3 Amazon Hacks That Will Save You Money
Where do you go if you want to buy a bumper pack of Fujifilm Instant Film, a latex sports girdle, or party game Cards Against Humanity? These are, in fact, some of the best sellers on the world’s leading e-commerce site, Amazon.
While this might reveal some concerning societal shopping habits, you can’t deny that Amazon offers a huge number of products and some of the best discounts around. It’s come a long way from its formative days as an online bookstore, today offering over 253 million different products in the U.S. – categorized into 35 departments.
America’s largest online retailer connects the online shopper with both the mundane yet essential, and the weird and wonderful, offering a huge selection at low prices. But not many are aware of the surprising additional ways that shoppers can get knock-down prices, using a handful of simple hacks that don’t mean collecting discount codes, or opting for the ‘Used & New’ version of your favorite latest release.
Here are a couple of tricks that could get you even more money off your next purchase.
Chrome Plug-In Kout lets shoppers play for up to 99 percent off
The Kout Chrome plug-in turns any Amazon product into a prize. The free extension lets shoppers select their own game and play for a chance to win up to 99 percent off retail price. Kout’s technology can be used on any e-commerce site, using games to save consumers money.
Shoppers can also visit Kout’s own platform and register via Facebook and browse the games and products. If you win, either keep playing for even more money off or, with one click, be transported to the Amazon domain, discount in hand and ready to make your purchase. This could get addictive.
Amazon’s own discounts: Outlet, Warehouse Deals, Subscribe&Save
Amazon’s Outlet sits in plain view within the site’s list of shopping categories, but still many are unaware of its existence. This part of the platform boasts some of the biggest discounts – offering between 50 – 80 percent markdowns on selected women’s clothing and jewelry, up to 60 percent of outdoor gear and clothing and more.
The outlet acts as a clearance bargain bin, users can search by purchase type – watches, clothings, bikes, etc – to find the best deals for brand new untouched items on the site.
Amazon’s Warehouse Deals, on the other hand, offers open-box and used products with “deep discounts.” Every purchase is hand-checked and graded, and its 30-day return policy provides that extra cushion of safety for the wary shopper.
Finally, Amazon’s Subscribe&Save lets shoppers save up to 15 percent and receive free shipping on thousands of products by organizing regular shipments for repeated purchases.
CamelCamelCamel and Online Price Alert keep an eye on price drops
The prices of products on Amazon can fluctuate. Instead of repeatedly checking for updates, there are a number of tools that allow shoppers to set up price alerts for their desired goods. CamelCamelCamel and Online Price Alert are just two of these. Shoppers simply enter the URL of their chosen Amazon product, and create alerts for target prices. These sites also provide a historical analysis of product prices, so shoppers can get an idea of how low it could go.
When the price hits the designated target, the sites send an email alert to let the user know. This means shoppers can wait for prices that are more reasonable, but it is also handy if they have already bought the item. Amazon offers cash back on the difference when a past purchase drops, within 7 calendar days of the delivery date. Using CamelCamelCamel or Online Price Alert users can watch the price of their purchased items, and claim the money back if they drop down.
Amazon shopping experts also note tricks such as adding items to your shopping cart, leaving them their for a few days to force a promotion. Users have also found that opening a second browser, clearing your cache and cookies and starting afresh without logging in can reveal hidden deals designed to lure new customers.
All these hacks mean that using Amazon you can buy almost anything, at an even cheaper price. That sports girdle could be yours today for even less.
