If you’ve followed my site for more than a day, you know I’m Amazon’s biggest cheerleader (hear that, Jeff Bezos?). It’s this magical online shopping palace where I can find everything I ever wanted {and sometimes things that I never knew I always wanted} and buy with one click without ever leaving the comfort of my pjs.
The problem with all that convenience is it can make the temptation to overspend pretty high. Good thing I know a trick or two about saving big money while shopping on Amazon! Here are the easiest, and my favorite, ways to save on Amazon:
1. Amazon Prime: Number 1 is number one for a reason. If you are going to be a serious Amazon shopper, YOU. NEED. THIS. End of discussion. It’s the greatest single way to save on Amazon. Amazon Prime is the bomb dot com. You get all sorts of VIP perks which will make you feel like Amazon royalty. My favorites of course is FREE 2 -Day Shipping! {Sometimes my stuff even arrives the next day} I can even order an item and have it shipped to my mom {or anyone, anywhere else} for FREE! I also get a junkton of FREE movies and FREE eBooks! Holy cats it’s awesome!
2. Shop Daily and Be Patient: Notice I didn’t say BUY daily, just shop daily. Amazon prices change hourly, so if you have your eye on something, you’ll need to be prepare to stop back by until it hits your target price range. You can add the item to your cart and check back each morning to see if there is an alert indicating a price change, or track the price on Camelcamelcamel.com {that’s really truly the site’s name} and they’ll send you an alert when you’ve hit your target price. Not too shabby.
3. Keep Price Checking AFTER You Buy: Because Amazon has the coolest policies ever, they’ll give you some money back if you find the item you just bought cheaper AFTER you buy it. So there’s no buyer’s remorse! The official policy states, “If you find a lower price on another qualifying retailer’s website within 30 days after your purchase date, let us know and we’ll refund you on an Amazon.com gift card.” I like the sound of that!
4. Subscribe and Save: Here’s the low-down on how Amazon Subscribe & Save works and why you should be using it:
1. You can save up to 15% on your entire order when you commit to purchasing an item on a regular basis {awesome for those things you repeatedly buy anyway}!
2. You get free 2-day shipping on every Subscribe & Save shipment.
3. You’ll be charged for each order only when the item is shipped. The amount charged each time will reflect the price of the item on the day the order is processed minus the Subscribe & Save discount.
4. You select the frequency that you want to receive new orders, and they’ll automatically send your subscriptions by your monthly Subscribe & Save delivery day. You can change your subscription schedule, delete your subscription, quantity and/or frequency online at any time. Easy peasy.
5. Warehouse Deals: I think this is one of Amazon’s best kept secrets! You can score deep discounts on open-box, like-new, and pre-owned products backed with Amazon’s A-to-Z guarantee. That means all products are thoroughly tested and shipped right from Amazon. Plus you’ll get Prime or FREE shipping where available.
6. Amazon Student: If you’re living the typical college life, you’re probably looking for ways to penny pinch. And you might be too busy searching the couch cushion for change to buy some Ramen to be reading this, but if you happen to catch it, you’ll be glad you did. Amazon Student is a feature offered to college students with a valid .edu email address. You’ll get Amazon Prime FREE for 6 months and then have the option of continuing that membership for 50% off {so only $39/year for students!}. Plus, you can receive a $5 credit for referring friends via email and social networks with no limit on the number of referrals made.
7. Super Saver Shipping: If you don’t shop on Amazon enough to justify an Amazon Prime membership {take a hard look at the benefits of a Prime membership before dismissing it}, but you don’t want to pay shipping {what crazy person does?}, the Super Saver option is for you. Throw $35 worth of qualifying items in your Amazon cart and your entire order ships for FREE! It’s like constantly having a free shipping coupon without having to mess with typing in a code.
8. Amazon Outlet: Did you know Amazon has an outlet store? True story! The Amazon Outlet store is another hidden gem! You can find crazy low prices on markdowns, clearance items, overstocks, and more. And unlike the Warehouse Deals, all outlet items are brand new. Some of the best deals I’ve ever scored are from the Outlet Store!
9. Amazon Family: Amazon clearly understands that being a parent is freakin’ hard sometimes! So they’re making your life just a little bit easier and rewarding you for being a cool mom {or dad, or grandparent or caregiver}. Amazon Family is a membership program geared towards parents of newborns through toddlers. You save up to 20% on all sorts of baby related stuff {think diapers and wipes} and then they ship it right to your front door for free! New members even get 30 Days FREE!
10. Trade in Your Old for New: With the Amazon Trade-In Program, you can send items such as textbooks, electronics, video games, DVDs, and more to a third-party merchant in exchange for an Amazon.com Gift Card. Your trade-ins are sent with free shipping, and you receive an immediate offer with no required registration or listing. This is great if you are trying to rid your house of junk and make a little money int he process.
11. Freebies: There’s no such thing as a free lunch? Amazon doesn’t think so. Okay, so they won’t be serving up free subs and chips anytime soon, but they do offer so many freebies. And FREE is really hard to beat! They offer free e-books, free music and MP3 downloads, free apps, free instant videos and more. I’ll often just sort by price when I’m browsing a category to see what Amazon is offering free that day, because their freebies change daily!
12. Amazon Coupons: The coupon craze might be over, but Amazon coupons are here to stay. Amazon has coupons you might be saying? Who knew! You can save a ton by simply using an Amazon coupon. To redeem a coupon, simply click on it and then add the item to your cart. The discount will be automatically applied when you check out. There are coupons for everything from electronics to baby wipes to household cleaners.
And now you have 12 ways to feel less guilty about your Amazon shopping addiction {not that I would know about that from personal experience or anything!}.
~Mavis
Diana says
Don’t forget starting your Amazon shopping trip at Ebates or Swagbucks! Could get a little extra cash back too if you’re purchasing for one of their categories. Come to think of it, checking the categories daily can be a money saver too!
Barb says
Amazon doesn’t do #3 any longer.
Laure says
Thanks for all the great tips! Is there a good way to monitor the prices on “subscribe and save” items? I have found that a regular household item that was a good price when I bought it — kleenex, tp, that sort of thing — has skyrocketed in price the next time I go to buying it. It’s made me a afraid this would happen if I used the subscribe and save feature and I’d end up way overspending.
Sue says
Amazon Prime! Rocks! The absolutely the very best wait to shop!