Ten Amazon Shopping Tips and Tricks You Must Know

“There are two kinds of companies: Those that work to try to charge more and those that work to charge less. We will be the second”- Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon

Is your favorite lipstick out of stock? Is a particular item not available for sale in your country? 

Nothing to fear as Amazon practically has you covered. The company’s vast inventory makes it possible for it to be a goldmine for anything and everything. If you cannot find a particular item in your local retail store, chances are Amazon has it in stock making online shopping the perfect alternative for shoppers who prefer the convenience as well as the accessibility. Despite its popularity, there are many tips, tricks and a handful of shopping hacks that even the most seasoned shoppers are unaware of. Though Amazon may be a jungle, albeit in a metaphorical sense, some areas of the website are still vastly unexplored, and this article will assist you in navigating these uncharted paths by providing some tips and tricks. 

1) Prime Benefits 

If you routinely shop at Amazon, then you should sign up for Amazon Prime, which provides a free two-day shipping to the contiguous U.S. As shipping can get notoriously exorbitant, this can sweeten the deal for you and make your shopping endeavors hassle-free and much more affordable. Apart from the free shipping, you get access to more than a million songs for free via Prime Music, more than five hundred thousand e-books in the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library, more than forty thousand videos and TV shows and half-hour head starts on select lightning deals. 

2) Do not pay for shipping 

If you are not a prime member, having your purchased items shipped for free is still possible. Do this by ordering $35 or more of eligible items. 

3) Make a Wish 

Amazon’s wish list functions like a bridal registry for just about anyone and functions roughly the same way. It allows users to select whatever items they want and desire to receive on any special occasions. 

4) Personal Amazon Shoppers 

Sometimes, we just do not have to scour Amazon’s websites for hours just to find the best deals. This is what sites like Jungle Deals and Steals, Online Price Alerts and The Tracktor are for. They do the dirty work for us and find services such as deal alerts, notable price drops and price tracking depending on the site. 

5) Pay the lowest price 

Suppose you are ready to check out your order, but are unsure if you are getting the best price. If this is the case, use the PriceJump tool at Savings.com. Simple paste the Amazon URL and the tool will compare the cost with the price tags at other online merchants. 

6) Discounts for individuals with tots

One laudable feature Amazon has is Amazon Mom, a membership with advantageous perks for people with kids. This membership gives members twenty percent off diapers, a fifteen percent discount for completing a baby registry and discounts and deals from time to time. 

7) Discounts for students 

Students are not left out either and as Amazon offers a membership catering to students’ needs which is free for six months. A caveat, though, after six months the student will automatically be enrolled in Prime. 

8) Do not pay retail 

Amazon has its own coupons or similarly, if you do not want to pay the retail price, you can simply type “Amazon” into the search boxes of sites such as Savings.com, RetailMeNot, and FatWallet.com. These websites offer you percent-off, free shipping, and free-gift-with-purchase codes. 

9) Money back guarantee 

If you bought an item from Amazon, which goes on sale within a week from your date of purchase, you could get the difference refunded. However, if you are just feeling buyer’s remorse, you can utilize Amazon’s generous return policy. Consider that this does not cover every single item (The site indicates many can be returned not all). 

10) Gold Box Deals offer discounts 

These include heavily discounted deals all over the site plus lightning sales that expire within an hour or two. One caveat: It can get rather addicting to checking out this part of Amazon though so check at your own risk.

Author Bio: 

Abbeygail is a techie woman and wants to be always updated with the growing technology today. She is also freelance writer and blogger for MyOptimind, a company in the Philippines that develops mobile app, SEO and web design company Cebu. Aside from being techie and a blogger, she also loves to travel in different places especially in her country.