The tricks that could save you hundreds of dollars while online shopping

When it comes to online shopping, there are plenty of ways to save and nab yourself a bargain.

While you might already be familiar with using coupons or codes, there are also a raft of other ways to pay less online, according Lorica Clarke, co-founder of shopping website, Cashrewards.

From tracking down the best deals to using price comparison sites, here FEMAIL takes a look at the simple ways you could save hundreds when shopping online.

1. Be a follower

There’s nothing better when you hit the checkout of your favourite online store and you’ve got a discount code to cut the cost of your spend.

‘It’s always good to monitor the social media pages of your favourite stores. Some stores offer discount codes exclusively on social media sites, Ms Clarke told FEMAIL.

The shopping entrepreneur also suggested using online forums, such as Ozbargain, to find great deals.

She explained people use these sites to share information about where they bought items from for the best possible price using coupon codes, and she added, the sites can be a goldmine for finding out about top bargain buys.

There's nothing better when you hit the checkout of your favourite online store and you've got a discount code to cut the cost of your spend (stock image)

Another trick to turning up cheap offers when shopping online is to make sure you Google first to see if there’s a valid coupon for what you want to buy.

Type in the name of the store or product along with words like ‘coupon’ or ‘voucher’ and you could land an easy way to slash as much as 15 per cent off your total.

It’s worth noting some stores will offer a promotional code to use the first time you shop with them.

2. Walk away from the shopping cart or wishlist

Taking some time out before you buy is always a good idea, but leaving your goods in your shopping cart could also see you save.

Lorica Clarke’s online shopping tips: 

  • Rewards for shopping: Use a shopping portal to earn rewards (on top of loyalty rewards and credit card points)
  • Automate coupons and cashback: Download and use tools from shopping sites that automatically add cashback as well as finding the best coupons and deals from your favourite stores. GetYourCouponCodes is the place you can rely on for this.
  • Find gift cards: Use discounts offered on these to save as a much as five per cent on purchases from major retailers

Source: Cashrewards.com.au 

The idea is that by turning your back on potential purchases for a period of time, the retailer may take this as a prompt to send you a discount voucher so you complete your transaction.

Really Simple Money offers a variation on this where you park your goods in your wish or favourites list, or create another account but not use it to buy anything.

Taking the hack one step further, Business Insider suggests clearing your cache in order to make it appear as if you are a new customer and potentially bring on repeat discounts.

3. Chat with online specialists

While you probably ignore the live chat window that pops up when you’re shopping, as it turns out, taking time to strike up a conversation could be worth the effort.

Apart from the fact the person chatting to you can help you find the exact item you’re looking for, it’s possible you could haggle for a discount, ask for shipping costs to be waived or receive a coupon code.

4. Use price comparison sites and apps

Price comparison websites are a simple way you can check out whether or not the item you are buying is listed cheaper anywhere else.

Google Shopping, MyShopping, GetPrice, Au.shopping and Shopbot are some of the more popular sites you can use to compare prices on a listed item.

Some price comparison apps like ShopSavvy, ScanLife or QuickScan allow you to scan in bar-codes of goods in-store and compare prices with other stores or websites.

Use price comparison websites to check out whether or not the item you are buying is listed cheaper anywhere else (stock image)

5. Use in-store pick-up to save on shipping costs

While it might be more convenient to have goods shipped directly to your door, major savings can be made if you choose to use the in-store pick-up option.

Although some etailers offer free shipping, this often comes after you have spent a certain amount.

By choosing to collect goods in-store, not only do you save yourself from buying extra things you don’t need, but you can also avoid hefty shipping costs too.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk