7 Ways to Save Money on Amazon.com

I get aggravated easily when I go shopping. When the check-out lines are long, parking lots are full and traffic is backed up I usually think to myself whether or not I could have bought the item online. While I shop on a few different websites, I mostly use Amazon.com. Below are a few of the ways I have found to be frugal by using Amazon.

1. Buy Groceries in Bulk

Amazon.com sells a lot food and household products in bulk sizes that you would see at warehouse stores such as Costco or Sam’s Club. I have purchased items at a large discount compared to buying them individually in a regular store. Examples of groceries that I’ve bough off Amazon at a discount include granola bars, shaving razors and cereal.

2. Price Shop for Big Purchases

When I’m making a big purchase (over $50 or $100) I will make sure to research the item on Amazon. I will look at review scores and comments as well as pricing. You can save a lot of money purchasing items on Amazon because they are able to sell things at a discount due to the volume of orders they have.

3. Free Super Saver Shipping

Look to lump together purchases you are making to reach the $25 threshold to get free super saver shipping. When your order includes eligible items and you go over the $25 baseline, you can get free shipping on your purchase. As long as you don’t need the product in a hurry, you can save a few dollars this way.

4. Amazon Prime

An even better option for saving money on shipping is to have an Amazon Prime membership. There is no $25 threshold to reach for free shipping when you have this membership, it is unlimited two-day shipping and if you do a lot of shopping on Amazon it is helpful to have. Also, (students get Amazon Prime free for a year).

5. Gift and Wish Lists

Instead of buying every thing you want off of Amazon add the items to a gift or wish list. You can set up multiple lists for different types of things you are looking to buy. Lists can also be sent to family and friends for birthdays, holidays, graduations or other celebrations for them to purchase items you want. This is a way to avoid getting the gifts you don’t want and instead receive things you’ve had your eye on for a while.

6. Buy Used

There are resellers on Amazon that sell used items from the same page as the new items. Look for whether or not you can save money on a purchase by buying a used book or movie instead of a brand new one. Be careful though of how much they charge for shipping. Some retailers will low ball their price to look the cheapest but charge the difference in shipping costs.

7. Save Time Shopping Online

A big reason why I like to shop on Amazon is that it saves time. I don’t have to drive to a store, look around for the item, decide whether or not it is priced well, etc. I can go online to Amazon, purchase an item quickly and get it shipped wherever I want it to. This is especially important during the holidays. The two places I hate going to around the holidays are the mall and the post office. They are always more busy then and by doing my shopping online I can buy presents and have them shipped directly to family around the country.

What other ways do you use Amazon.com or other online retailers to save money online?

Caleb Wojcik