Online Shopping: Is it Really Worth it?

 

You might not believe it, but the answer to the question of whether online shopping saves you money depends entirely on how you do it. If you are very diligent in your research and comparison shopping, you may find some legitimate deals out there that do save you money over brick-and-mortar stores. However, there are also plenty of online shopping scams that can drain your bank account without any benefit at all, making the savings from online shopping less than advertised if you aren’t careful about what you’re buying and where you’re buying it from.

 

5 Reasons Why You Should Always Buy Things Online

 

For example, online shopping allows you to browse through thousands of options. Whether you’re looking for a special discount or huge variety, it’s hard to match what online shopping has to offer. It’s safe to say that in a few years online shopping will be as popular as going out and physically buying something from a store. The only thing standing in its way is how people perceive Internet security; but if most companies follow along with PayPal, Amazon and Target, then we shouldn't have anything to worry about. If there's one thing everyone should do for their future selves, it's buy things on the Internet!

While that sounds good on paper, how does it hold up in real life? After all, many stores offer easy return policies and same-day shipping. What makes online shopping better than an actual retail experience? Here are five reasons why online shopping saves money: Save Money While Saving Time - First Paragraph: According to Neilsen Research Inc., almost three-quarters (73%) of internet users worldwide made an Internet purchase in 2014. And while statistics show Americans shop less than they did 10 years ago, they still take advantage of bargains available both in physical stores and virtual ones. It’s no secret that most people have a limited amount of time every day; and with so much competition for our attention, we don’t want to waste any more time than we need to when looking for a product or service. However, finding a great deal is difficult if you can only visit one store at a time. Online shopping allows you to browse through thousands of options from your home computer or mobile device. Whether you’re looking for a special discount or huge variety, it’s hard to match what online shopping has to offer in terms of convenience. In addition, because most products are shipped directly from their manufacturers or distributors, you won't have to spend hours searching through racks at different stores hoping something will catch your eye.

 

 The online marketplace is HUGE

 If you’re serious about saving money, you have to shop online. The online marketplace is huge and will only continue to grow with time. By shopping online, you’ll be able to take advantage of not only convenient shipping but also great deals on merchandise. If your destination store doesn’t offer an easy return policy, you can still buy items in larger quantities and return items with ease. You’ll even find that some products are cheaper online than they are at a physical location. For example, if you want to purchase a new mattress, you might save 20% or more by buying one from an online retailer rather than a brick-and-mortar store. And if you need help finding what you need, simply use a price comparison site like Google Shopping or PriceGrabber to ensure that you’re getting exactly what you want for less!

 There’s way more variety

 You don’t have to buy what you want online — you can find almost anything on Amazon. When was there ever a time that a store actually had everything you were looking for in one place? While many of us assume stores are our only option, your best bet is often just to take a look at what they have and then search Amazon later to see if they have something better. It doesn’t even have to be clothes or shoes — did you know that Amazon sells toilet paper, toothpaste, and hand soap now too? The more options you give yourself before hitting buy, especially when shopping on an important purchase like these, can save you both time and money. You’re not paying sales tax: If you live in a state with high sales tax, every little bit helps when trying to save money while shopping online. Keep in mind that some states have different rules about whether or not you should pay sales tax depending on how much you spend (i.e., if you spend over $100, do taxes apply?), so make sure to check with your local government before assuming all purchases are tax-free. But hey, even if they aren't, who cares? You're saving so much by buying online! Not having to pay sales tax is definitely worth it — especially since most items also qualify for free shipping as well!

There are no crowds

 If you’re looking to save money while shopping online, don’t be suckered in by bargain shoppers. Many of these deals and sales aren’t bargains at all—they’re just things that weren’t selling well in-store, so they were put online at a reduced price. One way to save yourself some trouble is to look for prices online that are significantly lower than what you can find in stores. The logic behind shopping on Amazon (or any other website) is that they have lower overhead than physical stores, so they can sell their items at a much lower price—but if there are no crowds or reviews, there may not be any reason to buy from them anyway.

No sales tax

We all love a good bargain, but online shopping can be tricky. In some states, you may not have to pay sales tax if you’re shopping in your home state. However, since most online retailers don’t collect tax in states where they don’t have a physical presence—that is, offices or distribution centers—your savings will depend on whether you qualify for any exemptions based on your state of residence and whether or not you choose to submit a sales tax exemption certificate with your order.

Return policies

Check your online store’s return policy. Many stores do not have a lot of flexibility with their policies, but if you find one that does, you can save some serious money. Stores such as Amazon are known for having pretty lenient return policies, so check first to see if they’ll allow you to return an item in exchange for store credit or a gift card. You can then use those savings on another purchase or to get something else entirely. It might take a little longer than walking into a physical store and returning an item in person, but it still saves you money when compared to paying full price from start to finish.