Online shopping has taken over the world. It was already big before, but it has reached new levels of popularity and usage during the global pandemic. Not only has it been an encouraged and safer option, but people have also realized that it is much less stressful and time-consuming than in-person shopping.
This convenience comes with drawbacks, however, such as leading to impulse spending and poor financial decisions. With that in mind, there are plenty of tricks to make sure that you are still saving money while shopping online, as well as mistakes that are costing you money that can be easily avoided.
SPENDING EXTRA TO GET FREE SHIPPING
Many online websites will offer you free shipping as long as you spend a certain amount on products on their site. Typically this is simply an attempt to rope people into buying more products that they don’t need to build a false illusion that they are saving money. If you actually need to spend the money and this happens to reach the free shipping threshold, then great, but otherwise it is not worth it.
DELETING ITEMS IN YOUR CART
If you are unsure of whether you want to buy something online, it is always a good idea to leave the item in your cart as you are weighing your decision. Many times, websites will try and entice potential buyers who have items in their cart hours later by emailing them exclusive deals to try and get them to pull the trigger. When in doubt, leave the items in your cart.
BUYING “PROMOTED” PRODUCTS
Online shopping has brought a new level of convenience to people, and online marketplaces have figured out the extent to which it is valued. As a result, they will often display promoted products first that is a more expensive option expecting that users do not want to search too deeply into their search results. Do not make this mistake and do a bit more digging, as buying the promoted product at the top of the page is almost never the cheapest option.
NOT BEING AWARE OF RETURN POLICIES
One disadvantage of online shopping is that you do not see the product physically when you make your purchase, so the chance that you need to return the item is higher, and also more complicated considering you have to ship it back. With there being more hoops to jump through in returns, companies have also made their return policies more strict at times as they will sometimes restrict returns altogether. It is important to be aware of the return policies before you make your purchase, particularly if you have doubts about the product.