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Save Money shopping online!

Make Online shopping Pay off!
By Neal Rapoport, Deal Guru

In this guide, we'll show you how to save money shopping online.

--Coupons
The most important tool in finding the best deals, and getting the best prices is knowing how to use coupons. The frugal shopper never makes an online purchase without first checking to see if the store has any recent coupons. Be sure to check both the store you're considering purchasing at, as well as some competing stores within the same category; Even though Store B may have the product for a few $ more than Store A, once you apply the coupon, Store B may be the better deal. We maintain a complete and up to date list of coupons.

--Hidden costs
Always watch out for hidden costs. When you shop online, most stores will add shipping charges. This may offset the tax savings of ordering a product out of state, but it is important to check before placing your order. Besides shipping charges, some stores also add a handling or convience charge. Most stores have an order review screen before submitting your order; Be sure to check your order carefully before you push the button that charges you.

--Ordering from an out of state store
Some stores which do not have a presence in your state may save you money on taxes by ordering out of state. Usually this works well for smaller, more expensive items. Larger sized packages may end up costing much more once you add in the shipping charges.

--Finding bargains
Bargains are everywhere, but you need to look for them. The stores usually don't advertise their discount or outlet sections, because they want you to pay retail and get the latest & greatest product. One of the best ways to find good bargains on general products is to check a deal hunting forum, where visitors share the best deals they find on the internet. Besides the forums, when you're shopping online many sites have a clearance or outlet section, sometimes you need to search down the page to find it, but look closely. Just like a retail store may have a shopping cart or discount isle, the online stores have it too. Some stores like SmartBargains.com and Overstock.com focus their entire product line on closeout or last-generation products. Be sure that once you find what you're looking for that you check for Coupons (see above).

--Rebating
Using rebates is not for everyone, but can be a big payoff for spending a little time on paperwork, and photocopying. Some of the biggest stores use rebates for their most popular discounted items. If you parttake of an offer which requires rebates, be sure to read the terms carefully and follow the directions to the T. Pay close attention to:
1. the purchase date and mail-by date requirement
2. whether you need the UPC bar scan code or a copy of the upc (do not send a copy when it says you need the actual)
3. Whether you need a receipt or a copy of the receipt or packing list. Usually online orders will have a printable receipt available on the vendors web site.
4. Make sure you fill in all required information, and make it legible, don't just put a return address sticker on the rebate form, it will likely be denied.
5. Make copies of everything you send in, and keep it somewhere you can periodically check for when it came in.

-- Buying a specific item.
If you're looking for particular items, the best way to find a good price is to use a price search engine. Froogle.google.com is probably the most popular and comprehensive engine out there. What you want to do is do a search and find the product you're looking for, then sort by price. Be sure to weed out the used ones and possibly stores you may not want (like ebay auctions, if you don’t trust buying from there). Once you’ve found what you’re looking for check for a coupon.

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Neal Rapoport, with the assistance of his members, has helped tens of thousands of visitors to his web site save money on household items they would have paid much more for had they not visited the site first.
Neal can be reached here.