch every penny with the store.
Here’s what you need to know:
Sign Up for Amazon Prime
The first step for any regular Amazon shopper is to sign up for Amazon Prime. While this is a large fee upfront, it eliminates the shipping fee for many products.
If you calculate how much you spend on shipping each year, it’ll most likely be lower than Prime’s annual fee.
With Amazon Prime, you’ll also have access to watch many movies and TV shows for free. This will also save you from constantly having to rent or buy video content from Amazon.
Super Saver Shipping
An alternative to Amazon Prime is to use the Super Saver Shipping service. This means that you’ll get free shipping (in most cases) if you spend $25.
If you aren’t willing to pay for Amazon Prime, make sure that you spend $25 on each purchase. If you only buy 1 or 2 products at a time, you might not meet this threshold.
As such, in the long run, you’ll break your bank because of the exorbitant shipping fees.
Find Amazon Coupons
The next step is to look for the best Amazon coupons deals online. This means that you want to find websites where you can earn or buy Amazon coupons.
It’s rare to receive Amazon coupons, but these are great for getting smaller discounts on products.
For example, if you buy several Kindle books you are likely to get discounts on future books. At times, these discounts are generous enough to buy books at no cost.
Keep an Eye on Deals
To really save on Amazon you want to keep an eye on the different deals that Amazon offers.
For example, you should always start by looking for great deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On both these days, you might find discounts of 50% and up.
On Cyber Monday you’ll get generous discounts on tech products. These will include computers, hard drives, and tech accessories.
If you’re lucky, you might get a 4 TB hard drive for around $100. You might even find MacBook laptops for under $1,000.
You want to check Amazon’s website on a regular basis to see when they offer deals. There’s usually no set date so it’s best to keep Amazon open as one of your tabs on your browser.
Buy Secondhand
Another way to save money on Amazon is to buy secondhand products. If you’re buying books, you should definitely buy used copies.
This is especially important if you need to buy college textbooks. These are often overpriced, and it’s best to buy them secondhand. Many textbooks can also get rented from Amazon at lower prices.
For some books, you might also get to rent them. These are often far cheaper than owning a book.
The same goes for buying refurbished technology. You can buy everything from a computer to a smartphone at a lower price if it’s secondhand.
Buy From Third-Party Sellers
Often, third-party sellers will offer products at a lower price than Amazon will.
The one catch is that this often won’t work with Prime Shipping or expedited shipping. But if you’re willing to wait longer, you can receive a generous discount.
This is a great option especially for buying books or other media. Amazon was made for third-party sellers to sell media products with ease. You’ll find that they’re willing to negotiate pricing with you if it’s too expensive.
Products that are also hosted through Merch By Amazon or Amazon FBA will likely also come at favorable prices. These are services that allow third-party sellers to create Amazon stores.
As these are smaller retailers, they’re likely more flexible with their pricing. As such, you want to consider buying from them rather than from Amazon directly.
Amazon VISA and Other Cards
Amazon offers a VISA card to purchase products on its website. If you use the VISA card, you might get rebates on some of your purchases.
You can also earn cashback from your Amazon VISA purchases. This cashback can get used for future Amazon purchases.
If you usually make purchases using a credit card, you might prefer paying with an Amazon VISA card over other cards. Another option is to use a credit card that offers cashback from Amazon purchases.
For example, Discover Cards often earn points for Amazon purchases. You can then use these points with future Amazon purchases. The same feature also applies to Mastercards.
Research Your Products
No matter how much we shop on Amazon, we often choose the first product we see. If it’s got 5-star reviews and it ranks highly, that’s the product we’ll buy.
But if you really need to save you have to take more time with your research. For example, you might find a cheaper product within a category.
But what if you purchase this product and it only lasts a few months? Then you’ll have to purchase a replacement and waste more money. Make sure you don’t fall into the ‘penny wise, pound foolish’ trap.
Read reviews of products and trust the latest reviews. If there are numerous 5-star reviews from the previous year, they’re irrelevant. All that matters are reviews from the current year.
Share Our Online Shopping Guide
Now that you’ve read our online shopping guide for Amazon, please share this with your friends and family!
Make sure you follow the steps in this guide to make sure you save on Amazon. Start with consider Super Saving or Amazon Prime to cut costs on shipping.
Make sure you then research your products and consider buying secondhand products when you can. You can also consider third-party sellers to save as many costs as possible.
Now you can shop and save! You can also find more great shopping tips on our website.
