LIFESTYLE
6 Online Shopping Money-Saving Secrets That Online Retailers Don’t Want You To Know
Have you ever had a friend or family member who excitedly told you that they bought something online but you end up sighing looking at the price they paid for it? Because you know, as a hardcore bargain hunter, you could’ve gotten the same item at a way lower price.
You’re the type of online shopper that sees the word ‘sale’ but doesn’t get excited, unless it’s more than 50% off. You dig down the deepest realm of the internet (but not the dark web OK) to look for secret deals and the biggest savings that your bank account will appreciate. Honestly, you’re the type of people that many online retailers are afraid of.
But for those who have been shopping online all this while and didn’t even know such things like secret deals and promo codes exist, it’s time for you to learn something new.So folks, today we’re going to teach you a few tips and tricks on how to get the most bang for your buck. There’s no such thing as too much online shopping, but paying too much for your online shopping is something that you shouldn’t do.
Here’s Rojak Daily’s definitive guide on how you can shop more and save more online.
When they say you can get anything with only a touch of a button, it’s actually true. If you enjoy online shopping at Zalora, Shopee, Lazada, and Hermo just to name a few, all you need to do is key in “[online store name] promo code” and voila! It’ll lead you to a few websites that list down these secret promo codes. If you’re not sure which websites you can trust, you can start with Cuponation, Picodi, and iprice.my. To increase your chances of finding a promo code that’s still valid, include the year or month in your search.
#1 Promo Codes
When they say you can get anything with only a touch of a button, it’s actually true. If you enjoy online shopping at Zalora, Shopee, Lazada, and Hermo just to name a few, all you need to do is key in “[online store name] promo code” and voila! It’ll lead you to a few websites that list down these secret promo codes. If you’re not sure which websites you can trust, you can start with Cuponation, Picodi, and iprice.my. To increase your chances of finding a promo code that’s still valid, include the year or month in your search.Another tip is to check with your credit card or debit card bank and telco provider if they have any joint promos with the online retailers. And if you spend too much time on Instagram, some social media influencers also have their own promo codes. For example, if you go to Mina Rosli’s Instagram - @minaros3, you can see that she shares her code “MINA” which you can use on Zalora to get 15% off.
Pro tip: Besides local online retailers, you can also try looking for international brands promo codes such as Colourpop and Tarte.
If you’re planning to go on an online shopping spree, trust us, timing is key and is sometimes, worth the wait (except if you have to buy something urgently). For example, if you’ve been eyeing this bag on Zalora why not put it on your wish list instead of adding it to your cart? Why? Because chances are the price will go down within the next few weeks or sometimes even days! But you must be a bit ‘rajin’ lah and constantly check your wish list to see if the price has gone down and then you’ll know it’s the right time to buy it.
#2 Timing is Everything
If you’re planning to go on an online shopping spree, trust us, timing is key and is sometimes, worth the wait (except if you have to buy something urgently). For example, if you’ve been eyeing this bag on Zalora why not put it on your wish list instead of adding it to your cart? Why? Because chances are the price will go down within the next few weeks or sometimes even days! But you must be a bit ‘rajin’ lah and constantly check your wish list to see if the price has gone down and then you’ll know it’s the right time to buy it.Another tip is to know when they will usually do their sales. You need to sort of study their sales pattern. For example, AirAsia does their free seats sale three times a year. So, it is only during those period that we recommend you plan your vacations. Or if makeup is your thing, Sephora will always have their annual members’ sale, so that is definitely the best time to do your makeup haul.
Another perfect timing to shop is during your birthday – most online store will give you a ‘gift’ in a form of vouchers or promo codes.
Pro tip: A lot of online stores or brands will organise festive period sales like Hari Raya or Christmas. If you can wait a little bit longer – a few days after the festive period ends to be precise, chances are the price of the stuff you want might go down drastically.
Have you ever added some stuff to your cart but end up forgetting about it or not buying it? Well sometimes, you may find an email a few hours later from that website offering you a 10% or 15% discount off your cart just to help you “make up your mind.” We’ve personally previously experienced it with brands such as Zalora and Tarte.
#3 The Add-To-Cart-But-Don’t-Buy Method
Have you ever added some stuff to your cart but end up forgetting about it or not buying it? Well sometimes, you may find an email a few hours later from that website offering you a 10% or 15% discount off your cart just to help you “make up your mind.” We’ve personally previously experienced it with brands such as Zalora and Tarte.The reason that these companies are sending you the promo codes is because that they see you as a potential customer who’s just one payment away from closing the deal. So, they’re trying to convince you that yes, you actually need that stuff. But little did they know that you’re actually playing their game!
Disclaimer: This doesn’t work all the time, but no harm trying. Good luck!
To be honest, one thing we hate the most is paying shipping fees. Some of these online stores charge a very steep price for shipping, especially international brands. But most of them do offer free shipping provided that you have shopped a certain amount.
#4 Combining Your Orders = Free Shipping
To be honest, one thing we hate the most is paying shipping fees. Some of these online stores charge a very steep price for shipping, especially international brands. But most of them do offer free shipping provided that you have shopped a certain amount.Combining your family members or friends’ items in one order is always a good idea because it will help qualify you for free shipping. Plus, you get to collect more points and sometimes even get freebies for big orders!
But in the event that they do not offer free shipping, at least you can split the shipping fees with your friends or family since not everything in life is free, okay.
Pro tip: Sometimes during promotional period or festive seasons, certain online stores even offer free shipping without any minimum order! So, make sure you subscribe to their newsletters.
This is something new we discovered and boy, did we regret not knowing about it earlier. Who knows we could’ve saved thousands of ringgits! ShopBack basically helps you to get the best deals and discounts from over 500 online stores including international ones. They also have a cashback system where you literally get back up to 35% of your money from your purchase.
#5 Use ShopBack
This is something new we discovered and boy, did we regret not knowing about it earlier. Who knows we could’ve saved thousands of ringgits! ShopBack basically helps you to get the best deals and discounts from over 500 online stores including international ones. They also have a cashback system where you literally get back up to 35% of your money from your purchase.Just look at this Twitter user, Alia Hamzah. She has saved over RM1,000 to date!
All you need to do is click on one of the online stores from the ShopBack website and it will direct you to the actual online store. Make your purchase as usual and you will receive your cashback in your ShopBack account within 48 hours. To know more on how it works, click here.Psst, they even offer this cashback system for several airlines and accommodation websites.
If you frequently shop on websites like Taobao, Lazada, or Shopee, you should notice by now that there are a lot of the same items sold by different sellers. If you’re really serious about saving some big bucks, then invest some of your time surveying and finding the cheapest deal. You do not want to get all upset after making your payment to find out that another seller is selling the same exact thing for only half the price you paid.
#6 Always Compare with Other Websites Or Sellers
If you frequently shop on websites like Taobao, Lazada, or Shopee, you should notice by now that there are a lot of the same items sold by different sellers. If you’re really serious about saving some big bucks, then invest some of your time surveying and finding the cheapest deal. You do not want to get all upset after making your payment to find out that another seller is selling the same exact thing for only half the price you paid.But bear in mind though, that cheap doesn’t mean that its good all the time. Cheaper items may mean items that are of lower quality or even have higher shipping fees.
For example, store A sells a rug for only RM30 including free shipping while store B sells it for only RM25 but when you click to check out your item, store B has a shipping rate of RM10. So, make sure you get your calculation right as you don’t want to end up paying for more.
Pro tip: Use the price range feature to narrow down your budget or use the ‘from low to high price range’ in your search settings.
There's another secret we'd like to share, some online stores or brands have their own mobile app, and sometimes you can get a better deal or even promo codes if you shop via their app!
Now that you know some of our secrets to getting cheaper deals online, happy hunting, guys!
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