Conquering Clearance Shopping On-Line

What's Up?

Many on-line retailers along with conventional department stores offer on-line clearance items.  Learn some easy tips to be able to successfully conquer the quest of a great deal.

Idea

Utilizing the tips below, become an expert of on-line clearance shopping.  This will help you save money and time.  Learn the art of saving on shipping costs and taxes and their total impact on purchase price.

This is another way to help you become a seasoned bargain hunter.

How Does It Help?

If you learn to shop well on-line you can save a lot of money and time.  The savings are not only in the purchase price, but in the gas you did not use, and the time you did not spend on the road, or in the store.

On-line clearance shopping also gives you the opportunity to shop when it is convenient for you.  If a particular store updates their clearance items at 10 AM , you might have a better shot in time management to click on the website to see the item versus running to a store.

Safety Tips

Please obtain your parent(s) permission prior to purchasing anything on-line.

Parent(s)

Your children will most likely need supervision for this activity.

On-Line Clearance Shopping Tips

Be Familiar With The Website

Every website has a different layout.  Become familiar with your favorite on-line retailer website and where they have placed their clearance items.  Sometimes they are called clearance, outlet, sale, or bargains.  It all depends on the website.  The placement of those often varies as well.  Start at the top of the site to see if it is a main category.  If it is not there, look through menu items.  Sometimes it is hiding under a category as a sub category.  For example, Toys then Sale.

Understand The Sales Process

Gain an understanding of the companies sale or clearance process.  Some on-line stores add items daily, some weekly, others monthly.  It just depends on the store.  Stores can often have one day they offer clearance items, deeper discounts, or a specially priced clearance item.  A favorite retailer I use, has Thursday markdown items only.  To find out the on-line stores process you can do the following:

• Read the FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions).  The FAQ's might outline the process.
• Frequent your favorite website and see if different clearance or outlet options pop up on different days.
• Email the retailer and ask.  They are usually very helpful since they want you to purchase from their site.

Become A Valued Customer

Sign up to receive updates or "be a valued customer".  Though you might receive more emails than you want, the gain out weighs the pain.  Many on-line companies will send coupons via e-mail for reduced/free shipping, extra discounts, and free samples.

Be Knowledgeable

Understand the value of the product you are purchasing.  It helps to understand how much it was originally and the discount now.  View other sites to see if you can get the same item any cheaper.

Be aware of the total purchase price.  Add in shipping, and taxes to the cost of the item to get a full picture.  With all the add in's it might not be a good deal anymore.

Be Wise

Before you purchase an item, ask yourself a few questions. Do I need this?  Can I afford this?  Is it necessary?  A tip is to put the item in your shopping cart and walk away for an hour.  After the hour, if you still really need it, then go for it.

Be Savvy With Shipping & Taxes

Shipping

Review the sites shipping policies prior to purchasing.  Many stores offer free shipping over a certain dollar limit.  If you group your purchases together, the shipping savings could be substantial.  Other websites offer memberships which allow for 100% free shipping.  If you purchase many items from this website, the membership could pay for itself.  Look for coupons for reduced or free shipping from the companies.

Taxes

Companies are legally required to charge you sales tax for the state you live in, if they have a retail presence in that state.  For example, if they have a store at the mall, and you purchase an item on-line, they will charge you sales tax.

Companies do not have to charge you sales tax if they do not have a retail presence in that state or are only an on-line presence. So if the company is located only in another state, they usually will not charge you sales tax. This can be a significant difference in pricing, especially for large items.