It’s no secret that Amazon is the king of online shopping resources. It’s definitely the go-to website for almost all of my needs, whether it’s household items, pantry staples or toys for my kids. But if you’re not a savvy and frugal shopper, you may be missing out on tremendous savings.
Here are my top tips and tricks for shopping efficiently on Amazon and saving yourself a ton of money! For some of these recommendations, it may only be a few dollars here and there – but they add up to BIG savings over time.
1) Take Advantage of Those Warehouse Deals
The Amazon Warehouse is a GREAT resource and one that is overlooked far too often. Simply click the drop-down on the search bar and scroll down to Amazon Warehouse.
Amazon’s Warehouse store offers a treasure trove of great, highly coveted items at huge discounts, ranging from furniture, home goods, electronic devices, and more. You can also filter based on the condition you’re searching for, and potentially save by selecting “Like New” or “Very Good.” If you’re looking to save even more money, items that are listing as “Good” and “Acceptable” tend to offer the best savings – and Amazon ensures that any defects with the items are clearly stated in the product description so you can buy with confidence and know that there won’t be any surprises.
2) Pay Less for Refurbished or Opened Box Items
Very similar to the Warehouse, Amazon also offers their Outlet store, which has more smaller goods – so rather than large furniture, you may instead find items such as jewelry, household items and decorations, or clothing.
In addition to receiving huge savings up, sometimes up to 75% - 80% off the original item, Amazon also fulfills all these orders from the Outlet themselves, so you can always use your 2-day Prime shipping. If you’re ever looking for an item on Amazon, always check both the Warehouse and Outlet to see if the item you want – or one that’s very similar – is listed for a much lower price.
Just as a reminder, you can find a product under the following conditions:
• New
• Like New
• Very Good
• Good
• Acceptable
3) Purchase Amazon Gift Cards with the Remaining Balance on Prepaid Debit Cards
Do you have any prepaid debit cards with a balance of just a few dollars? It can be hard to know what to do with them, since the balance is too small to purchase anything – even a cup of coffee!
Take those prepaid debit cards and buy an Amazon gift card for whatever amount remains. Then you can put those few dollars and cents towards your next purchase on Amazon, and you won’t have to throw out those prepaid debit cards that weren’t fully maxed out. (Reminder: the minimum amount for an Amazon gift card is $1.00)
4) Get a Refund if Your Package Doesn't Ship on Time
Is your package late? Did it ship on time? If your package has not been delivered by the promised time, you can reach out to Amazon support to either get a refund of the shipping costs, or you can have your Prime membership extended for one month. This might seem like a small thing, but if your Amazon packages have a pesky habit of running late, it can add up to a lot more than you think!
5) Ask for a Price Drop Refund
If you purchase an item on Amazon, and you notice that the price for that item drops within 7 days of purchase, reach out to support for a refund on the price drop difference. This may only be viable for items that are both sold and shipped by Amazon. But to save a few bucks, it would be worth it to keep your eye on recent purchases each week and ensure you’re not missing out on those refunds!
6) Amazon Coupons + Subscribe & Save
Are there certain items that you have noticed you buy on a regular basis? Use the Subscribe & Save feature for monthly items, such as pet food, toilet paper and paper towels. This way you won’t ever forget to place an order, and you’ll save up to 15% in the process of simplifying your to-do list.
Amazon also has a ton of coupons going every single day! You can combine these coupons with your subscriptions to save even more and the only “coupon clipping” you’ll need to do is hitting a button.
7) Use Amazon Trade-In for Your Old Items
Have you ever gone to GameStop to trade in your old console? Or stopped by Best Buy to see what you could get for your outdated laptop? Just use Amazon for these items that you aren’t using anymore! Amazon Trade-In will pay you in exchange for your books, movies, electronics and more.
They make the process incredibly easy and seamless. Once you enter the item you want to trade-in, and provide details of its current condition, you’ll receive a quote from Amazon on how much they will give you for that item. They’ll also provide a free shipping label for you to send the boxed item directly to their warehouse.
8) Use Trackers for Best Prices & Lightning Deals
Many items on Amazon fluctuate in prices. It’s easy to miss the best price when you aren’t aware of price drops or increases. A Price Tracker is a great solution for this issue. They are free, third-party tools that track the prices of items on Amazon. They will show you the price history for many items and will alert you when the price drops on one of your tracked items.
Amazon also has Lighting Deals, which are time-sensitive and you do need to act quickly, but you can get huge discounts from these deals. Some Lightning Deals last for only a few minutes, while others last hours. But when you see a great Lightning Deal, act quickly before the time runs out!
