1. Always Use Coupon Codes
Sites offer coupon codes so often that there is pretty much no excuse to ever make a purchase without using one. A great site to find coupon codes is Retailmenot.com. You can type in any website to see a list of active coupon codes, including free shipping and major discounts.
Gap always offers great coupon codes. If they’re not having one currently, just wait a day or two.
2. Always Take Advantage of Free Shipping and Free Returns
In order to compete, more and more sites are offering free shipping with no minimum order. Tons of stores also have free returns, but the companies bank on you not actually taking advantage of the prepaid return slip. Familiarize yourself with a site’s specific rules for returns before ordering, and if your purchase ends up not working out, go ahead and run it down to Mail Services.
Love these but not sure how the culotte-short trend will look on you? ASOS offers free shipping and returns!
3. Buy Secondhand Online
So you love Goodwill and other thrift stores, but you’re still a little afraid to try shopping for secondhand goods on eBay. That’s perfectly understandable- eBay is great, but it’s the challenge round of the online shopping game. Check out Tradesy.com instead. On Tradesy, you can buy gently used name-brand clothing, all guaranteed to be authentic, for much cheaper than you could get it new. Poshmark is another great option for buying and selling gently used or new clothing.
You can also make some fast cash by selling your stuff on Tradesy!
4. Know Your Measurements
Everyone has had the experience of trying to use measuring tape and getting the result that your measurements are something completely implausible. Instead, look up a garment you already own online and write down its listed measurements. The method isn’t foolproof but these measurements can be a good guideline for future purchases from the site.
I know from previous purchases, I like my Forever 21 skirts to be at least 16” in length.
5. Check Out the Reviews
Reviews are one of the biggest untapped resources in the online shopping world. They’re especially useful for shoes, where other buyers can tell you if the shoes run big or small and wide or narrow. Zappos has a great stock of customer reviews, so it’s a good idea to check out their reviews even if you’re making a purchase on another site, like the discount shoe store 6pm.com.
The reviews of this same pair on Zappos say they run pretty much true to size, but a little small. If you are in between sizes, it might be a good idea to order up.