How to Get the Most Out of Online Shopping

How to Get the Most out of Shopping Online

Growing up in Arkansas, my shopping options were limited. I loved clothes and shopping from a young age but we didn’t have any of the “cool” stores. The closest mildly cool stores were an hour away, so I discovered online shopping long before it was a thing. When I started shopping online, Forever 21 didn’t even have an online store. I know. It used to be that ordering things online was risky. I once ordered a pair of white boots on Ebay and they never came. I spent $40 bucks, which was a lot of money to me back then, and it was literally a waste. They were supposed to ship from China and I knew it was a risk, but these boots…I needed them. In retrospect, they probably did me a favor. Because now they are but a memory and I shouldn’t be wearing white boots anyway. In any case, I’ve had my fair share of failures and triumphs in online shopping and I’ve definitely learned a thing or two.

With the holiday shopping days rapidly approaching, I wanted to give you my best guide so that you feel prepared. The only reason you’ll catch me in stores during the several weeks is if I’m there for moral support. Otherwise, I’ll be taking care of all my shopping via the interwebs.

So today I’m dishing my best tips for getting the most out of online shopping. Thank me later.

1. Use Coupons

This one might go without saying, but guys, you’ve got to search for coupons before you order anything online. The first place I check before I buy anything is Retailmenot.com and it’s honestly the only coupon site on which I rely. Another great resource for coupon codes is retailer newsletters.

2. Sign up For Retailer Newsletters

I wouldn’t just subscribe to every newsletter on the planet because it can really overwhelm your inbox, but if you shop online often it’s worth it to sign up and keep a beat on the best sales. I just have my filters set to send them to my “shopping” folder instead of my inbox to keep it a little cleaner. My favorite newsletters are BaubleBar, Loft, Ulta, and Ruche. They all have sales pretty regular sales and some will send coupon codes for a hefty discount if you haven’t made a purchase in a while. They also help with the following.

3. Track Sale Schedules

While many sites don’t have any discernible schedule for their sales, some host the same sale or types of ways at the same time every week or month. For instance, from what I have tracked, Art.com typically has their biggest sale of the week on Monday. Sometimes they switch it up, but they often offer 40% off on Monday, which is higher than their other sales. BaubleBar offers their Platinum Buried Bauble and Buried Bauble Sales on Monday and Fridays, respectively. On these days they pick one item from the store and make them either $20 (Mondays) or $10 (Fridays) for that day only. Some of my favorite pieces were from these sales.

4. Know your sizes

When shopping online, you’ll save yourself a lot of time if you know your (or the person for whom you are shopping) sizes, including measurements. Not all sizing is equal, so use size guides to find the right fit. For me, I know exactly what size to order from sites like Asos and H&M, but these sizes are different from what size I order from Loft.

5. Take Advantage of Free Shipping/Returns

Some sites offer free shipping and returns with a minimum purchase. I always prefer to order from places like this just in case something doesn’t work out. Forever 21 gets a lot of my money, but I absolutely hate their return policy. If you order online, you have to return in store for store credit or pay shipping to return it for reimbursement. Yuck! But Asos is my constant go to because I LOVE their shipping and returns. I even purchase their premier shipping every year for $29. With this service, you get express shipping with no minimum for a year. If I need a dress for the weekend, I can order just that and it arrives in a few days. If I just want a keychain I can order that by itself. If I hate it, I just send it back. It’s glorious. Sephora Flash is $10 a year (free for rouge members) for unlimited express shipping for a year. I love this too because if I run out of eyeliner and can’t get to Sephora, it’s here in a few days. Of course, free shipping/returns are always ideal, but I don’t mind spending a little extra for services like these that I use all the time.

6. Read Reviews

Sometimes there are items that I just know I’ll love and reading the reviews will not change my mind. but typically I find reviews to be very helpful in my purchase decisions. If I’ve been eyeballing a sweater for weeks but six people who ordered it said the sleeve fell off the first time they wore it, I’m not going to feel like I need that sweater anymore. As such I always ALWAYS look for reviews first before purchasing. This is especially true for anythign with a heaftier pricetag. If I can convince myself to keep some money in the bank, I’m all for that. I find the reviews on Nordstrom and on beauty sites like Sephora and Ulta to be particularly helpful.

7. Follow Blogs + LIKEtoKNOW.it

Of course I have to mention this one. Following blogs is a huge part of my online shopping experience. I trust my favorite bloggers’ senses of style and I look to them to tell me about the biggest sales. I sometimes avoid items that everyone is wearing on principle, but if one of my favorites found a unique piece at a great price, you better believe I’m gonna grab that up. And because we are all busy and life moves faster than I can keep up with, we can now shop our favorite Instagrams as well. I’ve been using LIKEtoKNOW.it for quite some time, both to share my outfit details and to find outfit details from my favorite bloggers. It’s my favorite way to see who is wearing what. If you aren’t already signed up for it, you can register once at liketk.it and adjust your email preferences. Then you just “like” your favorite outfits on instagram that use the #liketkit hashtag and you’ll get all the outfit details sent straight to your inbox. It will have clickable photos of each item that will take you directly to the item. It’s bananas smart. The instagrams will also have a URL that you can just type into your browser if you don’t want to wait for an email. Nine times out of ten, that’s what I do. This is a great way to keep up with gift ideas and sales this time of year.

And since it’s that time of the year, here are a few sales you can shop right now! No need to wait until Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Top Pre-Black Friday Sales

Amazon – Black Friday Deals Week

Ann Taylor – 40% off all new styles with code GIVE40

Asos – Up to 60% off comfy casual

Bloomingdales – The Big Brown Bag Sale: up to 50% off select items, plus $25 of every $200

LOFT – 40% off everything with code TURKEYDAY

Nordstrom – Lots of savings on all categories, plus up to 40% designer clearance

Shopbop – 15% off $250, 20% off $500, 25% off $1,000 with code GOBIG15 (my favorite time to splurge on designer bags and shoes or buy a gift for a special someone)

Happy Shopping!

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Still looking for more ways to save? Don’t miss my $125 minted giveaway.