The challenge: Maria Bekiaris

The smart shopper can find an even better bargain

Who doesn’t love a bargain? The good news is there’s no reason you can’t save money every time you shop online. Here are 11 ways to make sure that you never pay full price again.

1 Shop around.

This might sound obvious but do your research. You can use comparison sites such as getprice.com. au and myshopping.com.au or you can simply do a search in Google to see if you can find a better price.

2 Look for coupons or promo codes.

Again by doing a quick Google search for a promotion code you may score a discount or free shipping. You can also check out finder.com.au, thebargainavenue.com.au or ozbargain.com.au for any special promo codes.

3 Try a Google Chrome extension such as Honey.

When you’ve downloaded the extension, a Find Savings button should appear on your checkout screen,

which filters through the masses of free coupons available on the internet and adds the best discount to your total.

4 Sign up for email newsletters.

Sure, it might mean you’ll get a few extra emails but you could save serious money. Some stores will give you a discount on your first purchase or a voucher for your birthday. Consider creating a special email address so you don’t fill up your inbox. And, of course, you can always unsubscribe later.

5 Check out group buying websites.

You might be able to nab a bargain on group buying sites such as Groupon, Scoopon, MyDeal or LivingSocial.

6 Leave the item in your cart.

You’ll generally need to have signed up to the site for this one to work but if you pop something into your cart but don’t actually make a purchase you might get an email offering you a discount if you proceed.

7 Check out the “sales” section of the website.

You might find something similar to what you’re after that is heavily discounted.

8 Get social.

Follow your favourite retailers on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and you will probably be the first to hear about sales or you’ll get special promo codes.

9 Haggle.

If you’re using a site that offers live chat it’s worth starting a chat to ask if you can get a better deal.

10 Pick up your item instead of getting it delivered.

I know this makes online shopping a little less convenient but if you can save on shipping it can be worth it. Generally pick-up is free or at least much cheaper and you’ll know when the item is ready and waiting for you.

11 Check your credit card.

Many cards come with “instant rewards”. You get a discount at certain retailers simply by using your credit card to make the purchase. Check out your credit card provider’s website to see if that’s on offer.