Amazon packages arrive at our house nearly ever day. It’s so convenient to buy from Amazon and most of the time you get a good deal. But we’ve scoured the web for the best and easiest ways to save money at Amazon.
With your extra cash, you can do something like build up an emergency fund! Ok, not very exciting. How about taking the money you save and splurge on the world famous Lou Malnatti’s Pizza from Amazon. You can have it delivered right to your door! Yeah, that’s more like it.
But if you just want to save money, here you go:
1. Save money at Amazon with discounted Amazon Gift Cards
Finding discounted Amazon gift cards can be a bit challenging, but sometimes you can score a deal.
In another article we showed you how to sell unused gift cards for cash. It’s a great way to unload your unwanted gift cards.
But if you’re in need (or want) of something buying discounted gift cards can save you big bucks. If you’re an Amazon shopper there are several places to buy discounted Amazon gift cards:
Gift Card Granny
Gift Card Granny is one site that you can buy Amazon gift cards at a discount. Gift Card Granny doesn’t sell the cards directly but instead matches buyers and sellers.
Raise
Raise is another website where you can buy and sell discounted gift cards.
Most of the cards I found were for 1% off, and the card had a value of $25.00. That’s not worth the hassle. You have to stay on it to snag a good deal on Raise.
eBay
If one of the other sites doesn’t work out, try eBay. Once gain you’ll have to keep track of the auction prices and how much the shipping charges are going to cost you.
2. Check the Amazon Outlet for great deals
As the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon offers loads of amazing discounts and services. Even more, you can find great deals at Amazon’s virtual outlet store.
Like with a traditional outlet store, Amazon Outlet offers deep discounts on popular, yet expensive, items.
You can sometimes find discounted watches from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and clothes from Dior, Prada, and others. Not like we buy that stuff around here (discounted Metallica shirts?), but some people enjoy dressing nicely. – Scott
You can score big discounts on anything from big screen TVs to tablets to clothing to furniture. Search for a specific item or browse a category (e.g. fashion) for markdowns of a specific amount (e.g. 50–80% off). Before you buy new from Amazon, head over to Amazon Outlet and you may save even more!
The best way to get a great deal is to comparison shop. Check out sites like OverStock too.
3. Trade in your old stuff
Using the Amazon Trade-In program, you can send items such as textbooks, electronics, video games, DVDs, and more to a third-party merchant in exchange for an Amazon Gift Card. Hundreds of thousands of items are eligible for exchange. The process is easy and convenient, offers are immediate, and shipping is free.
You don’t get cash. Since you can buy almost anything on Amazon, a gift card is second best to cash.
There are also other sites like BookScouter to help you sell textbooks and used books. Make sure to price-compare to get the most for your used stuff.
4. Subscribe and Save
For your everyday items, save more money using Amazon’s Subscribe and Save feature.
This program has been around for a while, although, many Amazon shoppers haven’t been aware of it. You can shop Amazon’s Subscribe and Save section to see all of the products they have to offer. From diapers to soap to pet treats, you can subscribe to thousands of everyday products from Amazon and Amazon Marketplace.
This program sends out shipments of the items you need on a regular basis. They offer discounts on these items. You get extra savings on eligible subscriptions when you subscribe to 5 or more products at one address on your monthly delivery day.
Amazon Prime members save 20% on diapers subscriptions and more.
Each product page identifies any discount.
Set up what you want and choose your delivery frequency. Free shipping! Amazon will send you a reminder before each order ships. You can cancel your subscription at any time. Also, skip a delivery when necessary.
5. Wait and save
Amazon prices many items a little higher than other stores. When you need an item immediately, Amazon makes a little more money. You might be willing to pay a couple of extra bucks because you want to get it now.
Amazon’s lowest price is usually lower than any other website or store. By lowering prices, Amazon is aware I’ll probably also buy stuff from them I don’t need right away.
Here is how you can save money. When you want an item that you don’t need immediately, place the item in your cart. Don’t buy it yet! Sit on it for a couple of days up to two weeks. Prices will soon come down to the minimum.
This tactic has worked several times for me. With patience, you’ll learn to like it. You can monitor the price on something that you may want, but not need to purchase right now.
Over time, you can see the lows and highs of the prices. Buy items when you feel prices are at their historic “lows.” Depending on the items you’re buying, savings can be a few dollars into the hundreds of dollars. Be aware – this is a hit or miss strategy. You won’t lose money so try it!
6. Get today’s deals
When you’re looking for Amazon bargains and deals, visit Amazon’s Today’s Deals pages. The Deal of the Day features hand-picked daily deals with low prices on:
- popular electronics
- tools
- things for your kitchen and home
- sporting goods,
- plenty of other items
Every day you will see Lightning Deals displaying limited-time deals at great prices. These deals usually last for four hours. Make sure you buy quickly because these deals go away fast.
The Gold Box Deals showcase one item that Amazon offers an extra discount on every day.
And when Friday comes around, there is the Friday Sale, which offers discounts on over a hundred items for just one day.
When it’s crunch time, and you need a last-minute gift for your significant other, a family member, a friend, or a co-worker, visit Today’s Deals for a bargain. You may find a deal for yourself too!
7. Use the Amazon price guarantee (TVs only)
Amazon’s price change policy has changed several times over the years. At one point the company allowed price refunds for 30 days after your purchase. The policy changed to just seven days.
Currently, Amazon’s price guarantee will price match eligible purchases of televisions with select other retailers. For all other items, Amazon doesn’t offer price matching.
Before you buy that new big screen from Amazon, use the Consumer Report TV Buying Guide to find the best model for your budget.
8. Take advantage of family savings
Amazon Mom is now Amazon Family.
Moms are big business for retailers. The cost of diapers adds up quickly. You can save on diapers using Amazon Family. You should also check out ten ways to get free baby diapers.
Amazon Family provides Prime members exclusive family-oriented offers, coupons, age-based recommendations, 20% off diaper subscriptions and a 15% Baby Registry completion discount.
Amazon Family is free for all Prime members. Simply create a child profile during signup to begin. After your free trial, Amazon Prime is just $99/year.
9. Get the student discount
College kids need a break too.
For online student shoppers, Amazon offers a free trial of Amazon Prime for six months.
Under the free trial, students receive free two-day shipping, exclusive deals and promotions, and unlimited photo storage. The student fee includes extra perks such as unlimited instant streaming of movies, TV shows, and music.
After the free (limited) six-month trial period, Amazon Student costs $49 per year. Verified students (you have to have a .edu email address) are eligible for four years or until graduation – whichever comes first.
10. Use the Amazon Store Card to save 5% on everything
You can earn 5% back with the Amazon Prime Store Card.
There is no annual fee.
If you use Amazon frequently, are already on a budget to stay out of debt, saving 5% on stuff you’re already going to buy is a no-brainer.
We use the Amazon store card exclusively for our Amazon purchases. It’s the default card in our profile and I love getting 5% back on what we already budgeted for. – Scott
11. Find out if your delivery was late
Paribus is a free service that monitors your online purchases and notifies you if your package is delivered later than reported.
From the Paribus website on how it works:
Paribus works with a bunch of major stores:
- Walmart
- Office Depot
- Target
- Zappos
- Costco
Note: This app requires access to your email account. If you are concerned about online privacy, check out Paribus Privacy and Security.
What have you done to save money on Amazon?
Disclaimer: Yes, we use the affiliate links in this article to help buy more Lou Malnati’s pizza for the office. The pizza is so darn good.
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