Anyone who shops online is mainly looking for one thing: a good price. But Amazon customers often pay too much for their purchases. These tricks change that.
Everyone can shop online for whatever they want from the comfort of their own home. The next bargain is always just a click away and there is no annoying queue at the checkout. And: You don’t have to carry the shopping bags yourself, because the goods are delivered directly to your front door. No wonder, then, that according to a Survey of the Federal Statistical Office In 2017, 91 percent of those surveyed stated that they had made several purchases from the online retailer Amazon. This makes the shopping portal one of the most popular among Germans. However, customers do not always pay the best price for the product they want. Do you think there is nothing you can do about the online retailer’s price? You are wrong. With these eight tricks you will become a bargain pro at Amazon and save a lot.
1. Use discount coupons
On selected products in the shop, Amazon gives another additional discount that can save money. You will find these coupons and the selection of products here. With a wide variety of branded products, buyers can save several percent off the original price.
Photo: Screenshot Amazon.dePhoto: Screenshot Amazon.de
2. Amazon Renewed
If you have no qualms about getting a used device, then you might Amazon Renewed be a treasure trove for you: There you can get smartphones, cameras or tablets at a much lower price. Since the devices have already been used, they are both certified and refurbished to protect the customer. Amazon guarantees that a qualified manufacturer will ensure the new functionality. And you get a year warranty too.
3. Warehouse deals
The warehouse deals are a kind of online rummage table, the goods can be reduced by up to 50 percent. Not without reason: These are returned goods – i.e. products that have already been opened and/or used by other customers and sent back to Amazon. As with Amazon Renewed products, the quality condition is also guaranteed.
You can find out how you can save money with the warehouse deals in our article on the topic: The unknown bargain category on Amazon.
4. Sale
In addition to the huge shopping highlights such as Cyber Monday or Black Friday, there are bargains all year round for customers in the sale. Especially with a view to the big shopping events such as Prime Day, it is worthwhile for those interested to take out an Amazon Prime membership (costs 69 euros per year) on a trial basis. Members receive some offers earlier than other customers, such as the Deals of the Day and Lightning Deals.
5. The subscription saver
At Amazon you can get a so-called Savings subscription with which you automatically receive products at your home at predetermined intervals – such as washing-up liquid or coffee. Amazon customers should be able to save up to 15 percent on products from the food, drugstore and household goods range. You can cancel the service at any time.
6. Use customer service
Have you bought a product and only a short time later discover it at a lower price? Contact customer service and make them aware of the price difference. Since you as a customer have a 14-day right of return, Amazon will grant you the lower price. The reason: The online retailer can save shipping costs because fewer customers will make use of their right of return. In this way you pay the best possible price – without any nasty surprises.
7. Save shipping costs at Amazon
Non-Prime customers have to pay shipping costs for orders up to 29 euros. But there is a trick how you can bypass this. If you also order a Blu-ray whose release date has not yet been set, you can save on the shipping costs. It doesn’t matter what the price of the disc is. The only decisive factor is that the total value of the goods is higher than 29 euros and that you choose full shipping for your order at the end. If the first part of the order is there, your desired item, you can cancel the other item – this is the item that you only ordered to get a goods value of 29 euros.
8. Ordering abroad
The best offers may not be slumbering on the German site of Amazon, but on the site of the online retailer abroad such as the British, japanese or french side of the company.
Also read: Ordering from Amazon abroad – how to do it and what to look out for
Despite the many bargains on Amazon, there are also other shops that are worth checking out regularly: the online shops of Media Markt and Saturn are engaged in a lively price war with Amazon, especially when it comes to technology devices. It is also worth visiting a price comparison portal before making a purchase.