Bargain Shopping Online

Online shopping can reward you with some great bargains, and if you don't live in town you save gas by not having to drive into town, not to mention the fact that often times the item you are shopping for is not available locally.    I am guilty myself but I try to heed one word of advice.  OK more than one word but it goes something like this, It's not a bargain if you don't need it. Having said that, I needed another pair of boots about like I need another hole in my head but I recently ordered a $300 pair of boots for $40. Specifically, LAPoliceGear had the Bates USMC Rat boots on clearance because they lost their contract with the military.  I should also mention that they don't gaurentee the boots are imperfect but than again they may be.  Here just read all the details yourself.  They still have them if your interested. http://www.lapolicegear.com/co-bates-29502-usmc-rat.html

But this was going to be about online bargain shopping. My first tip is to use the google shopping tool. If you are on the Google search page you will notice that you can search the web for images, maps, shopping etc  Just try the shopping tool.   However,  having said that, they often don't find the best deals, and here is where it pays to do a little legwork (if you could call it that).  For instance, using Google Shopping,  the boots I just bought came up for $66 bucks on one site only and then went up in price.  I actually found the deal while looking for a holster but just to show how it works, the $40 deal I found was not listed using Google Shopping.  However, using the plain old Google web search using the exact same term (Bates USMC Rat Boot) the LA Police Gear deal came up as the second search result.

Another tip is to go to several sites and look at each one for clearance items.  This can take awhile but it will often lead to a good bargains (and buying stuff you really didn't need).  For outdoor camping and backpacking stuff I'd recommend looking at  REI, Sierra Trading Post, Campmor etc.  For more hunting and fishing oriented outdoor stuff I like The Sportsman Guide, Bass Pro Shop, Cabelas etc.  For bike related equipment I found that MTBR actually has a page called Hot Deals that is regularly updated.   I also like to get on BentRiderOnline and check out the sponsors banners.  They also have a classified section in the message board which is a great place to shop for used recumbents and accessories.  BTW, I have a Bacchetta Cafe listed on the site right now. I have had tons of interest but so far no takers.  All the interested parties have been some distance away with one even being from overseas and shipping cost are not cheap on a recumbent.

Another tip is, before hitting the submit order button look for a little box that says coupon. Then go to retailmenot (my favorite source for coupon codes) and see if you can find a discount coupon.  Often times, the item you order (especially on sale and clearance items) will specifically say that no additional discounts are allowed, but I have often been able to get an additional percentage off.  Sometimes there will be several codes listed for the same or different offers.  For example, when I ordered the boots (along with a couple of other items also on clearance) I tried the save $45 and free shipping one but it would not take it.  I did use one of the several 5% off codes listed and was successful.  I saved $5.65 but paid $16 for shipping.  I always look for free shipping when possible. However, do the math before getting all giddy about the free shipping. If the savings are big enough the shipping cost is justified.

Sometimes it is better to buy at a "brick and mortar" store because buying online is a little risky in the fit department (especially with pants and shoes).  At least be sure and check to see the return policy before ordering. Often time the clearance items will be sold as is and with no return option.  And even with a generous return policy, you often have to pay a restock fee or at least the return shipping (which is only fair).  This is one reason it is good to go with a well established retailer. They will not (or maybe I should say will be less likely to) risk their reputation with shady dealings like some fly by night companies might.

One last tip and I'm done.  I'm not here to give advice on how to safely shop online so just be careful.  I will say that I try to shop from sites that are well known and use some sort of SSL encryption for online purchases.  When you go to the checkout page you should see https instead of just plain http.  Have fun shopping and remember, to have patients waiting for your items to arrive.  I ordered my boots over 2 weeks ago but due to one item being out of stock my whole order got delayed by a week.  I just got an email the other day stating that the item had arrived an my order was being filled. 

PS: I'm sure that you ladies did not get much from my little spill.  I'm also sure that you don't need it.  My wife can sniff out a bargain a lot faster and from farther away in her sleep than I could wide awake and with the most powerful online shopping tools ever created.