Are You Getting Ripped Off Online?

Online shopping has completely revolutionized the way that we buy things. There’s no more wandering around shops for hours on end trying to find what you want. Now you can find it in seconds and have it delivered the next morning without ever having to leave the house. Traditional shops have a massive disadvantage these days because they have to pay rent on a building and all of the other running costs that come with that. That means that you can often get much better prices online, however, that isn’t always the case. Online retailers use lots of sneaky tricks to get you to pay over the odds for things, even when you think you’re getting a bargain. Fortunately for you, there are ways to beat the system and get more for less. Follow these simple tips when you shop online to ensure that you’re getting the best possible prices.

Pexels

Shop Around

This seems like it should be obvious, but most people don’t do it as much as they should. We all have our favorite websites and we tend to stick with them, even if they are a bit more expensive. Part of the reason is to do with convenience. Larger websites like Amazon offer next day delivery, and in some cases, they will send your items within a few hours. Smaller sites can’t offer that level of service so people will often opt to pay a little bit more if it means that they can get things sooner. The reality is, you might be able to save a bit of money if you’re willing to wait a bit longer. Whatever you’re buying, you can probably do without it for a few more days. Using price comparison sites is a great way to see if you are getting the best deals.

Check Postage

When you’re shopping around, remember to take postage costs into account. It’s easier to browse the larger websites that offer free postage because there’s only one price to look at. Some sites will reduce the price of the item but you’ll be charged over the odds for postage. This makes the item look much cheaper at first glance but it is actually costing you quite a bit more. If you don’t make sure to add the two prices together, you could end up being stung with higher prices.

Personal Pricing

If you walk into a shop, everything will have a price tag on it and that is what it will cost you, whoever you are. You’d think the same would be true of online shops but the prices vary massively from person to person. Whenever you are online, companies are collecting massive amounts of information about you and they use this to target advertising as well as setting prices. The price of an item will vary depending on your location, your browsing habits, and the amount that you usually spend online. That means if you live in a more affluent area, or you tend to buy expensive products online, you are likely to be charged more money for things.

The systems that decide these prices are very complex but they can be beaten fairly easily, you just need to make yourself anonymous. Clear your browsing history and your cookies before you start shopping. This is where retailers get most of their information on you, if you take it away then you will be charged the standard price. Logging out of any online accounts and emails will also help. Finally, you should use incognito browsing when you shop so no more information about you is being stored for next time. If you do all of this, you’ll find that prices are much lower.

Add Coupons Together

Pixabay

Everybody knows that you can get great discounts with coupons or codes from places like https://www.couponsherpa.com/amazon/ but if you’re clever about it, you can maximize those savings. Some websites have been clever enough to only allow you to use one discount code at a time so you can’t always use this trick but there are still plenty of places that you can. The key is to put use the codes in the right order. Sometimes you will find that a site will stop you from using two codes together, but if you go back and try putting them in a different order, it could work. Codes that give you a certain percentage off your order usually go in first, then you want to use any that give you a fixed amount of money off. That way you can get a chunk of money off an already reduced price.

You can also get more discount codes by creating multiple email addresses. Companies will usually send out codes to everybody that is registered with them so by doing it more than once, you can get three codes instead of one; you might not be able to use them at the same time but it will still be a significant saving.

Choose The Right Day

Flickr

Most people do their online shopping at the weekends when they have the most free time. Unfortunately, this is one of the worst times to do it if you want to get the best possible prices. The most common days for sales and offers to begin are Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s so if you are buying at the weekend, you’re likely to see those prices drop within a few days. Fashion retailers tend to do this a lot so it’s a great way to save money when buying clothes. There are some exceptions, of course, so keep an eye on prices yourself to get an idea of when you can get the cheapest deals.

Ask For Discounts

If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Most people think that you have to wait until companies email you the deals, but if you are a bit more proactive, you could get more. Most websites have a customer service chat feature that we almost always ignore. It’s a little-known fact that they can give you specific discount codes if you just ask them. Show a bit of interest in the product first and then ask about reductions, the likelihood is, they will give you one because they want to guarantee a sale. It’s also worth asking about extending coupons that have recently expired, they will usually say yes.