How to Find the Best Online Shopping Deals?

Would you like to save some money? Are you looking for an easy way to find the best online shopping deals because you understand that you've exchanged time from your one and only life to get them? Seriously, money is time; stop wasting it. The real cost of things is what you give up to get them. Are you tired of spending unnecessary amounts of money for necessary things? Me too, sister.

When I was just a chicklet, fresh into the workforce - because, unfortunately, I have no trust fund and have, later (stupidly), married for love - I paid the asking price; I was naive. My family was never rich, but we didn’t need to count pennies, so I was a bit undereducated in the value of money and somewhat naive, thinking that companies were here to serve us, a mistake the real world soon corrected.

Now, licking the gateway of 40, I'm far less naive, smarter, calmer, and better equipped to deal with the world and reality. I miss not having a hangover, but you do need to pay a toll to reach the other bank of wisdom. Anyway, finding online shopping deals and offline bargains is something I take pride in. Some of my favorite furniture pieces were thrifted, and some of the appliances I've been using for years were online shopping deals up to 80% off, and they would have worked just the same had I paid 100% of the price. If you're a young person, I presume you know all these tips and tricks for finding the best online deals, but my pre-middle-aged, middle-aged, and mature crowd may be a bit overwhelmed when shopping online, so I'll do my best to provide some advice and resources.

So, if you're now a responsible grownup making your own cash, congratulations. It is not exactly what we were all promised; we're a bit more tired, overworked, and pressed for time than we'd hoped. The bills never seem to stop, the price of life has skyrocketed, but credit cards and a short memory are nice. Also, if you've been adulting for a while now and had your best party years before camera phones, you've learned the hard lesson of cost vs value by now. These are not the same thing. Oh no, no, no. Price is generally set by what you're willing to pay, and value is the utility the item provides you, be it a garlic press, new shoes, an anti-aging skincare device, a piece of farm equipment, jewelry, or sourdough bread. This utility does not have to be a real function; it can be a positional good, which, by the very fact of you owning it, sends a message you can afford it and are therefore "better" than all who can't.

Value will mostly speak for itself to you, but it can be distorted by marketing and by projections of the item fitting into a desirable lifestyle. Maybe that means you'll pay as much as they ask and bypass the discounts and deals that you would be able to find if you just invested a few minutes online. Whatever you use these pieces of advice for, always buy from a reputable manufacturer and consider the quality of the item, especially if you're getting something that could be dangerous if it is faulty. There’s no point in buying a cheap microcurrent toning device that will only shock you so much you can't use it, or a garlic press that falls apart after three uses. Quality matters as much as the price, and we're looking for balance.

Laws of economics crash course

Before we look at how to catch the best online shopping deals, let's first freshen up on the basic laws of economics, which are here to create more wealth, and not necessarily make you happier. Before you drop a large sum on something, swayed by claims and promises, remember that:

Production comes before consumption

Well, that one is obvious, because you can't consume something that hasn't yet been produced, so the item will come first, then the desire and demand will be artificially created, and then consumption follows.

Consumption is the goal of production

If a thing is here, its production is in the past, but its value is in the future when a buyer considers the good or service valuable and pays for it. Then the process is fulfilled and complete.

Large deals, sales, or clearances with high discounts are sometimes a way to get rid of overstocked items and get at least some value from the already produced. It does not mean the products are subpar, just that the brand overestimated demand for something or is maybe launching a new generation of an item soon and wants to get rid of the previous one.

Production costs

There are no freebies. If you got it for free, it just means someone else is paying for it at some point in the production process. Complementary merch or testers have already been paid for by the brand to be produced, just as financial aid for the socially vulnerable did not come out of nothing but was paid for by taxpayers. If you've been born into wealth, someone already worked their butt off.

Value is subjective

For example, you don't think much about a bag of flour if you can't bake, but your grandma would see the value of all the meals and desserts she can get from that bag, while she'd perhaps see zero value in the dry shampoo, red light panel, or a face mist you pay a bunch for because it makes your life better.

Money does not equal wealth

Money is an instrument, a universal, neutral tool we've found to fairly exchange goods and services. Someone spent a certain amount of time and effort to grow these vegetables; you've spent a certain amount of time in the office and got money to trade for these vegetables and that person's time and effort. But wealth is having access to the goods and services you want to get with your money. Otherwise, the money is worthless, and you might as well be lost in the jungle with millions, and that would mean nothing.

And now to the actual steps: tips on how to find and browse the best online shopping deals, and some questions to ask yourself before you finalize the purchase. Let's, for now, squeeze our bulimic wallet tighter than a gold digger her elderly spouse and let’s first contemplate and consider, discern between need, want, fad, and reflect on current and future value. For example, junk food has no future value (positive or otherwise), but an anti-aging device that works or the bonds of a growing company continue to be more valuable over time. So step #1 is to think about it and override the impulse actions.

Stop & Think

Yes, we all love window shopping and scrolling through web shops, throwing hearts left and right. Especially when we're tired, the day was long, and we're left with two functional neurons playing badminton with a single thought. We believe getting ourselves a little something something will make us feel better. I've got a list of favorite items basically everywhere. Sometimes I just like to delete it all and start from scratch. It feels like being freshly showered, with clean hair, and lying down in clean bedding without having to wake up to an alarm.
 

It's ok to play around with hypothetical purchases, but before you hit that buy button, think. Like really think, not the auto-delulu thing where you tell yourself that a neon yellow leather jacket is something you'll wear daily and that 400$ is an ok price. Think about how much use you'll get out of the item, what you can combine it with. Is it a single cost, or is there a hidden recurring cost (like filters, replaceable parts, dry-clean-only, do you have a place to keep it)? Not even the greatest online shopping deal will feel like a win if the item arrives and you're left just standing there realizing you're over it, it's too bulky, doesn't fit anything you own, or was just an impulse buy after a bottle of Chardonnay (we all have oopsies, no judgment here)!


Put stuff in the basket if it makes you feel good, but the more expensive it is, the more thought it should get, regardless of how large the discount. You don't need a 50-pound dog food bag for a picky-eater chihuahua, a face-lifting device if you're 20, or those skis on sale if you don't ski, and no discount will change that. Keep in mind that this money you're going to pay is time; you're paying with bits of your life. Ask questions like:

• Will I use this enough to justify the price?
• What value does it bring into my life?
• Will I still like this a week, a month, or a year from now?
• Does it have an upkeep cost?
• Am I paying for the brand name or functionality?
• Does it fill a real need or do I just want it and want it now?
• Why do I want it?
• Am I tired or overwhelmed? Am I using shopping as therapy? Can I wait until tomorrow to hit “Buy”?
   

If you've decided you're still getting the pricey item(s), now let's learn how to find those discounts.

How to browse online shopping discounts?

Here we want to get the best possible quality for the least amount of money, which is useful always and in all areas of life, especially during the holidays or any other occasion when you're looking for multiple or pricier items, or just want to refresh your wardrobe, skincare, pantry stocks, swimwear collection... whatever.
 

Direct Google search

A good practice is to just write what you're looking for (if you know) into Google and add the word "code," "coupon", "deals", "sale". This may get you a hit right away. We're looking for trusted retailers’ sale pages, promo codes, and limited-time offers for general online shopping savings.

Official brand website

You can go directly to a brand's site and usually find the most enticing offers or deals on the banner or key visual right on the home page.

Aggregated coupon sites

Also, look for coupon aggregation sites that offer discounts from various brands on similar items. They are third-party deal sites and discount marketplaces that aggregate offers from many products and brands at a single URL. You'll usually be able to search by category, if not the item itself.  So, if you’re, for example, looking for new boots, you’ll get all of the coupons now active on pages that sell boots (can be thousands of brands), and you can take it from there.

Since this is one of the best ways to find excellent online shopping deals, we’ll give you some good sites worth trying in your wallet-saving efforts. These sites will be focusing on codes, sales, cashback, and community-submitted discounts.

Good general coupon & promo code sites

• RetailMeNot  - One of the largest coupon databases with promo codes, cashback offers, and a browser extension, covers thousands of brands, so it is a great wide net to cast when looking for something specific.
• Coupons.com - A great place for grocery and household coupons; you can get printable and digital coupons, and save a bunch on your next shopping trip
• CouponCabin - Ideal for promo codes plus cashback, a wide offer of verified coupons and exclusive deals in one place.
• Slickdeals – More community-driven rather than just a coupon database. The best place to find limited-time deals and price drops. Allows users to vote on the best deals.
• DealNews - Editorially curated online shopping deals, best for electronics, travel, fashion, and home goods.
• Offers.com - Promo codes, seasonal sales, and buying guides for large stores we all use and love.
• Brad's Deals - Human-curated discounts (we’d say the human is Brad) rather than automated coupon scraping. You may not enjoy this personal touch, but it can be useful during major shopping events to get some highlights in the noise.

Good cashback + coupon sites

• Rakuten - Combines cashback and coupon codes, with thousands of participating retailers.
• TopCashback - Also offers cashback combined with promo codes.
• Capital One Shopping - A nice browser extension that automatically tests coupon codes, tracks and compares prices; very useful if you’re going to be following an expensive item for a while before you purchase.
• Honey by PayPal - Automatically applies coupon codes at checkout and tracks price history for many products so you don’t get bamboozled by artificial price increases. Sometimes the 25-30% off is actually the normal price that was inflated temporarily so the discount can be advertised.  

Community deal forums

• Reddit r/deals
• Reddit r/buildapcsales (excellent for electronics)
• Reddit r/frugalmalefashion
• Reddit r/MUAontheCheap (beauty and skincare)

Browser extensions

These (some we've mentioned already) automatically check for coupons to make your life easier, and you’ll never miss an online deal because you didn’t feel like searching.

• Honey
• Capital One Shopping
• Coupert

Price comparison engines

• Google Shopping - The most comprehensive and widely available, compares prices from thousands of online retailers and supports price sorting, filtering, and merchant ratings, all useful information if you’re going to be dropping some serious money.
• PriceGrabber - Long-established comparison site that people love and trust. Very good for electronics, home, beauty, and appliances.
• Shopzilla - Similar to PriceGrabber and lets you compare multiple retailers side by side.
• PriceReel - Also covers many product categories including electronics, beauty, home, and fashion.
   

Best sites for beauty and skincare deals

If you’re here, we’re going to be so bold as to presume you’re interested in cosmetics, beauty, skincare devices and wellbeing, so we’ll do this separate segment that will help beauty novices as well as seasoned pros. We’ll provide some sites particularly useful for brands like FOREO, FAQ™  Swiss, Sephora, Ulta, Dermstore, and similar retailers (but if you already know what brand is your favorite in the beauty domain, maybe it’s better to visit their official site, as some deals and promos will be country-specific). 

Very useful sites are:

• RetailMeNot
• CouponCabin
• Rakuten
• Slickdeals
• MUAontheCheap (Reddit)

There may already be an online discount on the retailer's official page (for example on bundles of products, older device generations, or cosmetics close to expiration date that is still good), and there is a good chance that you can combine a retailer's own sale with a verified promo code and cashback through some of these sites for substantial savings, especially on expensive things like high end skincare devices.

Pro tip:

During special events like Black Friday, holiday promotions, or brand birthdays, you may be best off going directly to the brand page, as they will offer the largest discounts in their centralized web shop. This is the case with brands like FOREO and FAQ™ Swiss, which offer excellent seasonal sales of up to 50% off, unmatched by the prices of their devices at other retailers or sales channels during these times. If you know exactly what you’re looking for, always go to the web shop directly before you do anything else.

Find the Lowest Price Manually

If you’re set on purchasing an item that isn’t available at a discount through any official or coupon sites, you can try finding the lowest price possible on Google manually, because many brands collaborate with compiled sites that hold various brands under the same roof, and not all of these sites will have the same pricing for the item. Type the product name into Google or upload a picture or a screenshot to find similar items. You’ll usually get sponsored results at the top and see the item's prices across various web shops, which can vary significantly.

You can find the lowest price possible by using Google Shopping. Type the product into Google, and then click on the “Shopping” tab at the top of the page. Then, click the drop-down menu on the right to choose “Sort by Price Lowest - Highest”. That way, you can rest assured you’re finding the lowest price available online.  Yet, this option will not be available globally; for example, in smaller countries or markets where there are not enough submissions for that item to rank them.

Extra tips for getting the lowest price possible

The digital is beautiful, and the economy and free market are also, once you see the dance. You’re interested in buying, and their purpose for existing is to sell, so the brands will entice you to buy in all sorts of ways and make it easy for you to spend more (and hopefully offer more value for that “more”). Some extra things to consider doing:

• Get items in bulk when applicable to your purchase, because you can get a better deal by ordering more units or choosing larger packaging. This is good for nonperishable items, such as body care products, skincare, and cosmetics that you regularly use.
• Search by model number or code if you know exactly what you need; you’ll get more quality results from reputable sellers
• Go thrift online for used items or completely new ones that are being resold by private people. Try sites like eBay, Vinted or Poshmark.  
• Check the manufacturer’s website directly, if applicable to your situation; it can sometimes be way lower than a retailer
• Don’t miss out on coupon codes for first orders or welcome coupons; sign up for that newsletter. The newsletters mostly come really infrequently, and you can always unsubscribe if you wish.
• Specialized, always-active coupons (for example, student, health worker, army, retired person) can also be of great help, but you’ll mostly have to go through some sort of verification to confirm your active status as a student, hospital employee, military personnel, or retired...
• Search by UPC/EAN code. Many retailers don't optimize product names because they just have too much to do and their systems are too large. Searching the UPC/EAN code can uncover obscure retailers selling the exact same item at a lower price.
• Look internationally for expensive products. Sometimes even after shipping costs and VAT, it can come to a lower total, or your shipping will be free internationally for an expensive item.
• Check refurbished/open-box/damaged packaging. Manufacturer refurbished items often include a warranty, cost 20–40% less, are virtually indistinguishable from new, and broken packaging means nothing to you, as you’ll be throwing it away.
• Contact customer service. A bit out there, but if the item is expensive, contact them with a clear intent to buy and ask whether any deals are currently available. You may just get a one-time coupon designed exactly for this purpose so as not to lose an interested customer.
• Leave the item(s) in the cart for 24-72 hours. You may get 10% or 15% off, or free shipping, to entice a purchase. Not always, but it's worth a try if it will save a substantial amount.

Conclusion

Finding the best online shopping deals isn't really about becoming the kind of person who gets a thrill from saving $1.37 on dishwasher tablets (although, give it time, adulthood is full of surprises). It's about making your money work a little harder, so you don't have to. You’re not Scrooge McDuck hoarding treasures, but a smart person who values their time and effort and has a concept of the future.

The internet has changed shopping, made it wonderfully convenient, and rewritten the book on best practices for sellers, but money always talks. Yet online and the concept of a credit card also made spending almost frictionless, no real physical cash changing hands, just dancing numbers on a screen. A few taps here, a saved card there, and suddenly you're wondering how a pair of socks, a serum, and an ice maker somehow turned into a three-digit number. Be smart. The same system trying to separate you from your paycheck is also full of tools designed to help you keep more of it. You just have to know where to look.

So compare prices. Check the official website. Search for a coupon code. Wait a day before buying the thing you suddenly decided you "can't live without." Let brands compete for your business with better deals and higher quality instead of handing over your money to the first retailer that catches your eye. That's how markets are supposed to work.

And perhaps the most important reminder of all? A bargain isn't defined by the size of the discount badge. It's defined by value. The cheapest thing is rarely the best deal if it disappoints, breaks, or ends up collecting dust in a drawer next to your abandoned pasta maker and the resistance bands you swore would mark a new chapter of your life. Buying one excellent item at a fair price will almost always beat buying three mediocre ones just because they were on sale. Minimalism is not a dirty word. Plus, next time you have some time on your hands, go through everything you don’t use and resell it. Someone thrifty online may just be looking for a seashell-encrusted mirror taking up room in your garage, and you wouldn't mind more money.

Money is stored time, your time - hours of meetings, early mornings, late nights, and all the little pieces of your life you exchanged for a paycheck. Spend it with intention. Save it where you can and splurge where it genuinely improves your life. Remember you vote with your money on what you’ll accept as good value. 

We hope this helped in some way, that you’ll find some of this advice useful, and that it will keep some green in your wallet. Stay cool, curious, capitalistically cynical, and enjoy living in your skin, dear friends. And when you do find that perfect item for hundreds less than everyone else is paying, allow yourself a tiny, completely justified moment of smug satisfaction. You've earned it.