As someone who rarely gets out, online shopping has been a savior to reducing stress in my life when it comes to purchasing gifts or other items for my household. A few weeks ago, my husband and I had early 20-somethings over after church services, and we got to talking about Christmas shopping and how we managed it. I was surprised to see how people younger than me (and I am only 28) were shocked that the abundance of our family’s purchases came from Amazon.com. And I do mean abundance!

There are advantages to online shopping:
1.Convenient! You don’t leave your house!
2.Often there are sales, discounts, or promotional codes
3.Can complete at your own pace
4.Shipping eliminates the almost insurmountable task of hunting down the items, carrying a load of goodies to the car, out of the car, and into the house!
Obviously, there are disadvantages that can come along with online shopping:
1.Tedious: the window shopping to find a specific item may NOT be as easy as meandering through the mall
2.May seem harder to find exact options you are looking for
3.Don’t get the “in person” experience of seeing the item you are purchasing
4.Shipping can be expensive
From someone who is slowly becoming an almost 100% online shopper out of necessity, I thought I’d pass along a few helpful hints.
1.ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS do a search for promotional codes using your favorite search engine or a website like http://www.retailmenot.com. Promotional codes are like online’s version of in-store coupons. Finding bargains or just saving money is a huge asset. There are many stores that regularly have coupons available. The offers might vary from free shipping to a discount off of the purchase, but often a favorite store keeps these promotional codes available for their online customers.
2.Using a big online mega store like Amazon.com allows you to get an idea on the probable cost, availability, reviews of items. Amazon.com is great because they allow for you to keep ongoing wish lists for items (easily shareable to others!), they have huge inventory because a variety of vendors sell through them, and they offer free shipping on returns for most items if sent back within a specified time window. Personally, I don’t order an item from Amazon if it doesn’t qualify for the free shipping (if you spend $25), so that factors in on actual cost compared to another site that you might have to pay for shipping on top of the product’s cost. They also refund money if an item’s purchase price decreases within 30 days of the time you bought it. What’s better than that?
3.If you are curious about reviews of big-ticket items or items you want to know about others’ experiences with, www.epinions.com is your answer! People just like you have submitted their personal reviews about an enormous range of items, stretching from baby gear to appliances. Having access to epinions allows me to purchase items without the confusion of standing in aisle jumbled with very similar items and I can get first-hand reports about the product to see if it fits my needs.
4.Keep a few websites handy to help you find deals: PriceProtectr.com allows you to submit an item you’ve purchased into their system and THEY track whether prices go down. (Yes, for free!) Many companies offer refunds if prices go down within a certain time period after a purchase, but this website does the watching for you so you’re guaranteed to know. Also, Dealnews.com and Fatwallet.com are well organized websites that let you know of substantial savings on popular items, while offering search options for your individualized needs as well. Overstock.com and Smartbargains.com are also discount sources for products. Supply or options may not be high, but the prices are usually unbeatable.
5.Keep an eye out for poor shipping deals. Sometimes it’s just not cost-effective to purchase items due to the online taxes and shipping costs. If you’re able, you can conduct your window shopping online and then go to the store to complete the actual purchase. Some stores (Sears, Best Buy, etc.) are even allowing you to purchase an item online and then you go there for a quick pick-up. At least that’s better than standing in lines after hunting for the particular item within the store. All in all, you need to weigh in your personal needs (health, finances, location of store).
As you can probably tell, I am not exactly an impulse shopper. I spend a lot of time analyzing products before making a decision, and online shopping gives me the opportunity to take my time exploring all of my options. The combination of convenience and savings keeps me hooked. One without the other probably wouldn’t help me out as much. But, it’s good to know that the virtual shopping world appears to be progressing in both areas while improving its helpfulness in comparison shopping. Hopefully these are a few very basic guidelines that can get you started in the right direction if you have a little trepidation about entering the world of online stores.
Article written by Carrie Burns, © 2008 butyoudontlooksick.com