When is Free Shipping Not a Good Deal?
Anyone who has ever bought anything online knows that shipping and handling can be higher than the price of the item. Some sellers price their items ridiculously low, then make it up by charging exorbitant shipping prices. When online shoppers see “free shipping” on an item, they are exhilarated over the chance to save money, but those words can be deceiving.
Minimum Purchase Requirements
Many free shipping offers have minimum purchase amounts attached. Spending more or buying unneeded items just to get free shipping is never a good money saving deal, especially on perishable or usability dated items. You may end up with a stockpile of things you have to eventually throw away, which is just wasteful. If you do a little more shopping, you can usually find that item at a better price with lower shipping cost. Paying shipping on one thing you know you will use is always cheaper than spending money on things you won’t.
Free Shipping Restrictions and Minimum Purchases
Some sites only offer free shipping on certain select items, and also require a minimum purchase of just those items. It’s possible to buy several items that add up to more than the minimum purchase and still not get free shipping because one item doesn’t qualify. Don’t be fooled into buying more than you need, especially if you’re only a few dollars off the minimum. Sites count on this. They know that the longer you stay on the site, the more you will buy. If you’re searching for that cheap little thing to fill out your order, you’re going to find more you “forgot” you needed. If you’re buying things that aren’t essential, stash the free shipping items in a wish list or shopping list until you gather enough for the minimum purchase.
Free Shipping to Selected Areas
Free shipping can be restricted to certain countries, certain states or even certain localities. Shipping outside those areas may drive the price up too much for it to be an economical purchase. Sellers sometimes do this to their most desirable items to get buyers outside those areas to pay the exorbitant shipping costs. Some items aren’t allowed to be sold in some places, so having an item shipped to a legal location and then having someone mail it to you may land you in legal trouble.
Free Shipping on Pricey Items You Can Buy Locally
If you are making an order anyway, you may be tempted to add non-essential items to the free shipping list that are much more expensive than what you would pay for them at a local discount store. If time isn’t of the essence, it’s always cheaper to make a list of those items and pick them up next time you’re shopping around town. You may try to justify it by citing the price of gas, but spending $5 more for an item you can buy at the drug store on the corner isn’t a good deal.
Beware Limited Time Offers
This is a trick as old as selling itself. Sellers make you feel like you have to buy this item now to get this great deal, because it will never be offered again. Maybe that seller won’t offer it, but another will be offering the same deal at some time down the road. If you don’t need it, don’t be tricked into buying it because it offers a good price with free shipping for a limited time.
There are legitimate free shipping offers that are well worth taking advantage of. Some sellers will have an entire month of free shipping or free shipping monthly on select items with no minimum purchase required. Sellers will often have free shipping on overstock or hard-to-sell items taking up room in their inventory. Be careful when considering the actual cost plus shipping, and you can save a lot of money in the long run.
Robert Langdon is a professional blogger that writes for GreatDeals. GreatDeals.com offers thousands of deals at hundreds of retailers across the web.
Share this:
Category: Saving Money
