How to Save Money when Shopping Online (Part 1) June 10, 2008

The time will come when you will inevitably need to buy something online.  Personally, I like online shopping.  Sometimes I’ll shop in the actual stores, then purchase the item online when I get home because I can get a better deal.  How?  Keep reading…

Note:  This is Part 1 in what will become a multi-part series.  Or not.  I don’t even know.  Onward!

Cash Back websites

The general concept behind these Cash Back websites is that they’re getting a cut of the profit from the store for referring you to that retail site, and they’re kicking a small portion of that back to you.  Before shopping at a retail site, go to the Cash Back website, click through to the store you want to shop at and do your thing.  After a few weeks, you should get some sort of confirmation that your purchase was credited, but that’s pretty much it.  It’s sort of like those “donate food to the hungry by clicking this link” websites, except that in this case the rice is a little extra change in your own pocket.  Greedy bastard, maybe just for good measure, you should click on one of those websites immediately following your own self-serving Cash Back click…

In the interest of full disclosure:  2 of the 3 links below are referral links, but they are also websites I’ve had personal success with.  If you’re happy that I’ve lit the way for you to visit these sites then sign up as my referral; if not, then I actually won’t ever know unless you tell me.

• Fat Wallet:  I’ve been a member of this program since at least 2005.  Great customer support and their payments are always timely.  No referral structure.
• Big Crumbs:  There were a lot of people who thought Big Crumbs was a scam when it first appeared.  I’ve been using it since the end of 2006 without any issues, and have found support to be very good.  Big Crumbs is definitely the best website I’ve found to get cash back on Ebay, Half.com and iTunes purchases.  Sign up as either a CrumbSaver (earn a higher percentage from your own purchases, but don’t get as much credit for referrals) or a CrumbEarner (earn a lower percentage from your own purchases, but get more credit for referrals).  You can always switch from a CS to a CE, but not the other way around.  No matter how much you’ve earned, payments are automatically sent to you via Paypal monthly, on a 2 month lag.
• Mr. Rebates:  You’ll need to accrue $25 before you can cash out.  I’ve personally cashed out once and was paid right on schedule.  Referral structure is one of the best – earn a flat rate of 20% back from each of your referral’s purchases.

One other place to check after you’ve decided what you want to purchase:  Ev’reward is a very useful website for figuring out who is offering the best deal, plus it will give you a list of other rewards you can earn (money toward college savings plans, airline miles, hotel points, etc).  I don’t mess around with the points programs (for the most part… I’ll save that for a later edition of conducting business online), and in my experience one of the above 3 Cash Back sites will usually be offering the best percent back offer.

That concludes Part 1 my friends.  You will NOT:  get rich from using these websites, be able to quit your day job from using these websites, or be able to refer to your children as “heiresses” from using these websites (that’s a good thing, truly).  You will, however, get a little bit of money back on the purchases you were going to make anyway - if you’re smart and avoid the lures of discounts on things you don’t want or other such nonsense.  Found money, woot!

How to Save Money on Books, CDs, & DVDs June 5, 2008

I’m an avid reader – I’ll read almost anything recommended to me and find that I don’t easily “give up” on books, even if they’re terrible 99% of the way through.  Coupled with my desire to not let “stuff” pile up around the house, this means I acquire, then want to get rid of, a lot of books.  Everyone is familiar with the online giants (Amazon, Half, etc.), that allow you to sell your new or used wares at a price determined by the marketplace, and these work okay for trading in your old stuff for things that interest you.

In my quest for the most cost-efficient way to offload my unwanted items while receiving something in return, however, I’ve found a new website that yields slightly better results called Swaptree.  Create an account, list the books, CDs, DVDs, or games you’re willing to trade along with a brief description of the condition of the item, then search for some items you’re willing to trade for and voila!  Swaptree magically finds people across the country willing to trade with you.  You pay for shipping the item (use Swaptree’s postage function which will set you back a little more than the going rate plus a $1/month fee, or DIY super cheap if you use Media or First Class mail), and nothing else – that’s right, no point system, no other fees, nada.  You don’t even need a credit card to participate (assuming you’re going to use your own postage).   I’m in love.

Some tips to get you started:

• When you first sign up, you’re limited to 5 concurrent trades.  After you’ve successfully completed trades (i.e., received positive feedback from your trade partners), your limit will increase
• Ensure you are absolutely willing to trade anything on your “Have” list for any single item on your “Want” list.  Move “hot items” (recent CDs, books, DVDs, etc.) to your “Have but Not Trading” list if you’re really not ready to part with it just yet.
• Be careful about turning down swap requests – swaptree is serious about discouraging this behavior and will eventually kick you out.
• Use this link to ship your items via Paypal, which also includes a tracking number.  Remember that it’s actually cheaper to send most CDs via First Class mail instead of Media Mail.

Outside of people who collect 1st editions (I can respect that) or want a book the week it comes out, does ANYONE pay full price for books any more?  Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves while I finish this chapter of my new David Sedaris book.