I don’t know about you, but online shopping is both my favourite hobby yet my enemy.
What seems like a completely innocent browse of what’s in stores at the moment always ends up being a very damaging experience on my bank’s behalf.
Shoes, bags and the same white t-shirt (which I realistically already have too much of) always end up in my online basket, and the sweet little ‘checkout’ button always seems to get me and completely defeat my embarrassing lack of will-power.
If I ever find myself in this situation (which let’s face it, happens more than I care to admit!), I like to use these 5 handy online shopping tips that help me save as much money as possible. I am on a strict budget, after all…
SHOP AROUND
Although the newest Charlotte Tilbury lipstick launch looks appetizing in all of it’s Selfridges glory, the hiked-up prices on the site mean that you’re probably not going to get it for the best price.
With beauty products in particular, a quick search in Google will bring up a list of places where the exact product you’re looking for is on sale elsewhere.
Click the ‘shopping’ tab when you search and you can decide from hundreds of online outlets that sell the same product, and you can even filter it by price, colour and location!
Sites like Cult Beauty are ideal for purchasing beauty products for cheaper prices, but Googling the product is the best way to find the cheapest prices and help to save you money.
DISCOUNT & VOUCHER CODES
The most obvious way to save money when online shopping is using discount codes.
People often forget that Google is pretty much your best friend when it comes to shopping online, and it can help with your search for a discount/voucher code!
From 20% off and free shipping to student discounts to BOGOF offers, all you have to do is pop the discount code in your online basket and you’ll automatically get a price discount. Not bad for 2 minutes’ work – you’d be daft not to!
MAILING LISTS
Every brand from TOMS, H Samuel and Origins have their own mailing lists, and not signing up to them could mean you’re missing out.
A common issue with mailing list subscriptions is that people always think they’ll be bombarded with emails that they don’t even care to read, but it’s quite common for brands to include a sneaky discount code or promotional offer to ‘reward’ the people who actually read it!
If needs be, you could always set up a new email address solely for online shopping and search through your mailbox for a specific brand before pressing checkout.
ONLINE VS. IN STORE
When you are buying a product online, it can sometimes end up being more expensive than shopping in-store.
Shipping costs and hassle with parcels being delivered to an empty house can be frustration – not to mention the anticipation of waiting by the door for your parcel to arrive!
Yes, you’re able to sit in the comfort of your own home and take all of the time in the world to browse through new launches, but the best way to save money when online shopping is simply not to do it at all!
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