Online shopping tips and tricks

Essential online
shopping tips
Kori Ellis

Rate this Article:
Max 5 stars
75
My Rating

The internet is a fabulous shopping tool. You can shop without the pressure from salespeople, compare prices from several retailers, and purchase products from the comfort of your own home.
Shopping online
With just a few clicks of your mouse, you can find everything you need. By following a few simple online shopping tips and tricks, you can be sure to find the best deals possible.

Search, search, search

You can begin by using a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo, to locate the item you need. If you aren't looking for a specific product, you can search for the general category, and then narrow down your selections. In addition to your standard search engines, you can also use shopping search engines such as Shopping.com or TheFind.com to locate the items you need.

Head to the retail sites

Go directly to the retailers' websites in the category niche. For example, if you are shopping for a computer, Dell, BestBuy, HP.com or other electronics websites are a good place to begin. For toys, you might look at eToys or Toys R Us.

Oftentimes you find coupons and discounts exclusive only to a particular online website. Also don't forget to check trusted sites such as Target, Walmart and Amazon.

Compare prices

The aforementioned Shopping.com and TheFind.com, along with other price comparison shopping sites, such as PriceGrabber.com and Shopzilla.com will allow you to compare products, specifications and prices at several stores. You can compare products side by side to determine which one is the best for you.

Consider shipping costs

Shipping costs can vary drastically and can be the deciding factor when determining where to purchase a product. When comparing prices, be sure to consider shipping costs as well as guarantee. Some companies allow free returns and a 100% money back guarantee, while others require you pay for returns and only offer exchange or store credit. Oftentimes websites offer a discounted shipping rate for ordering multiple items as well.
Continue »

Kori Ellis is an editor and writer based in San Antonio, TX, where she lives with her husband and two labs, Yogi and Deuce. At SheKnows, she contributes articles to the Beauty & Style channel and several other sections. Additionally, Kori has been published in dozens of magazines, newspapers and websites worldwide, writing about everything from wedding planning to fantasy sports. She's the Senior Editor at b5media.com and the guide to Accessories at About.com.


Comments
By Shopping Mom Nov 19, 2008

I have had good luck with www.extrabux, which offers coupons and cash back rebates. Lots of well known stores and it's highly rated by Comparerewards (a great site that reviews shopping sites.)

By Taniesha Aug 22, 2008

Hello Mrs Ellis I love you article because myself and my boyfriend love to shop online. We purchase everything online if we can from the big chains (eg. Macys, target and Dicks) to using craiglist and ebay.

Reply:

(required)