Save money when shopping online: 18 ingenious professional tips

Whether technology, clothes or travel – more and more people are shopping online. There are many reasons for this: Larger selection, convenience, but above all low prices speak for a shopping tour on the Internet. We have 18 tips for you on how you can save even more online.

The graphic shows: online shopping in Germany is becoming more and more popular. We’ll tell you 18 ultimate trickswhich make your online shopping even more successful.

Price comparison sites such as idealo, geizhals or cheaper not only show you the currently cheapest online price for your desired product, they also offer many more functions, such as …

… the possibility to understand the price development. This allows you to see when a product was available at the lowest price (best price) and compare it with current offers. If the price has been going up recently, it may be worth waiting for it to go down again – similar to a stock index.

You want the new iPhone, but the current price is still too high for you? If you can wait, you should set a price alarm clock. As soon as your desired price is reached or undercut, you will be notified by e-mail and can strike immediately.

Making price comparisons has another decisive advantage: dubious shops are not normally listed by idealo and co. If you want to be absolutely sure, it is best to check dubious dealers yourself. Here are a few points to check before you go shopping:

A proper imprint contains at least: company name, contact person, address and telephone number. Searches the Internet in advance for experiences of other customers with the dealer

Not only price comparison sites, but also many online shops such as Amazon, Otto or MediaMarkt now offer it: the notepad. Advantages: You can record your desired products on it, share it with friends/family and you will be notified as soon as a product on your wish list becomes cheaper. Disadvantage: The memo function can only be used with one account.

As the saying goes: “Good things take time”. This also applies to clever online shopping, because hasty impulse purchases are often more expensive than well-considered shopping tours. As experts found out, purchases via smartphone can be more expensive than on the PC because customers are under more time pressure on the go and (have to) make decisions faster. Incidentally, an extreme example is …

… flight or hotel bookings on the Internet. All registers are pulled here with all existing user data. Customer A with an iPhone in Munich is more likely to see a different offer via price search engine X than customer B with an Android smartphone in Brandenburg via price search engine Y. It can also happen that the price for both is even higher if they only have a few Minutes later call up the same offer again.

Our tip: Regularly delete your cookies and the cache of your browser and compare each price directly with the provider before booking.

Yes, shopping is also a seasonal affair. In spring, for example, household goods and electronic devices are available at low prices, while in autumn the best smartphone bargains can be found.

Even the day of the week can play a decisive role in bargain hunting, because many retailers have fixed promotions in their repertoire on certain days, especially in the electronics sector. At other dealers, new weekly promotions start on certain days, so it’s worth checking in right at the beginning, as the best offers usually sell out very quickly.

Examples: Aldi deals and Lidl deals on Monday and Thursday, cheap notebook deals of the week on Monday, Otto multimedia deals on Wednesday, cyber deals at Cyberport on Thursday.

However, the best offers of the year are only available on …

… Black Friday! A cult item in the USA for a long time, more popular here from year to year – on Black Friday one bargain follows the next and you can save more than at any other time of the year. Online, Amazon also shaped Cyber ​​Monday, which follows on the following Monday.

In the pre-Christmas period, retailers also lure you in with numerous discount campaigns and it is generally worthwhile to go shopping online for events and holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Singles Day, etc., as you can save the most during these periods.

It rarely happens that a product is reduced just when you need it. Most online bargains fall in front of us by accident and you run the risk of buying things you don’t really need just because they’re on sale.

Sometimes it helps not to commit yourself specifically, but to search more broadly. Example smartphone purchase: Does it have to be the exact black model, or can it be a different one? Do I need the current top device or is the predecessor sufficient? Does it have to be a new smartphone or is used or refurbished enough?

A good idea, especially for iPhones, as there are many used devices in circulation that promise comparatively high savings. On sites such as reBuy, asgoodasnew and eBay you will find serious offers with a long guarantee, right of return and low prices. This not only protects your wallet, but also the environment.

“Refurbished goods” are overhauled devices that do not have any technical or optical defects and are certified by a specialist. The warranty may be limited depending on the retailer. Amazon, eBay and asgoodasnew offer a large selection of refurbished goods. The advantage of refurbished products is that they look and function like new, but are available at used prices.

A classic among the daily bargains are the lightning deals on Amazon. Several hundred offers a day, greatly reduced in price, but only for a few hours. However, these are not always really good deals; lightning deals are increasingly being used as a sales platform for third-party providers on Amazon. Before you buy, compare the prices and see if there is a better deal among the Amazon bestsellers.

You can actually always save a few euros when shopping online – regardless of whether an item is currently reduced or not. There is almost always the possibility to redeem a voucher at the checkout. For example, new Otto customers can regularly save 15 euros plus shipping costs with a voucher. Of course, you save the most if you can combine vouchers and discount campaigns.

Receiving vouchers by subscribing to the newsletter is one thing, but it also has another advantage: Many online shops send their newsletter subscribers exclusive promotions and other vouchers. Tip: So that your private e-mail address does not overflow with advertising e-mails, we recommend setting up an alternative address for “secondary mail”. That way you won’t miss an offer and important emails won’t get lost.

Now you’ve made a good deal, redeemed a voucher and saved shipping costs – is there more? Yes, with cashback! You can get money back for online purchases made – directly in euros via cashback portals such as Shoop, or indirectly with a bonus program such as Payback.

Some online retailers – so-called shopping clubs – only reveal their offers to registered customers. Prominent examples are Brands4Friends, VeePee, Zalando Lounge and Westwing. Sales campaigns take place regularly, where members can save over 50 percent on branded and designer goods. However, the most popular products are sold out very quickly. In addition, you generally have to reckon with longer delivery times and high shipping costs for shopping clubs. Here, too, you should compare the prices before buying.

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