11 money saving tips when shopping online

Written by Jenny Wu
Jenny Wu

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  1. These are all fantastic tips. I tell my hubby all the time that when I shop, the world gets better. Haha
    I also have Ebates and use it all the time (when I remember). I can kick myself when I forget. It’s a must have if you shop online like I do, all the time. Thank you for sharing these great tips! xx

    Ann-Marie | http://facetocurls.com

    • Jenny says:

      Haha, love it, I should tell my husband that too! Having the ebates browser plugin really helps, it reminds you when you forget to enable it!

  2. Love these tips! I’m always trying to save money because I spend so much lol. Today is actually my two year anniversary with eBates. I love them!

  3. Such a great and informative post! Thanks a lot for sharing your money saving tips with us, Jenny! I am so bad when it comes to shopping in general, I am just like that girl from Shopaholic movie lol Sure your tips will help xx

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you Naya! Haha, I definitely relate to you (and the girl from Shopaholic!), but now that I try to save as much as possible and make less impulse purchases, my shopping trips feel guilt-free :P

  4. Tara says:

    I recently saved really well at Amazon because I waited until the timing was right! I’d been eyeing a Kindle Voyage for the last year or two, but I couldn’t justify the price. But then I saw that it was $50 off for Prime Members (for the first time, ever?!) and I had a $169 gift card balance . . . so I nabbed it with a leather case for $40! :D Some I’ve learned that it helps to wait . . . sometimes XD;

    These are some great tips. I’ve never considered some of them before, so thanks for the heads up :) I think it’s awesome when you make a legit and polite complaint and the company reimburse you in fabulous ways XD

    • Jenny says:

      Ooo Amazon does have some great deals if you wait, but sadly I have no patience ???? Working on it, but not making much progress yet, haha.

      Most companies value customer service, so they’ll try their best to rectify the situation when you reach out. Works for them because I usually become a repeat customer due to the good experience (and I boycott them if they’re horrible).

  5. ARGH I need to remember to shop online and use Ebates instead of going into the store. I have the Ebates browser extension so as long as I’m at my computer, I’ll remember. Also, that Andalou Naturals rose oil looks sooo lovely!

    • Jenny says:

      The extension is definitely a must have for me as well, otherwise I forget! They also have an iPhone/Android app but I never liked shopping on my phone as much :P

      The Andalous Natural Rose Oil smells amazing, and it’s quite light too. And compared to the other oils in my rotation, it’s the most affordable one by far :D

  6. Gloria says:

    I thought I’d know most of these tips already, but you’ve taught me quite a bit! I didn’t even know Better Business Bureau existed, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind for the next time a shop is being difficult. Luckily I haven’t had any problems other than with Amazon, and their customer service is always good with responding and making amends. Sadly I can’t make much use of tips #6-8 yet, but I’ll remember them once I can sign up for credit cards and have a student email!

    Also yes to Ebates! I tried this other app before, TopCashBack, and for some reason they never gave me cashback on my purchase (it wasn’t even tracked!), so Ebates is my go-to now. I admit their double cashback days sometimes tempt me to make a purchase at Sephora… but that’s just something I need to resist. Thanks for the great tips Jenny, and I’d love to see more lifestyle posts from you!

    • Jenny says:

      Haha, this is what years of shopping does to you :P I can’t remember how I found out about BBB, but thank goodness for them because sometimes businesses won’t pay attention to you unless you go through them (sadly). I agree that Amazon’s customer service is usually solid, if not amazing. I just wish their deliveries were as reliable!

      I’ve used several other cashback apps before too, but none of them worked as well or had as many retailers as Ebates! I know what you mean about the double cash back deals though…gotta exercise a LOT of self control when those come around! :P So glad to hear you like these lifestyle posts, I’ll definitely try to do more in the future!

  7. Great Lady says:

    I love these tips, they are very helpful. Thank you for sharing. BTW, I love your site, it’s beautiful.
    memoirsofagreatlady

  8. Yiota says:

    I am using Ebates too and it’s amazing how much money you get back. Great tips and thank you for sharing this post, it’s life saving for us shopaholics!! xx

    Yiota
    PinkDaisyLoves

  9. Ivona says:

    These tips are the best! It always makes me happy to save a few bucks when shopping, so I’ll have to give them a try. Thanks for sharing, girl! :)

    Ivona from http://www.thesmokedetector.net
    xoxo

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you Ivona, so glad you liked the tips! Being able to save money in any way is always a good thing, it means more money for our next shopping trip! :P

  10. Elisa L. says:

    no.4 is exactly what i like doing, lol. i tend to sign up with different dummy email accounts just so i can get the discount code. sometimes though, those discount codes are left to collect mold and dust because either a). i’m forgetful i have coupon codes or b). i don’t feel like making a purchase on said website. also, since i don’t have a credit card, i need to go to the ATM for payment and since i don’t go out often, my orders tend to be canceled since i don’t pay on time :))

    the student email tips is so convenient! i didn’t know such convenience exists. we don’t get such awesome privileges here :\

    sometimes i’m glad i’m able to control myself when it comes to buying products. the temptation when walking pass a drugstore is too much. i find myself stealing glances at the maybelline shelf, for instance but i’m lucky enough that my logic defeats my temptation. these are good tips though, especially for spenders who actually have the budget to purchase the things they want. in my case, i have limited budget so that saves me too haha

    • Jenny says:

      I’ve definitely forgotten about discount codes in the past, and then I have to sign up again using another account :P So now I try to keep all my “coupon code” emails in one folder so I can always reference them if I ever decide to shop in the future!

      I feel like self control is a lot more difficult when you’re shopping in person and the product is right there, which is another reason why I try to avoid going to the mall…too many temptations! :P

  11. I love the idea for the student email. If you do something similar with Top Shop you get a great discount online. I love these tips because I adore shopping online for some needed goodies :)
    http://www.bauchlefashion.com/2017/03/80s-power-dressing.html

    • Jenny says:

      Thanks Heather, so glad to hear you liked these tips! I haven’t shopped at Top Shop before, but that’s great to know! It’s amazing how handy our student emails can be :P

  12. Samantha says:

    Ahh, these are such great tips! I actually continually clean out my wishlist because it also gets embarrassingly long and I want to make sure I buy stuff that I want and will USE. I haven’t heard about eBates though (I know, what a terrible online shopper I am) so I’ll definitely have to give that a shot since I’m finding a lot of products I want online as opposed to in store!

    Sam | My Beauty Cloud

    • Jenny says:

      That’s a great idea Samantha, I definitely should go through my wishlist periodically to remove things I no longer want or need :P And definitely sign up for ebates, your wallet will thank you!

  13. Damn Jenny, you got this online sopping thing down to a science. Haha! I only use eBates.ca and yes, a different email address for all the newsletters and I try checking them like once every 2-3 days or I will be tempted to spend every single day. LOL!

    • Jenny says:

      Haha, if only I worked this hard in school as I did to save money while shopping, oh the things I could’ve accomplished…:P That’s a good reminder to only check that inbox a few times a week…right now I have mine connected to my phone and I get instant alerts. Not good!

  14. Jen says:

    Love your tips! Sounds so helpful ♥

    http://www.heresometimes.com

  15. Stephanie says:

    Incredibly helpful list Jenny! It’s inspiring me to put together my own list – I love ebates and I agree with you – there’s just no excuse to *not* shop online with the free shipping most stores offer!

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you Stephanie! :) Ebates really is a lifesaver isn’t it, though I wonder if having it around is making me shop more…? Ah well!

  16. Carina says:

    I need to check if Ebates works also in Italy! Also, need to check price matching sites, never used them before. Awesome tips!

    xo
    http://www.carinavardie.com

  17. Amy says:

    Ebates is my jam!! I’ve been trying really hard to cut down on spending in general, especially online, although Amazon ALWAYS gets me! Loved this post babe.

    xx, Amy
    http://www.theluxilook.com

    • Jenny says:

      Thanks so much Amy! Oh God Amazon always gets me as well, they literally have everything I need and you can’t beat the 2-day (sometimes 1-day) shipping. Thank goodness for the Amazon store card for the 5% cash back!

  18. Cat L. says:

    So many great tips Jenny and well said– we will not stop shopping even when pigs can fly (will have to steal this line from you)! :) I also have Ebates and use it all the time as I primarily shop online. I didn’t know about cult beauty and saving on british brands but from now on i’ll make sure to check it out. Same goes for signing up for a TJ Maxx card. I’ve been meaning to and always put it off. I do have a Target store card and it is indeed very helpful. Thank you for sharing these tips!

    ~ Cat L.
    http://www.CatsDailyLiving.com

    • Jenny says:

      Haha, thank you so much Cat, so glad you liked the tips! I have the Target card as well (…is there a card that I don’t have? haha), and I love the instant 5% discount and free shipping! The TJMaxx one is excellent, plus I think you get a 20% discount on your first purchase!

  19. Esnath says:

    oh! you hit the nail on the head there Jenny, we are never stopping the addiction which is shopping. Its too stiff a price to pay in-order to save money. So thank you for these tips, I will be making sure to sign up for ebates, can’t wait to start saving hurray.

    • Jenny says:

      Exactly Esnath, the world would be a very sad place if we could never shop again! So glad you liked these tips, and yay for saving!!

  20. Mili says:

    So many good tips! My prime packages are constantly late, I had no idea that they offered something back for late shipments! I’m definitely going to be filing them as late from now on :)

    Mili | Sharmtoaster

    • Jenny says:

      I found it happens most often when it’s being delivered by a smaller courier service, UPS/USPS shipments are pretty much always on time for me. I always file my complaint via chat which takes only a few minutes!

  21. Demilade says:

    I love all these tips! I always go in store to swatch products before I buy them if I can. This has actually saved me from buying products that seem ‘great’ but turn out to be a total flop. Thanks for these tips, I’ll bear them in mind. xx

    Coco Bella Blog

    • Jenny says:

      So glad to hear that Demilade! Swatching things in store has definitely made a huge difference for me as well, I just wish I had figured this out sooner!

  22. Lisa Linh says:

    Love all the tips. I’ve heard so much on Ebates but I don’t shop online enough to really use them. Most of shopping ends up to be for food and household supplies through Amazon, haha. #adulting

    Great post!

    Lisa Linh
    https://www.bylisalinh.com/blog/2017/3/27/the-perfect-travel-duo-with-botkier

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you so much Lisa! I think even if you don’t shop online much you can still benefit from Ebates, it’s free to join and there’s no minimum withdrawl threshold – they send you a check (or deposit via Paypal) every quarter :) Amazon is a must have for our household essentials as well, thank goodness for the Amazon storecard and their instant 5% cashback!

  23. Marina Rosie says:

    I am in complete agreement with you when it comes to store cards; I literally have over 50 different membership cards, all to makeup shops, apart from my Starbucks card. (Gotta love those Frappes!) x Again, an amazing post Jenny.
    Lots of love,
    Marina Rosie xx
    http://marinawriteslife.blogspot.fr/

    • Jenny says:

      Thank you so much Marina! Glad to know I’m not the only one with a bunch of membership cards, but the rewards are too good to pass up! And yes, gotta have that Starbucks card for to get those free frappes! :P

      • Marina Rosie says:

        You know, I went to a Starbucks in Greece and they had a birthday cake frappe! xx I hadn’t seen that before so I was kind of shocked but I bought it, never the less, and it was delicious! So if you ever get the chance to binge and buy one, do go for it, it felt like my birthday in a drink. x

        • Jenny says:

          Oh that sounds so yummy Marina! I’ve never seen it in a US Starbucks before but I think it might be a secret menu drink. Thanks for sharing!

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