How to Save on Shipping Costs for Online Gift Purchases
(411 Words)
When you buy your holiday presents, you must remember to take into account shipping costs. These can be significant, and can literally double the cost of the gifts. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can save on this cost, including the following.
Look for free shipping deals
Many online retailers offer free shipping. Sometimes there is a minimum purchase amount whereas other times they offer it on everything. Sometimes you need to enter a coupon code. Many people purchase gifts on www.amazon.com because they offer many of these free shipping deals. You may be able to purchase something that costs more if you do not have to pay for shipping.
Sometimes an online retailer will ship to one of their brick and mortar stores for free. For instance, if you buy a photo calendar from Costco online, they will ship it to their stores. You can look for this option to save money.
Ship early so that you can go with a slower speed
There are many different levels of shipping service offered by most online retailers. These are often distinguished by the speed at which you need the present there. If you need to overnight it, for instance, then you are likely to pay a large premium for this. To save money, you should try to buy it online as early as possible so that you can save money by getting a slower shipping speed.
You can also consider the different types of mail that are cheaper. Besides the USPS, there is FedEx and UPS, and you may find that one of them works better for you. Not all online retailers give you this option, but some will let you choose how you want to ship it.
Look for online stores that have lower shipping costs
Some stores have higher shipping costs than others. You should compare the different stores to see which is the better deal to save on this item.
Ship gifts together
If you will be purchasing several gifts for people who live nearby to each other, then you may want to consider putting them in one order and sending them to one person. You may save a lot of money because it is usually cheaper to ship several together than to ship all of them separately. Online retailers will often combine shipping.
The shipping from online retailers can add up, but there are ways to save. The above strategies may help you with these costs.