While almost everything you buy on the net will be cheaper if you factor in shipping fees, buying some things online could be more expensive than buying them in a brick and mortar store. When buying anything online how do you ensure you spend very little money on shipping? Any tips you'd like to share?
Well, I hate paying shipping costs so when I order on Amazon for instance, I always make sure I wait until I have enough products to purchase to qualify for the super saver shipping. I will only pay for shipping charges if it is something small, and the costs are not much. Also, looking for a promo code online that gives a free shipping option is always smart to do.
I was just going to say that sometime you can save on shipping of you spend a certain amount of money. It will also be helpful to see if free shipping coupons are offered from time to time depending on the site. For certain items that are heavy or are fragile and require extra care during shipping, I'm not sure. If you have to pay then you have to pay. Just shop around sites on their shipping policies.
I am into usability testing. I came across a website - but I forget its name now - where the service offered entails people who are already traveling to certain areas in the world, delivering parcels for people. I think that it is a great idea, sue to the fact that the people are going that way anyway, so they can deliver parcels, and you avoid the ridiculous shipping fees.
I always just save up my items until I can reach the free shipping amount which isn't that much thankfully. If I don't reach it then I'll buy one or two things I'm sure I can make use of so if I'm missing a few dollars I'll maybe just purchase some earphones because they always break or get lost anyway so it helps having many of them around. I know I'm not supposed to buy additional items just because of the song fee but I'd much rather just have an item for the extra amount I'm paying for rather than just giving it up for shipping which I totally cannot use at all past the purchase.
I don't purchase much online because of the high shipping cost. If I can get the item locally I will shop local. The cost of returning unwanted items is also a reason I do not shop online. The shipping to me maybe free or low but if you return the item you have to pay for the return shipping cost.
Buy in bulk. That's all there is to it when it comes to online shopping and if you want to save up on shipping fees. This is a common strategy, and though it seems like you're actually egged to spend more, it's a much better deal than having to buying things on a piecemeal basis and dishing out a fortune as a result. So buy everything you want in one go. Plan your shopping carefully.
Some sellers actually combine shipping so that you can save on that if you by multiple items. You can ask the seller if they can place your item on hold for as long as you want until you ask them to ship it to you. I actually have done that already, although only private or regular sellers do this, not large companies.
If I'm purchasing from an online store that has brick and mortar locations, I'll sometimes purchase the item online and pick it up in person. I only do that if I'll be going to the store, though, otherwise I will save the wear and tear on my vehicle and gas, and have it delivered. As @DrRipley mentioned, there's usually a threshold amount that must be met in order to qualify for free shipping, and so I rarely pay for shipping in those instances. I'll purchase other items I need or will need shortly, in order to reach that threshold, therefore I won't have to pay for shipping.
One of the best ways to save on shipping costs is the use of a postage meter. This is a machine equipped with a scale. It weighs individual packages to determine their postage requirements. This eliminates having to rely on the shipping carriers' mailers who may overshoot the cost of the package. Another method is bulk consolidation of your items with others if they are in small quantities to save on costs.
I''m like Dr.Ripley and Ke when it comes to shipping. Though amazon has upped their free shipping rates, it's worth it. Whether at $35 or now $49 for free shipping it's worth it for I live in Hawaii where many companies slap on extra charges for shipping, so I really like the free shipping. Walmart has free shipping at $35 unless they upped their rates too. I can wait until I get enough gift cards accumulated or for a huge rollback at Walmart to get a good deal on the free shipping when you spend what is required. It's the waiting till you have enough money to spend is what's hard to do.
