Shopping online has become a reality and necessity for all of us nowadays. That’s because we’re living in the “new normal” in the post Covid-19 era. Online shopping helps us to minimize the risks of contagion.
As a matter of fact, an increasing number of retailers are also operating online now. Therefore, a consumer like us is spoilt for choice for both products and places to buy. Instead of patronizing just one or two online stores, we can now shop at more and find better rates and products.
However, online shopping isn’t always cheap. You could end up paying more for the stuff. In this article, I will discuss some excellent ways and means to save money while shopping online anywhere in the world.
Definition of Online Shopping
You might wonder why I’m defining online shopping? The reason is simple. A lot of us consider online shopping as buying things from online shopping websites such as Amazon or eBay or Walmart.
Actually, online shopping has a much broader definition. It means buying anything online. This includes tickets for travel, hotel bookings, sightseeing tours, stays through Airbnb or even sending gifts to someone distant.
As a matter of fact, anything that you purchase online, even subscriptions to a magazine or cable TV channel package qualifies as online shopping.
Saving Money While Shopping Online
As you can see, the scope of the term “online shopping” is very vast. Online shopping allows us to look for things we want and buy them. Furthermore, online shopping also enables us to save some money on our requirements.
Nowadays, with more and more businesses marking an online presence, the competition among sellers is hot and fierce. Therefore, here’re some ways to save on online shopping anywhere in the world.
1. Shop Through Rakuten
Rakuten was earlier known as Ebates.com. However, the company now has a new identity after it was bought over by Rakuten. You can shop from any online store on Rakuten and get amazing discounts and cashbacks.
The website lists countless online stores from where you can buy and get cashbacks. This website works in the USA and several parts of the world, including Europe. All you need to do is register on this website and create an account. You can’t withdraw the money you get as cashbacks. Instead, you can use the money to pay for other stuff you shop.
2. Couponing Websites
A lot of online shoppers around the world miss out on amazing discounts and rebates because they don’t use discount codes and coupons. There Are several couponing websites that you can use anywhere in the world. Millions of online shoppers worldwide save a lot of money while shopping online by using these discount coupons and discount codes. Groupon is a website that operates worldwide either directly or through its different divisions in various countries. You can find amazing discount codes and coupons here. And use them to save on your online shopping anywhere in the world. Similarly, you can earn $30 along with other joining benefits, if you join ibotta using ibotta referral code.
3. Credit Cards & Debit Cards
Your credit cards and debit cards are one more way to save money while shopping online anywhere in the world. That’s because a lot of online retailers have agreements or special promos with certain banks or debit card and credit card issuers. If you pay using a card from those banks, you can slice off as much as 10 percent of the amount of your purchase immediately. These promos are always on with some bank or the other. That’s because online sellers want to attract customers of a specific bank for shopping.
4. Loyalty Points
If you’re a member of a loyalty program offered by a credit card, debit card, airline or hotel or any other organization, you could get good discounts while shopping online anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, most loyalty program members never use their points and let them go to waste. Therefore, check whether you’re a member of any loyalty programs. If you’re unsure whether you’ve been enrolled to any loyalty program by default by your credit card or debit card issuer, you could enquire with the bank or the financial institution that’s issuing them. Using loyalty points is a great way to save a few Dollars on online shopping too.
5. Dropshipping Websites
One of the cheapest ways to find stuff anywhere in the world while shopping online is to look for websites that offer products through dropshipping. There’re also marketplaces on Shopify that provide merchandise through dropshipping. Generally, stuff from dropshipping companies costs much less than the prices you’ll pay on a full-fledged online store such as Amazon or eBay among others. The quality of products is also fairly superior. If you’re unhappy with the product, it’s always possible to return it, during the return period.
6. Look for Free Shipping
Using discount coupons and codes, loyalty points, credit cards and debit cards and other methods to save money is fine. However, you also need to consider the shipping costs. Some online retailers might offer very economical prices but add a shipping fee to deliver your stuff. And such a fee would negate all the discount that you’ve got. In fact, in some instances, you could end up paying more for something merely because of the cost of shipping. Therefore, buy only from online stores that offer discounts as well as free shipping.
7. Go Local
If you’re traveling abroad and need to order something online, look for local online stores. That way, you would save a lot on shipping fees and get superior stuff too. For example, I personally use an online retailer known as Lazada while I’m traveling in Far East Asia. They have amazing products from several countries and deliver quickly too. In most cases, they provide free shipping if the order value qualifies for this facility. Simply Google for local online retailers and you’ll find several of them.
8. Shopping Through Apps
I get a lot of discounts and cashbacks when I shop using two different apps provided by two banks where I hold an account. If you’re traveling, these apps will show you the best deals in the area. All you have to do is place an order through these apps and make the payment with the app too. This is an ideal way to save money on shopping online anywhere in the world. However, here you’ll have to take care about the currency exchange rates. Sometimes, a retailer could charge you for converting US Dollars or even the bank might levy a fee.
In Conclusion
You can use any of these time-tested and proven methods to save money while shopping online anywhere in the world. These are simple and easy ways and I’m sure you can get enough discounts to slice off a few Dollars off your shopping bills. One more place where you can get really good stuff for cheap is Facebook Marketplace. You can use their app and find excellent local offers in your area. Since Facebook Marketplace operates within a limited area from your location, it’s possible to get the best rates while shopping online, anywhere in the world. Try all of these methods to save money while shopping online anywhere in the world. It would prove worth your efforts.
