Copyright 2005 Michael Lever
Online shopping is convenient and fun,
but did you ever shop for something only
to find that the products were not that
cheap once you include shipping costs? Or
worse, you find the same product cheaper
elsewhere after you've already paid for
it?
Here are 7 quick ways that will save you
money when shopping with online merchants.
I've listed the pros and cons of each.
#1) Play hard to get. Instead of checking
out your cart, try to leave the site. Often
the merchant will present you with a popup
or send you an email offering you discounts
through vouchers or coupon codes. Pros:
savings up to approximately 20%. Cons: you
may need to add your item to the cart again.
#2) Negotiate. Just because you're not
dealing directly with a person does not
mean you cannot negotiate the price. Contact
the merchant and let them know why they
should give you a discount, often they will
match/beat their competitors or at least
give you discount shipping. Pros: get the
price you want to pay. Cons: may take 24
hours for merchant to reply.
#3) Compare. Open up your favourite search
engine and do a quick search for competitors
who sell the same product. There are plenty
of sites offering comparative shopping.
Pros: get the best price available online.
Cons: comparisons do not cover all merchants,
and can take time.
#4) Coupons. While you're searching, search
for coupons for the merchant. Often the
merchant offers discounts to visitors of
other sites. There are also directories
that specialize in giving away discount
coupons. Pros: savings up to approximately
20%. Cons: check that the coupon codes are
still valid.
#5) Reward Schemes. Shop within a network
of merchants. Most have a rewards scheme
earning you points that you can cash in
towards other purchases. Pros: savings up
to approximately 20%. Cons: You are limited
to shopping with the network's registered
merchants.
#6) Join special offer mailing lists. You
will be notified of many merchant discounts.
Pros: offers get sent directly to you. Often
matching a predefined criteria. Cons: the
timing of the discount may not fit your
shopping pattern.
#7) Subsidize your purchases. Join your
favourite merchant's affiliate program (almost
always for free). You don't need to be a
website or email list owner to earn commission.
Use a customer acquisition exchange to find
you customers (earning you commission) whenever
you purchase anything online. Pros: The
ability to shop anywhere online, and the
fact that the commission may cover more
than the cost of your purchase, putting
cash in your pocket. Cons: you need to be
a member of an affiliate program.
I hope you enjoyed reading my article and
feel excited about applying these money
saving techniques when shopping online.
If you know someone who would also benefit
from learning these, please share the knowledge
by forwarding this article to them.
Regards Michael Lever
About the Author
Michael Lever is a co-founder and CEO of
SpinningTornado.com, an independent company
offering unbiased tools and services to
help affiliate and network marketers build
profitable online businesses. http://www.SpinningTornado.com
Partnering affiliates the world over.
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