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14 Ways to Save Money Shopping Online (& other helpful tips)

Last updated November 23, 2022 / Money Management, Smart Spending / By

For this post, I am going to share how I save money when shopping online.

The covid-19 pandemic has had a big impact on my everyday life. Online shopping is one of them. Due to the pandemic, I get the majority of my personal care, my toddler’s clothes, and toys online.

So, naturally, I learned more online shopping tips and tricks during the pandemic, including different ways to save money while shopping online.

This post is a compilation of what I practiced and my thought on how to spend less while shopping online, mostly on Shopee.

Table of Contents

14 ways to save money shopping online

These are my money-saving tips while shopping online:

1. Prepare an online shopping wish list

I know it sounds boring and old-fashioned. But, preparing an online shopping wish list helps me to save money while shopping online. And the shopping list helps me in my money management as well.

For more convenience, I keep the list on my phone, through a memo pad app.

My online shopping list:

  • keep me to stay focused on what to buy
  • prevent overspending or impulse buying in the enticing world of online shopping
  • prevent me from forgetting what I want to buy (after my appendix surgery and cesarean in 2016, my memory seems to be weaker)

So, I tried to only buy things on my shopping list. Although, occasionally I still sway from my online shopping list. Well, some great deals are too hard to refuse.

2. Plan your online shopping session

Do you shop while in a hurry? Such as while driving and waiting at the traffic light? Or while having your lunch at your workplace?

Usually, I browse and search for the items I wish to buy whenever and wherever I want. But, I only confirm my order during my dedicated online shopping session, usually late at night. Because I need to focus and concentrate while confirming my online purchases.

Otherwise, I might forget to include the voucher codes or buy a duplicate item.

3. Practise common sense

When the price of an item is too good to be true, something is not right. Agree?

For example:

  • 50ml of the liquid gold, argan oil advertised at RM20 vs. my research that average argan oil cost at least RM50 for 50ml
  • a single fitted bedsheet at RM16 vs the standard single fitted bedsheet I bought at RM35 from the local store
  • a 100% cotton bath towel at RM11.50 vs RM25 for the one I bought from the local store

Therefore, I learned that when there’s a huge difference between the online price and the usual price I paid for a certain item, most probably the items can’t be genuine or as good as they claimed to be. And I avoid wasting money on these items.

But, I do agree that once in a while, you can get something at a steal price. But again, do check the expiry date of the item.

4. Read reviews (smartly)

I am an online user who reads product reviews before making a purchase. I spent a lot of time reading and evaluating the reviews for an item based on:

  • the seller itself
  • other sellers selling the same item
  • other user reviews elsewhere through the search engines (DuckDuckGo, Bing, Youtube, Google, etc)

For these reviews, I don’t over-dependent on them. There are just too many biased and fake reviews online because most are in for the affiliate commissions or they are paid for it.

In addition, these reviews can be very personalized. A deodorant that smells sweet and refreshing for a user might smell too strong for me because I am sensitive to strong scents.

Thus, there can be a huge difference in terms of expectations.

Honestly, it requires not only my precious time but also a tonne of patience and some special skills to find the right reviews from the ocean of information available online.

But again, I believe it’s always better to invest time to find the right item rather than wasting money on the wrong products.

So far, I prefer reviews on trusted personal blogs and sharing from forum sites.

5. Utilize free shipping deals

Next, I utilize free shipping deals to save on shipping charges.

Between June 2020 and September 2020, 17 out of 19 of my Shopee orders came with Shopee free shipping deals. With the average shipping fee of RM5.30 per item, I saved around RM90.10.

But, on the rare occasion when I need the item, I did willingly pay for the shipping fees.

Unlike in the old days when expensive shipping fees were expensive and can be a great disadvantage of online shopping, utilizing free shipping deals really helps to save money.

6. Compare prices (thoroughly)

Usually, comparing prices on an online marketplace such as Shopee is not that difficult. Because the same items from other sellers will appear just below the item itself.

But, do take note to make a thorough comparison, including:

  • shipping fees applied
  • minimum orders needed

For example, a UV cream box is RM80.00 with free shipping for orders of more than RM15. For the same UV cream, another seller is offering RM78.00 but with shipping fees of RM5.30 to Kuching. Of course, I’ll choose the one with RM80.00.

For that, I always practice using the ‘checkout’ button just to check the actual amount I need to pay before making a purchase.

Therefore, don’t just look at the price alone but take note of other costs as well.

7. Utilize the “Add to Cart” strategy

For items that I can wait for, I add the items to my online shopping cart first. Then, I wait for the right opportunity. Such as:

  • lower free shipping requirement
  • big sales events
  • special discount vouchers from a seller

Usually, I’ll receive notifications when there are additional discounts for items left in my cart. With proper planning, I know I can score big savings when the right opportunity comes.

The disadvantage of this waiting for the right opportunity thing is the item can be sold out. But, usually, the restocking is fast too.

8. Buy through cash-back such as Shopback

Have you heard of Shopback?

It’s a reward and discovery platform that offers cashback when you shop online. Currently, Shopback partners with more than 500 merchants, including Shopee.

Even though the cashback amount for each transaction is not impressive, over time, the cashback amount can grow into a substantial amount.

The best part is I can withdraw the cashback to my bank account when the amount reaches RM10.

[Readers interested to register through my Shopback referral link may send me an email or leave a comment below. From there I’ll send you my Shopback invitation link. We both shall receive RM5 with T&Cs applied]

9. Look out for vouchers or promo codes on coupon sites

While looking for ways to spend my Penjana e-Wallet RM50, I found another great saving of 50% off (max RM12) for selected deals on a coupon site.

So, I saved RM12 for that order.

Here are some of the coupon sites which I’ve tried:

Before using the voucher codes and promo codes from coupon sites, do check the terms and conditions to avoid disappointment.

10. Buy in small quantity

When I am tempted to buy something new, something I’ve never used before, such as a skincare product, I’ll get the smallest size. Or better if they have a trial pack.

Maybe I’ll pay slightly more for the small size item, but it’s much better than getting a bigger size and later finding out the product is not suitable for me.

Buying in small quantities, especially for a new and unfamiliar item does help to save money over the long term.

11. Avoid urgent purchases online

Another way to save money while shopping online is by avoiding making urgent purchases.

Because when I buy something that I need urgently such as a new hair serum, I don’t have sufficient time to do my research. And I tend:

  • to get the wrong item
  • to pay higher prices

So, I try my best to plan my purchases. And not to wait until the last minute before restocking, especially for the items I use for the first time.

12. Avoid items not suitable to buy online

Next, I avoid ordering items not suitable to buy online.

On one occasion, my husband bought a car accessory, a chrome rear wiper. But the chrome wiper can’t fit nicely. He found it troublesome to return the item. So, it ended uselessly.

Since then, we have tried avoiding certain items not suitable to buy online. Such as:

  • heavy or bulky items because of higher shipping fees
  • items that require exact fitting such as clothes or certain car accessories
  • items that require extra care, such as easily melted (chocolate) or fragile (glass) item
  • personal care products with an unknown smell because I am sensitive to the strong scent

13. Utilize the Return Policy

Most online shopping platform has a Return Policy.

For example, Shopee Mall has a 15-day Return Policy, where it offers 15-day returns at zero cost for all Shopee Mall products. But of course, there are terms & conditions applied.

When the item I wish to buy is available on both Shopee Mall and Shopee sellers, I might choose to buy from Shopee Mall to take advantage of the Return Policy.

In case I am not happy with the item, I can return the item without paying anything.

14. Take note of the Guaranteed expiry date

Most online marketplaces also have some kind of ‘Guarantee expiry date’.

For example, after placing my order on Shopee, I usually monitor the order’s status daily. Such as to check whether the seller has shipped out the order. And most importantly, take note of the Shopee Guarantee expiry date.

If the item has not arrived within the expected date, I’ll need to extend Shopee Guarantee for another 3 days. So that I am eligible to file for a return or refund.

Other helpful online shopping tips

And here are some helpful online shopping tips.

These tips might not directly help me save money while shopping online, but generally, they help prevent wrong online purchases.

And thus, helping me to save money over the long run.

1. Try before confirm received an order

When you received your order, do you immediately click ‘order received’? Or, do you try out the item first?

Personally, whenever possible, I’ll check and try out the item first. Then, I click ‘order received’.

Because when you confirmed receiving the order, the deal is closed. And you can’t request a refund if you’re not happy with the purchase.

2. Take note of the item’s expiry date

For items with expiry dates such as food and personal care, I’ll take note of the expiry date. If the expiry date is not stated on the product disclosure, I’ll:

  • ask the seller
  • refer to other buyer’s reviews (pictures of the item showing the expiry date)

And I’ll try to get an item with a long expiration date to prevent wastage.

3. Notify the seller

Once the payment is made, usually I’ll notify the seller to check the items before posting them out. I’ll send them simple Shopee chat messages such as:

  • Hi, please check and send the correct item [Blue color, size L].
  • Hi, I’ve ordered 4 items. Please check before sending it out.

The main purpose of this notification is to avoid receiving the wrong item.

So far, the trick works. And the seller did inform me if a certain item is out of stock so that I can choose a different design or a different item.

4. Buy from the same store

Whenever possible, I tried to buy from the same Shopee seller. The reasons are:

  • enjoy further discounts
  • easier to hit free shipping minimum purchase
  • items arrived together (reduce waiting time)

And if I am happy with the item, most probably I’ll buy from the same store again for future purchases.

5. Submit a genuine review

I always practice trying out the item myself before submitting a review. Because I know potential buyers are looking for honest and useful reviews before deciding on the purchase.

Perhaps this does not directly help me to save money. But, indirectly this will influence other shoppers and the online shopping community to create a better marketplace. So that the community will enjoy the benefits of a genuine review such as the worthiness to buy an item.

And hopefully, this will help to save money from buying a less worthy item.

Final thoughts

With the online shopping money savings tips above, I hope you too can save some money while you shop online. Perhaps you pick up some tips on how to be a smart consumer too.

Whenever I encounter new money-saving tips, I shall update the list.

In case I missed out on any great money savings tips, do leave a comment below. Or, if you have some cool online shopping tips, do share them as well.

Image Credits

Featured image by ijmaki from Pixabay

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