Tips for buying cheaper online

Digital commerce has opened up, and continues to open up, immense possibilities, both for consumers and for companies. And part of these possibilities has to do, of course, with finding better prices and ways to save money.

These are some ideas that may help you save money on your purchases. Some of the suggestions may be a way to save on a planned purchase, while others are small precautions that can make a big difference in the long run.

1. Price comparison

We start with the obvious. Which, however, is sometimes forgotten.

On the internet, we have ample opportunity to compare prices. Do not assume it is the same in all stores.

Meanwhile, beware of suspicious-looking deals and prices that seem implausible. It may be stolen, counterfeit, damaged merchandise, or simply fraud. It is possible to find fantastic opportunities in e-commerce, but it may also be a typical scam by malicious companies.

2. Make a shopping list and budget

This may seem like another basic point, but it is in fact easy to underestimate the effect of planning and organizing your purchases better.

Keeping a record of your spending on different types of purchases and items can be eye-opening. Often, we do not have a correct idea of what we spend and on what.

Make a budget that includes your day-to-day needs, such as clothing, food and other expenses. And based on that budget, be more intentional about what you buy. A small change in the price of something you buy very regularly, for example, can make a big difference by the end of the year. Long-term shopping lists and “wish lists” also help you take advantage of the best deals, such as sales.

3. Shipping costs

Sometimes, the costs of shipping the order added to the original price completely transform an offer. Make sure you take the final price into account.

The non-home delivery option is a great option that you can take advantage of. This approach to parcel delivery, in which InPost is a leader in Europe, offers major advantages, not only in terms of cost, but also in terms of sustainability and convenience for you. You can learn more about these advantages on our website and on this blog.

4. Pay attention to the best time to buy

Haste is the enemy of perfection, even when shopping. If you're not in a hurry, try to find out the time of year when the item you're looking at is cheapest.

For example: off-season clothing. The best time to buy a coat or warm footwear is not winter. The same applies to seasonal decor and other items typical of a particular time of year, which are usually put on sale later, when stores need to clear out stock.

Buy electronics when a new one is released or when a competitor's new product is launched. When stores and warehouses want to free up space for a new model, they lower the prices of previous models or competing brands.

Keep an eye, of course, on events such as Black Friday.

5. Second-hand items

There is a huge market online for second-hand items, which not only allows you to take advantage of excellent prices, but is also an environmentally friendly practice. Take a look, for example, at stores like Shein or Vinted.

A specific and very advantageous type of second-hand product that we sometimes do not give due attention to is refurbished and open-box technology.

Refurbished means that the item has been inspected for reintroduction into the market, and open-box, or box-opened, means that the box has been opened and the item returned, but that, otherwise, it is like new. In this last case, the price is usually only slightly lower than that of the new item.

6. Subscribe to everything

Subscribing to your favorite brands pays off, and in particular small businesses, which are often overlooked. Sign up for newsletters, mailing lists, etc. Companies want your name and contact details for advertising purposes and in return often offer perks.

Some companies, for example, offer a special one-time discount to new subscribers, but others may send you free sample offers, regular discounts on products you use, coupons, etc. That is in addition to keeping up with events, sales, promotions and the like. If you are going to shop with a store for the first time, subscribe a day or two beforehand to receive the promo code, if there is one, in time.

In addition to emails, become a member of loyalty programs. They are usually free, and can include, for example, points accumulation systems that give you access to discounts or other offers.

But use a separate email account for subscriptions and purchases, so as not to flood your regular email inbox with spam and promotional messages.

7. Use coupons and apps

Discount coupons can represent big savings. Get into the habit of looking for and using them. It is easy to search for coupons for any store or product on Google.

Meanwhile, there are also useful sites and apps that help you find coupons and automatically show them when you visit a store's website.

Other useful apps are price comparison apps. It is possible, for example, to install an app that sends you a notification whenever it finds the item you are looking for cheaper on another site. This is especially useful because the app may find the item in a store where you would not have thought to look.

8. Buy grocery items in bulk

For products with a long shelf life and regular use, such as flour or shampoo, it is sometimes possible to buy in large quantities, with a price advantage.

For example, a large bottle of shampoo that can be refilled in bulk may not only be cheaper, but also avoids waste, so the environment benefits too.

9. Abandoning the “cart”

Here is an unconventional tip that does not always (of course!) work, but that may be worth trying.

Create an account, choose the item you want, and leave the purchase unfinished. Some stores occasionally run cart-abandonment promotions, that is, they send you an email offering a special discount on the item you left behind.

10. Contact the company

In the hustle and bustle of the modern world, we may not always have the time or energy for a phone call or to go to a physical store, but there are other very practical ways, namely email and chat, to contact a company.

If an order arrives damaged or wrong, of course, you should always complain to the seller to ask for a replacement. But there are many other occasions when we may be interested in contacting a company. For example, to extend the date of a coupon or obtain a discount. Retroactive discounts and price adjustments are often possible, usually through credit added to the account, when the value of an item drops after purchase.

In the world of online commerce, where face-to-face interactions take a back seat, we are well advised not to forget that essential element that is human communication.

Happy shopping and happy savings!