How to Get the Best Deals on Amazon.com

 

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We all know what Amazon.com does best. Chances are you’ve even shopped there at least once. The online shopping giant has become a household name by carrying one of the largest product selections online and having low prices. They’re also known for their speedy delivery and just overall dominating the eCommerce industry. But even so, navigating Amazon and finding the best deals can be quite confusing.

I’m a very loyal Amazon.com customer and do a large part of my shopping there (everything except for groceries). Shopping the site can definitely be difficult at first, as there’s just so much to browse, but you can definitely score great deals with a few tips. Here is how to find the best prices on Amazon.com:

Sign Up for a Prime membership

For the most part, it doesn’t really make sense to have to PAY to save money (aside from shopping at Costco), but a Prime membership is one exception. For $99 a year, a Prime membership will get you 1-2 days shipping on all orders, access to Prime Instant Video and Music, a Prime Photos account, and membership to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (one free Kindle book per month). If you’re planning to make multiple purchases a month, the cost is easily justified.

Subscribe & Save Monthly

There are thousands of products you can subscribe to on Amazon with their Subscribe & Save program. Amazon will automatically send you these items based on the time period you choose (for instance, monthly or every 6 months). You get 5% off every time you subscribe to an item, and 15% off if you subscribe to 5 or more items each month. That’s easy savings for items you need regularly. You can cancel your subscription at anytime too, so those who are disciplined can get real savings here.

Use Amazon Pantry for Essentials

You can also try Amazon Pantry for everyday essentials. Items that are eligible for Amazon Pantry are generally priced lower but each Pantry box costs $5.99 to ship. You choose which items to add to your box and Amazon will tell you once it’s full and ready to ship out. This is a cost efficient option for items you use on a daily basis, like toilet paper or soap.

Look at the price history

Amazon’s prices fluctuate on a daily basis since they carefully track competitor pricing. How do you know if you’re getting the best price? Websites like CamelCamelCamel.com will give you price history on any item, from highest price to lowest price to overall average. You can even set up an alert so that they’ll email you if an item is reduced to a specified price. This is great for bigger ticket items.

Ask for a price adjustment

One of the best things about Amazon, other than their low prices, is their customer service. If you purchased something and the price drops later on, you can just ask for a price adjustment. They will most likely honor your request as long as it’s within 30 days.

Shopping on Amazon can be a lot like navigating through a maze, but it’s become one of the biggest online retailers for good reason. You can definitely score some great deals most of the time. You just need to know how to look.

Do you shop at Amazon.com? What are your tricks to save more money there?