shipping

11 Easy Ways to Earn More on eBay

Andrea Cannon — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 10:30:32 +0000

Selling unwanted items on eBay is a great way to clear away clutter and make some extra money on the side. Use these tips, and you'll start making even more.

1. Take Clear Pictures

Clear, sharp, and well-lit pictures are important. This is the first thing buyers will notice when looking at whatever it is you're selling. While it's a good idea to include the manufacturer's photo of the item, you'll also want to include some of your own so that bidders will know exactly what they're purchasing. They will also be looking at the background in the photos, so make sure to take them in a clean, well-lighted space.

2. Write a Good Description

Write an accurate, thorough description. Make sure to specify the brand, type, size, color, material, and other important keywords for the item you're selling. You will also want to clearly specify the condition of the item. In the description field, highlight the benefits of the product and what makes it different from another seller's listing. Check for misspellings in your description, which can throw off your keywords and make your item more difficult to find.

3. Determine Your Pricing

To set a price, first do some market research to see what identical items in similar condition are selling for, and how it compares to the original asking price. Be sure to also factor in the cost of shipping, packing supplies, and calculate any fees.

4. Timing Is Everything

You can set the time that your listing will begin and expire on eBay. It's important to take into account that you may have bidders on both the East and West Coast, so you want to set your listing to end at a time that is convenient for both timezones.

According to eBay, buyers are most active between 5 p.m. PST and 10 p.m. PST. In most cases, it's wise to end your listing between 6 p.m. PST and 9 p.m. PST. This allows bidders to place their final bid once they are home from work, but before they go to sleep, regardless of which coast they are on. Sunday is generally the best day of the week to end your sale. Weekends see the most traffic on eBay, and Sunday evening is the most active.

5. Set Unsuccessful Listings to Resell

eBay will allow you to relist items that didn't sell up to three times at no extra charge. If you set each listing to seven days and choose the option to resell unsuccessful listings, your item will be up for a total of 21 days at no fee.

6. Bundle Items Together

Whenever possible, bundle items together. This makes it seem like buyers are getting a better deal, and can help make your listing stand out. Best of all, it can save you time and money on shipping. This is especially effective around the holidays when shoppers are looking for gifts.

7. Have Positive Feedback

Bidders will look at your feedback, so it's important that you have some positive reviews. If you haven't sold anything or don't have any reviews yet, consider selling some smaller items first so that you can build up some positive feedback. This will allow buyers to be more confident in you when considering a high priced item.

8. Offer Free Shipping

According to eBay, most buyers are looking for items that offer free shipping. It allows buyers to see the total price easily rather than having to factor in an additional cost. If you don't want to offer free shipping, then offer cheaper shipping.

Make sure to ship through your eBay dashboard. This will make it more convenient for you, and results in shipping discounts of up to 24% on Priority Mail and up to 37% on FedEx shipments. It also allows the buyer to automatically track the shipment and can charge your PayPal account for the shipping fees.

9. Ship Items Quickly

By shipping your items quickly, you can get more positive feedback, which is important to future sales. International shipping can be expensive and time-consuming, so you may want to turn international shipping options off when selling your item.

10. Answer Buyers' Questions

If a potential buyer asks a question about your product, it's important that you respond quickly and accurately. If you take your time answering, the buyer may have moved on to another seller and you'll lose out on a sale.

11. Offer Good Customer Service

If you are frequently selling items, issues are certain to happen from time to time. As the seller, you have the responsibility to make an effort to provide customer satisfaction. This may mean accepting a return even when you feel you were accurate in your description, or providing a partial refund to satisfy a complaint. Do your best to remain respectful and calm, even if you feel the buyer is being unreasonable.

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This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

6 Strange Ways Online Shopping Has Changed the World

Mikey Rox — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 10:30:06 +0000

If you prefer online shopping to in-store purchases, you're not alone. According to Business Insider, about 78% of the U.S. population age 15 and older fancies themselves a few clicks and a quick checkout when buying something new. While that's all well and good — and incredibly convenient — this new American pastime does have its downsides. Check out a few of these strange ways online shopping has changed the world — not necessarily for the better. (See also: 8 Ways Retailers Use Big Data to Track You)

1. Consumer Reviews Can Make or Break a Product

Before online shopping became commonplace, consumers had few ways to learn about the pros and cons of a product. They could rely on word-of-mouth if someone they knew had purchased the same item, or they could listen to what the media said about it, perhaps on consumer-related nightly news piece or in magazines, like Good Housekeeping. Because information on how well — or not well — a product worked was sparse, consumer unhappiness was limited. Retailers were relatively safe from gaining a poor reputation unless its products were outright duds that caught attention en masse. But that all changed with online shopping, which gave consumers the voice they had been looking for. Today, reviews of a product are trusted more than personal recommendations, according to research. In fact, a whopping 92% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they would a friend or family member, or perhaps even more.

2. There Are No True Holidays Anymore

Remember when we were kids and holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas meant that virtually no retail stores would be open? We'd drive through town on the way to our relatives' house for supper and there was nary a car in any of the stores' parking lots. That's all changed thanks to online shopping, much to many people's dismay. Each year, it seems, Black Friday hours are pushed earlier and earlier, creeping into Thanksgiving, with some stores opening on Thanksgiving Day even. Last year, Kmart said to hell with the entire holiday and opened at 6 a.m. the fourth Thursday of November, the earliest among major retailers. It was beat out by one other chain, however, though not a competitor: Victoria's Secret opened its doors from 12 a.m. to 12 a.m. Thanksgiving Day (a full 24 hours!), because, ya know, who isn't in the mood for sexy lingerie after stuffing themselves silly with turkey and mashed potatoes?

3. Shopping Malls Are Becoming Ruins

Shopping malls were huge in the 1980s and '90s, so much so that they defined an entire generation. But by the 2000s, attendance at malls around the country started to dwindle. Many factors have contributed to the decline (not the least of which was that they had become locales of violence), including the rise of online shopping. Bustling hubs of commerce and social activity that once stood proud are now in ruin, relics of the past that serve as a stark reminder that American life isn't what it used to be.

"Dozens of malls have shuttered since 2010, with hundreds more on the brink," says Benjamin Glaser, features editor with DealNews. The few shopping centers that have been built in the last decade usually aren't traditional, enclosed malls, but larger complexes with a wider dining and entertainment options, and often open-air areas. To compete with online shopping, brick-and-mortar retailers are trying to create experiences.

This fate doesn't paint a pretty picture of what was left in the wake of the downturn or for current mall owners. Those that have already heard its final cash register cha-ching now look like sets for The Walking Dead, and those that still exist are being murdered by debt.

4. Dog Bites Have Increased

Family dogs and mail carriers have had a rocky relationship for decades, but recently our friendly canines have been acting out in droves — all because that pesky USPS employee is stopping by more often with your online packages.

According to AdAge, dog bites were up 14% last year, reaching a total of 6,549 incidents. The most attacks were in Houston, which had 77, while San Diego and Cleveland clocked in at 58 each.

5. Identity Theft Is Out of Control

Before online shopping became everybody's go-to method of buying everything from clothing to groceries, it was difficult for an identity thief to target a large amount of data. Sure, your credit card could be stolen by a single thief and charged up until the bank caught wind of suspicious activity, but the consequences pale in comparison to a million-accounts data breach that could throw your entire life out of whack. USA Today reports that credit-card data theft has increased 50% from 2005 to 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Likewise, because your credit card numbers can be worth hundreds of dollar a piece to resellers — the number of malicious programs written to steal your information has grown from about 1 million in 2007 to an estimated 130 million today. So basically, no one is safe, and you should take even more precautions — like not storing your credit cards with retailers online — to avoid becoming a victim.

6. Some Online Orders Are Now Being Delivered by Drones

Future moving too fast for you? Then you won't be elated to hear the news that drones may start arriving at your home or office to deliver your online shopping orders. Yep, flying robots are entering the friendly skies all over the world, and they could be landing in your front yard soon if Amazon has its way. Its PrimeAir program is gearing up for its first consumer flights that promise to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less. China and Australia have already implemented similar services, which has its benefits, especially to those in hard-to-reach rural areas, or for medical purposes, but we can all probably agree that nobody needs their piping-hot burrito dropped from the sky.

This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Save Money at the Post Office

Andrea Cannon — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 09:00:14 +0000

Visiting the post office can get very expensive, very quickly. Fortunately, there are several ways to save money at the post office, without sacrificing any of the quality or services you've come to expect.

Buy Forever Stamps

The benefit of forever stamps is that the value never "expires." This means that if the cost of stamps increases again, your forever stamps will still be just as valuable as they were when the price was lower. On the other hand, if you have a bunch of $0.47 stamps lying around and the price of stamps increases again, you will need to purchase supplemental stamps to make up the difference in cost. Forever stamps aren't any more expensive than normal stamps, so there's no reason not to purchase them.

Buy Stamps Elsewhere

Making a trip to the post office just for stamps can be a waste of time, money, and effort. Instead, consider purchasing stamps at your local grocery store, ATM, or even ordering them online and printing them out at home.

Go With Postcards

If you're sending a lot of holiday cards or making an announcement, consider sending postcards instead of traditional cards. When it comes to sending cards, saving money with the postcard stamp of $0.34 on all those cards can really add up. That's because for every postcard you send (rather than a traditional card), you will save $0.13.

Weigh Your Items First

You can often choose your shipping options and print out the shipping label at home using services like PayPal. However, if you need to go into the post office to arrange shipment, then make sure to weigh your items beforehand and do some research on the USPS site to find which option will be the most affordable, so that you're prepared when you get there.

Use Media Mail

Use Media Mail whenever possible to save on shipping costs. Media mail service is for shipping things like books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, educational media, and computer-related media at a low cost. Visit the USPS.com for more information on what you can send using Media Mail services.

Keep in mind that the post office has the right to examine what's inside your Media Mail package to ensure it fits within their guidelines, so make sure you're only shipping the approved items. If you attempt to ship items that are not approved via Media Mail, it can be considered a postal crime, which is a federal offense, and definitely not worth the savings.

Use First-Class Mail for Small Packages

If you have a package that weighs less than 13 oz, you likely won't find a cheaper, faster option than First-Class mail. Your item will arrive in 1-3 business days and won't cost much.

Use Priority Mail

Priority Mail flat rate shipping offers a flat rate to any state, for shipments up to 70 lbs. It includes free package pickup, online tracking, and up to $50 of insurance with most shipments. For small, heavy items, this is usually the way to go. Best of all, if you print your label from home and have the package picked up for free, you won't have to visit the post office at all.

You can pick up the appropriate Priority Mail envelopes or boxes from your local post office. You can also order free Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express supplies online with free home delivery.

Go Minimal

Shipping an item is expensive enough as it is. Adding services like insurance, tracking, receipt confirmation, and other add-ons can really rack up the cost. When possible, choose the slowest shipping option with minimal add-ons to save the most.

Recycle Shipping Supplies

Whenever possible, save your packaging materials from previous shipments so that you don't have to buy new ones later. When you receive a package, consider saving the bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and even the box. If you have old newspapers, you may want to save those for your next shipment, as well.

Choose the Right Shipping Service

USPS is typically the most affordable shipping service provider, but that's not always the case, particularly when you have larger items to ship. If you aren't set on using USPS, sites like ShipGooder can help you choose the best shipping service for your items.

Go With UPS Instead

Sometimes, the best way to save money with USPS is to choose a different service provider altogether. For instance, if you need insurance on your package, it may be a better idea to go with UPS. UPS offers $100 in insurance for free, so it may be a better option if you're shipping a large or valuable package.

Do you have other tips for saving money at the post office? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Can You Really Save With Amazon Prime Pantry?

Ashley Eneriz — Tue, 03 May 2016 09:30:24 +0000

Amazon is the go-to website for many looking to save money. I am a huge fan of using Amazon to price-match Target and Walmart merchandise, and I take full advantage of the Subscribe & Save program. However, one newer program, Prime Pantry, has a lot of shoppers confused.

At first look, Prime Pantry does not seem to be that great of a deal. Many of the prices are the same as your local retail store, but what's with the $5.99 shipping? And do you have to fill your box to 100%? Prime Pantry can score you great deals on essential pantry items, but you need to know how to take full advantage of the program. Use these tips to get the best deal on Prime Pantry items.

Earn Pantry Credit

First things first, you do need to be an Amazon Prime member. You can easily get a free trial or a discounted membership if you are a student. As a Prime member, every time you order a Prime item, you can choose "Free No-Rush Shipping." In exchange for choosing a slower shipping speed, Amazon rewards you with either a $1 credit for eBooks and digital videos, or a $5.99 Pantry credit.

I try to make it a habit of choosing the no-rush shipping option when I can wait a few extra days to receive my purchase. I will also separate orders to get the most credits possible. Once you have the $5.99 credit, do not use it until you can pair it with a free shipping promo.

Wait for Free Shipping

Usually once a month, Amazon offers free shipping on their Prime Pantry box if you buy five selected items. This will automatically save you $5.99 on your order. The free shipping code can be stacked with other coupons and your no-rush shipping credit.

Buy Items With Clippable Coupons

I used to be really good at using coupons and getting things like toothpaste and deodorant for free. I honestly just do not have time for that anymore. That is why I love that many of the Prime Pantry items come with clippable coupons. Sometimes the coupons are minimal, and other times they can dramatically reduce the cost of your purchase. I try to find items I need that have a clippable coupon and that also qualify for the free shipping promotion.

Wait for Additional Savings

Often Amazon will also offer their Pantry boxes for an additional 20%–30% off. Last month, I was able to get $60 worth of razor refills, cleaning products, and personal products for about $20 after stacking a 30% coupon, free shipping coupon, clippable coupons, and no-rush credit.

Slickdeals Is Invaluable

It can be time consuming searching through all of the Prime Pantry items to get the best possible deal. Thankfully, there are usually posters on Slickdeals.net that put together scenarios. As long as you need the Pantry items they post, using their scenarios minimizes a lot of the time and guesswork.

Don't Be Afraid to Contact Customer Support

When I was able to buy $60 worth of Pantry items for about $20, my 30% off code would not go through, even though I was doing everything correctly. I simply contacted customer service. All I had to do was give the representative screenshots of my order and tell them the page the code was on (which was Amazon's Prime Pantry's homepage). The customer service person told me to submit my order and then issued me a refund for the 30% once my order shipped.

If the coupon codes are not working for you, don't get discouraged. Just reach out nicely to customer service via chat, and usually they are more than accommodating.

Submit More Than One Order

Unfortunately, you cannot use multiple no-rush credits on one order. You can take advantage of the free shipping and percentage off coupon more than once, though. If I have more than one no-rush credit, I will typically order the bare minimum to meet the coupon requirements, and then order another five items separately. This allows me to use both of my Prime Pantry credits.

Your Box Does Not Have to Be 100%

Every time you add something to your Pantry box, it tells you what percent of the box you have filled up. A common misconception is that you need to get your box total to 100%. This is not true and will cost you more than you need to spend. There is no minimum percentage that you need to fill your box.

I really like Amazon's Prime Pantry, but I would not use it if I did not have coupons to stack. The more coupons you have to stack, the lower your price will be.

What do you think about Amazon's Prime Pantry?

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This article is from Ashley Eneriz of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

12 Surprising Things You Can Have Delivered

Mikey Rox — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 11:00:12 +0000

Humans are creatures of habit. We're also creatures of convenience, if only evidenced by the growing number of things we can have delivered right to our doors these days. Sure, Amazon helped usher in a new age of get-anything-quick, but more and more retailers are starting to provide privatized delivery services for everything from ski equipment to new cars.

What can you get your hands on in flash? Take a look at these 12 items you can have delivered today that you couldn't just a few years ago. (See also: 21 Fresh Food Delivery Services That Can Save You Big)

1. Ski Equipment

Winter weather threatening your holiday vacay? Make the most of the snow by having ski equipment delivered to your hotel or wherever you're staying close to 35 ski resorts in North America. Ski Butlers' service includes a personalized fitting by a technician, free pickup on equipment on the final rental day, and any required on-mountain adjustments. The service helps skiers and boarders avoid long lines at the ski shop plus save on shipping from the original location to the destination — not to mention the hassle of finding ski shaped boxes.

2. Printer Ink

Save yourself a trip to your local office-supply store by having ink delivered when you're running low. That's right — HP Instant Ink allows your printer to order cartridges when you're running low, so you don't even have to remember to do it yourself! Plans start at $2.99 per month with savings of up to 50% on the actual cartridges.

3. Kiteboarding Equipment

If you're an extreme-sports enthusiast, you'll be happy to know that you can rent and have delivered kiteboarding kites anywhere in the United States from Demo a Kite. The service offers a wide range of kits, allowing users to try out different brands, with the option to choose how much time you'd like to rent the kites. When the rental period is over, ship it back for free in the box provided.

4. Your Favorite Chain Restaurant Foods

Pizza delivery has been around for, like, ever (okay, since the early 1960s when Domino's made it popular), but until recently we haven't been able to get our other favorite fast and chain-restaurants foods delivered. That's all starting to change with services like DoorDash, a third-party service that delivers food from your favorite restaurants, like California Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, and (for hangover Saturdays) McDonald's. The service promises that your order will arrive in 45 minutes or less, though its availability is severely limited and growth has experienced a few road bumps. Similar services include Postmates and Instacart, which also will deliver items from other local retailers and grocery stores — not just restaurants.

5. A New Car

Want to avoid that sleazy car salesman in his polyester suit? In that case, you may want to check out NowCar.com, a site that allows users to buy a new car online and have it delivered to their homes for free.

"We officially launched in Sept. 2015, so we are a relatively new service," says Chloe Lykes, NowCar.com's content manager. "NowCar allows a user to complete the entire car shopping, comparing and buying (finance, lease, or cash sales) process of a new car online. And, once completed, the car is delivered to their home, for free. Since buying a car has many facets, much of NowCar's software development stems from a combination of algorithms that make all types of various scenarios possible."

6. Alcohol

When wild-and-wacky blizzards blow through — and your backup of reserve booze is compromised (which means it probably time to panic!) — Drizly will come to the rescue. Delivered to your door within an hour (that's the goal, but maybe cut 'em some slack if there's a snow squall outside your door), this service will bring over your favorite wine, beer, or liquor — with no markups — in a growing number of cities that currently include Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Baltimore, NYC, St. Louis, D.C., L.A., and several others.

7. Condoms

Safe sex is the best sex, period. If you have an enviable bedroom life and, thus, generally need to keep your condom stash replenished, Rubber Club, a monthly subscription service that sends your favorite brand of condoms straight to you, might be up your alley. Or, ya know, if things are getting hot and heavy with your lover boy or girl at home (in San Francisco or Brooklyn; sorry rest of the world) and you realize you're fresh out, hop online and order a 12-pack for one-hour delivery from L. condoms. Just... no high-fiving the delivery guy.

8. Chicken Eggs... That Will Hatch!

When I was researching this piece for some of the strange things you can have delivered, this came up — and it's legit. Not only can you order chicken eggs that you can incubate to the point of hatching, but you can raise an entire farm full of fowl with other available eggs that will eventually produce ducklings, goslings, pheasants, turkeys, quail, and more.

9. Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service

If you're like me and you drop off your dry cleaning and tend to forget it for weeks, services like Washio, which offers premium dry cleaning and laundry delivery, could be a godsend. The wash-and-fold component seems pretty competitive from what I've seen — $1.99 per pound — but some of the dry cleaning rates, like $4.99 for a T-shirt and $5.99 for a sweater, are a bit questionable. Though they do balance out with more reasonable rates for other items, including $8.99 jackets and $11.99 two-piece suits. The service will pick up your garments and bring them pack for an additional delivery fee in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and a few others.

10. Massages

When you're too achy to move, order a masseur from Soothe that will bring everything you need to relax and detox with a legit rubdown right to your home. Soothe helps pair five-star therapists — every available masseur is licensed, background-checked, and thoroughly vetted — with weekend warriors and serenity seekers seven days a week from 9 a.m. to midnight, including holidays. You can have your masseur in one hour or schedule in advance, and no cash is exchanged as gratuity is built into the online fee when you book.

11. Women's Hygiene Products

Listen, I'm not a lady, and I'm not faced with lady issues often (luckily I'm married to a dude), so I'm just going to say that if going to the supermarket to buy women's hygiene products (I hope that's what I'm allowed to call them) makes you uncomfortable, there's a service that makes the whole process quick, easy, and discreet. Plus, you'll help someone else at the same time.

"Each box [of feminine products] is customizable, and for every box she receives a box goes to a woman in need," says Aunt Flow founder Claire Coder. "The buy-one-give-one model for basic sanitary products is changing lives."

12. Puppies!

Out all the cool and strange things you can have delivered these days, nothing beats a puppy! For a "puppy playtime" fee of $30, Uber has tested the waters of doggy delivery — that is, bringing cute-and-cuddly pups (and their handlers) to those who need a pick-me-up. It recently launched the limited-time promotion with Discovery Communications across several cities, including New York and Chicago.

The puppies that were part of the promo also were available for adoption. Keep an eye out for these kind of exciting opportunities more often from ride-sharing services, which have been taking advantage of cool opportunities with other brand partners, like the meme site Cheezburger and retaile UglyChristmasSweater.com, the latter of which offered free sweaters via Uber delivered this past holiday season.

Anything else you can now have delivered? Let us know in the comments!

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This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

8 "Free" Things That Aren't

Paul Michael — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 18:00:03 +0000

Free has to be one of the most abused words in the English language. It's become so bad that we are always skeptical, and look for asterisks or legal copy to see what the catch is. But, even when there doesn't appear to be one, free is not always what it's cracked up to be.

Here are eight instances when something free may end up costing you in the long run. (See also: 20 Ways to Entertain Your Kids for Free)

1. Free Shipping

As an occasional eBay seller, I know the power of free shipping. In fact, one of the most popular ways to sort products on eBay is to click the box that says "free shipping."

When researching this, I discovered that it was better to charge $19.95 for a product and offer free shipping than it was to charge $14.95 and $3.95 shipping. As you can see, the latter is actually the better deal — but people don't see it that way. So the next time you are looking at deals online, do some comparison shopping — especially on eBay. You will find that on many occasions, identical products work out cheaper when you actually opt to pay separate shipping.

2. Free Checking

Many banks will lure you in with free checking, but don't sign on the dotted line until you really understand what's being offered. For instance, my "free" business checking account comes with a $15 monthly service charge if I don't pay at least three bills each month using the bill-pay service. That one was news to me.

You can also find a whole host of fees that you will have to pay to handle your money, ranging from wire transfer fees and checkbook costs to ATM fees, minimum balance fees, and others. Oh, and the second you go into the red, expect to be hit with a whopping fee (usually around $35), even if it was only by a few bucks for a few hours.

3. Free Big Prizes

We're not talking about winning a couple of tickets to a show or an mp3 player. If you are lucky enough to win something big, like a home, fancy vacation, or a car, be prepared for the cost implications that will follow. The big problem being taxes.

For instance, many people on the show Extreme Home Makeover were thrilled to see their old home become an extravagant mansion. But once the cameras had gone, they were left with massive property taxes, big energy bills, and steep insurance hikes. Their financial circumstances didn't change to cover those costs, and they either had to sell, take out a home equity loan, or in some cases, declare bankruptcy. If you win a big car, or dream vacation, you will have to declare this to the IRS. So, be careful before saying yes to anything like this. It may be a dream come true, but can you afford it?

4. Free Pets

You see them advertised on Craigslist, local ads, and even in the break room at work. Someone's pet has a litter, and they want the kittens or puppies gone quickly. Hey, a free puppy, that's great! Well... yes and no.

Your new addition will need a lifetime of food, care, and veterinary visits. Right off the bat, you'll have to pay to have your "free" pet vaccinated and spayed or neutered. If you choose a puppy that will grow into a large breed, you can expect to pay hundreds each month for food. And if your pet gets sick, the vet bills can be insanely expensive. If you want to avoid that, pet insurance is another hefty monthly cost. The big question is, do you have the financial stability to accept a free pet?

5. Free Hotel Breakfasts

"Hey look, it says here we get a complimentary breakfast every morning!" Actually, you've already paid for it. No hotel would stay in business by giving away tens of thousands of dollars in food and beverages every single day.

The simple fact is, the cost of that breakfast is incorporated into the price of your hotel room. For example, instead of charging you $135 per night, the hotel charges $150 per night and includes "free" breakfast. Of course, if you're smart and book the hotel with a price comparison website like Hotels.com, you may get the room for way less than the advertised price. In that case, the other guests are paying for your free breakfast.

6. Free Meals/Tickets for Listening to a Pitch

You know the saying, "There's no such thing as a free lunch?" Well, sometimes it's spot on. In this instance, you're asked to listen to a sales pitch in exchange for a free meal, tickets to a show, or even a free vacation. Sounds like a good deal, but it isn't.

It turns out you have to spend at least 45 minutes of your time listening to a pitch about timeshares, or investment opportunities, or new baby products (yes, this happened to me once). And once the presentation is over, you will be given the hard sell — the super hard sell. These people don't like to give away free meals or show tickets without converting enough people into customers to make it worth their while. So ask yourself, is your time free? Because you are paying for your "free" gifts with it.

7. Free Extra Gadget — Just Pay Shipping and Handling

You can already see the conflict in that statement. Many times on TV you will see those very sales-y infomercial products. After being blasted for 90 seconds about all the amazing things it can do, you are suddenly surprised with the fact that the order will be doubled if you call now. And, very quickly, a voice says, "Just pay shipping and handling."

Well, guess what. You're actually paying for that extra gadget. In fact, the whole pricing model is based on the cost of selling two items to you, not just one. The additional shipping and handling fee is a nice little bonus on top, as the cost of shipping was already calculated in the original cost of the product. It's all smoke and mirrors, but it's a very effective way to get people to buy. And, if you want to test the theory, call and ask to buy just one of the product at half the cost. You won't get very far.

8. Free Stuff on Craigslist

Many people I know like to browse through the "free" section on Craigslist in the hope of snagging a real bargain. Most of the time, what's being offered are items that are either too difficult or too costly for the owners to dispose of themselves.

From time to time, you will find something decent on there. But before you say yes, remember it's not actually free. You have to go and pick up the item, which means you're spending money on fuel, putting miles on your car, and of course, using your own time (which is valuable). You may also need to repair the item in question. A good example I saw recently was a movie projector. Offered free, because it needed a new bulb that cost almost $100. So, do your research, ask questions, and see if the free item is actually worth your time and money.

What free things have you picked up only to regret the actual cost later?

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Little Known Amazon Shopping Hacks

Kyle James — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 15:00:23 +0000

Most of us already know you can score great deals shopping on Amazon — but there are some secrets that can make these great deals even better. These Amazon "shopping hacks" will help you get things like a free Prime membership extension or digital credits, and even seven-day price protection on purchases. Here's what you need to know to make it happen. (See also: 16 Amazon Deal Hacks You May Not Already Know)

1. Score a Free Prime Extension

While Amazon Prime's two-day shipping guarantee is pretty darn reliable, there will undoubtedly be times when you don't get your package on time. When they don't deliver on their guarantee, simply hit up customer service via a phone call, email, or live chat, and explain the situation. By doing so, you'll likely end up with a one month Prime membership extension ($8.25 value), or a $5 or $10 credit to your account. What you receive from Amazon as "compensation" will depend on how late the package was delivered and the size of the order.

Whether the delivery delay is caused by bad weather, a problem at the Amazon warehouse, or a combination of both, you should hold Amazon's feet to the fire if they don't deliver on their two-day guarantee. After all, you're paying $99 annually for the membership and they're "guaranteeing" two-day delivery, so there should be consequences if they can't deliver on their promise.

2. Get a Replacement Item Without Sending Back the Original

Most shoppers are unaware that if delivered goods are damaged or broken, you can contact Amazon customer service and they'll immediately send you a replacement item. Better yet, if you politely ask, they'll often send it via overnight delivery. Even better than that, if the item is valued at less than $50, they'll often tell you to keep the broken or damaged item. This is really a sweet deal if the item is still useable or can be salvaged with a little elbow grease.

It's important to realize this will only work if the item is sold directly from Amazon and not a third party seller. If the item is from a third party seller, you'll have the option of either getting a full refund, or a replacement item delivered to your home in three to four business days.

3. Get Amazon Price Protection

Are you aware that Amazon has a price protection policy in place? Because it's not advertised openly on their website, most shoppers have no idea it exists. If you bought an item from Amazon and noticed the price has later been lowered, you stand a great chance of getting the lower price. As long as you're within seven days of the delivery date, and the item was sold by "Amazon.com LLC," you're entitled to the lower price and a credit back to your payment method in the amount of the price difference, or a gift card added to your account for the difference in the price. The best way to get your credit is via live chat — just be sure to have your order number on hand so they can look up the current price.

Because Amazon is famous for constantly changing prices, I highly recommend checking on the new price of items you've recently purchased, especially on significant purchases. Personally, I like to set up an alert on my smartphone calendar to remind me to check pricing on the seventh day after delivery. By doing so, I've been able to take advantage of the Amazon price protection policy several times and earned a good chunk of change in the process.

4. Score Free eBooks, Movie, and Music Credits

If you frequently buy digital content like eBooks, digital music, and videos from Amazon, I have a great hack to get free credits added to your account. If you're an Amazon Prime member, and don't necessarily need an item delivered within two days, you can opt for "FREE No-Rush Shipping (five business days)" and get a $1 credit for digital content by doing so.

I have also occasionally seen credits up to $2 along with credits for Amazon Prime Pantry. They tend to rotate their "No-Rush" credit option with $1 for digital content being the default offer. Also, it's important to point out that you'll get your credit added to your account after the item has shipped. Plus, credits are stackable and there is no limit on the number of credits you can receive.

5. Get an Amazon Price-Match (Sort Of)

While Amazon doesn't have an official price match policy in place, you can still request a lower price if you find one on a competing website or from a local brick and mortar retailer. This is done by informing them of the lower price on the Amazon product page — under "Product Details," simply click on "Tell us about a lower price" and follow the instructions.

Next, monitor the item for a couple days and you stand a good chance of them lowering the price based on your information. Your odds of success rise significantly if the lower price you found is from a popular online competitor, as it becomes very easy for Amazon to confirm their price. Since this hack requires a few steps and some patience, I only recommend trying it on significant purchases where you can save enough money to make it worth your time and effort.

It's important to never assume Amazon offers the lowest price around. Or worse yet, to settle for a higher price because they make online shopping extremely easy and convenient. There's no reason why you can't take advantage of the above hacks to save money in addition to taking advantage of the conveniences Amazon offers. Do that, and you've officially become a smart Amazon shopper.

Have you tried any of these Amazon shopping hacks? If so, how did it work out?

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This article is from Kyle James of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: Escaping the Mundane

Linsey Knerl — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:15:16 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips roundup. Today, we tell you how watching movies can increase your money IQ, why the rich are leaving their mansions, and how to get stuff done after a tiring day at work!

Home Delivery: Local and Long Distance

Philip Brewer — Mon, 24 May 2010 16:14:25 +0000

If your interests in simplicity and frugality have as much to do with protecting the environment and using less resources as they do with saving money, give some thought to reviving the old practice of home delivery.

Home delivery used to be universal (although just in cities). Period movies show shopping sprees in New York, London, and Paris where the shoppers merely sign for their purchases and move on to the next store, confident that their items will be delivered.

The decline of home delivery is due to two forces:

Households sending every adult member into the workforce, which brings in more cash, but means that many households have no one at home to receive deliveries.
Universal car ownership, which makes it possible for household members to just go and get things (especially convenient when work obligations made it impractical to stay home to wait for deliveries).

Home delivery only works well when there's a certain density of households being delivered to. When most houses are empty throughout the working day, home delivery is no longer practical.

The decline of home delivery opened the way for national shipping companies to begin home delivery of packages, and that, in turn, has allowed home delivery to begin to reappear. See for example Linsey Knerl's description of using Amazon's "Subscribe and Save" service to achieve most of what you could do with local delivery. (And, as on-line shopping began to take hold as the main way many people shopped, many grocery stores began reinstituting some form of local delivery.) The fact that national shipping companies have taken over from local delivery by individual stores means that not just urban folks can have things delivered—a big win as energy prices put the squeeze on rural folks.

From a resource point of view, home delivery wins on almost every measure.

Most obviously, home delivery saves fuel: It takes far less fuel for one delivery truck to drive to a hundred homes than it takes for a hundred people to each drive their own car to the store. It also scales well: If the store doubles its business, it can buy one more truck and hire one more driver (versus doubling the size of its parking lot so another hundred households can make another hundred trips to the store).

There are other advantages as well, although most are conditional:

Having things delivered to your home saves both the time spent going to and from the store and the time spent pulling things off shelves—but only if you're able to effectively use the time you're home expecting a delivery.
If you're the sort of person who's tempted by impulse buys, placing your order by phone or internet can reduce your exposure to the shelves of sodas, candy, snacks, and the like.

Information technology has the opportunity to completely restructure shipping, to make it much cheaper and save vast amounts of energy.

The old model, before FedEx, was for stuff to be stored locally in warehouses, which were supplied by rail, and from which stuff was shipped out in trucks. It was usually shipped to stores, which then did local delivery to urban customers. This was reasonably fuel-efficient, but required large amounts of capital—someone had to own all the stuff in the warehouses.

In the early 1970s, FedEx created the hub-and-spokes model, where everything was shipped to a central hub, where it was sorted and then put back on planes to be sent back out to the FedEx office closest to its destination. Since one warehouse near the hub can deliver overnight anywhere in the world, it saves on capital costs, but it only works as long as fuel is cheap. When fuel is expensive, it does poorly—and the whole model fails for rail or barge shipping.

But maybe information technology can fill the gap. A computer system, programmed with all the available shipping modes, could route packages on any transport that had space, preferring the cheapest and fastest ones. Since it costs almost nothing more to run a full ship (or barge, train, or truck) than one that's half-empty, transport companies could bid to carry packages part-way on a trip, and a package that's not urgent could make its leisurely way (on any number of different vehicles) until it was within local delivery distance.

If information technology can make sure that every vehicle carrying goods is full, we'll save a lot of fuel and a lot of money. And, as a side benefit, recreate the system of home delivery, thereby saving some more fuel.

This article is from Philip Brewer of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Modifiers: 5 things that change an item's final price

Torley Wong — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:29:46 +0000

On Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Regis Philbin's famous catchphrase was "Is that your final answer?" You should keep the same thing in mind when buying stuff, because spending a few seconds to check could save you a substantial stash of moolah.

Not counting "used" (B-stock and refurbished) goods and store cards, here are 5 modifiers which affect the final price of what you buy, whether it's in person or on the Internet:

1. Coupons & promo codes

How easy! Surely you've heard of these — magical slips of paper that give you a spontaneous discount at the register. Or online, it's even easier (and saves trees): just paste the code into the order form at checkout.

Offline, there's no shortage of flyers being mailed to the point where it becomes overwhelming. If you don't already have a few favorite stores, focus on your options and weigh not just individual item coupons, but the overall shopping experience. (It doesn't make sense to save a few cents and be let down by unhelpful staff.) Find out if you can be apprised of specials online, since they tend to be more searchable. For example, Costco has paper coupon booklets, but they (and many Costcoholics, apparently) also post them on the web, which makes them easier to find or even setup an automatic alert for. This includes big things you're waiting for the price to drop on — such as an HDTV or fridge.

Clipping paper coupons is a time-honored art which my Mom excelled at, the details of which are beyond this article's scope. But one principle which must always be stated is: most coupons for lower-priced goods (like food) don't make much of a difference in isolation. It's in aggregate that the savings add up. However, while you can make more money, you can never make more time, so consider whether the laborious task of scouring booklets and compiling your coupons — a crimp on convenience — is worth the cost. This is highly individual and needs to meet your needs, as some people enjoy coupon-clipping as a hobby. Don't knock 'em!

Online, RetailMeNot is essential. It's user-powered, meaning many people submit promo codes and other people vote on their accuracy. Stale/expired coupons sink into the red while hot ones rise upwards. Some vendors feel threatened by this collective knowledge so they've asked RetailMeNot to exclude them, but other companies actively participate in promos. Be skeptical, however, as they may make something look better than it actually is. That's marketing for ya.

Always look out for stackable coupons. Some deals mavens have mastered combining them, such as:

a time-unlimited $50 off +
a one-week special which removes a further $25 +
extra 10% off if you buy 2.

The math can get confusing, but don't let that deter you from savings, because web checkout forms usually assist with calculations.

2. Cashback

Cashback often comes in the form of: you need to sign up, then click on a special link which tracks you when you buy something. Then, after an elapsed amount of time (so the participating company can reap a net profit), you get your cash back (literally). Under this are all manner of economic and social complexities, such as partner sites receiving commission payments.

Cashback tends to be smaller amounts like 2-10% and there are many flavors — FatWallet is one of the more popular sites to have strategically turned cashbacking into a community — but there are occasional jackpots. For instance, eBay's Buy It Now thru Microsoft Live Search once rose as high as 35% (!), and while I missed out on that, the cashback amount was at a still-respectable 25% when I opted for some pricey music gear. I ended up saving myself over $600 (it took a rolling 60 days to receive all my money after the orders had taken place).

One downside of cashback programs, including the eBay-Microsoft one: at-face prices may be inflated slightly or hugely, so be careful the cashback doesn't merely reduce the price to its usual parity.

Like coupons, take advantage of compound savings whenever possible: there've been a few times where I didn't just stack coupons, there was also cashback, sweetening the deal further. And sometimes there are rebates on top of that.

3. Rebates

Rebates come in different flavors, but they all have one thing in common: motivating you to take action (buy!) when you might normally not be so interested.

MIR stands for Mail-In Rebate, another way of enticing you to buy an item with a lower final cost, but you need to wait weeks, or even months to get a check in the mail as compensation. If money is tight today, be sure to factor that in. The waiting game can be tense and rebate programs often have strict rules, such as how your claim form is filled out, and what you need to include from the original packaging — commonly both a copy of the receipt and original UPC (bar code). Let me assure you, it sucks to go through that trouble, miss out one detail, and receive a rejection letter instead of money. Some rebate programs are shady and unresponsive, so search for others who've dealt with certain companies before.

This is why I prefer instant rebates — just like a coupon, but even easier, because it's automatically applied at checkout. All you have to do is buy. Ah, consumerism.

4. Shipping

Don't be fooled by "free shipping". It sounds tasty but often isn't true, as the cost is eaten up by a premium on the item itself. This applies everywhere from Amazon to eBay to Zappos.

But it's also true some places have substantially better shipping deals than others, all costs considered. Some may spur you to buy over a certain amount, e.g., "All orders over $99 get free ground shipping". This is tied to the economy of scale, since it takes about the same time to process most orders, but if you have a more expensive order, you (or at least your money) are viewed as more valuable to the company's bottom line.

In those cases, if your order is close to the minimum for free shipping, it may make sense to buy a small, sub-$10 item (also known as a "filler") to push you over the limit. But don't force yourself to buy more than you actually need, 'cuz then you won't be saving at all.

I previously wrote, "Is it worth paying more for faster shipping?". Check it out if you'd like related info.

5. Tax

Death and taxes may be certain, but at least you have a say in controlling the eventuality of the latter — like not paying sales tax if you order from out-of-state. After writing about the Mac mini for Wise Bread, I found out PowerMax, located one state to the south in Oregon, wouldn't ding me for $75 sales tax unlike Apple's own store. Sales tax becomes even more prohibitive on expensive orders: with high-end electronics, it easily runs into the hundreds of dollars.

The point here isn't to deprive the government, but make the smartest decision based on what's legal and available. Be resourceful like MacGyver.

The most important lesson I've learned about modifiers...

is don't get excited until you see the final price. So often, I've thought "That sounds like a bargain!" but by the time I get to the register, all these additional hits, surcharges, and in the case of airlines, hidden costs have added up and stabbed me in the side.

Online, don't be afraid to do a simulation by adding items to your cart and rushing to the checkout to see what it really costs. Some stores add additional friction (whether by dumb design or accident) and require you to signup for account — in which case, if you're understandably concerned about your privacy and getting spammed, have an alternate email address on hand to test the waters.

If you're new to this, the first few times of keeping the above 5 modifiers and other elements straight can be confusing. But persist, know what you want, and get it at a better price than you originally thought possible.

What are your fave modifiers? Have a modifier that I missed? Share your knowledge with us!

This article is from Torley Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Does Amazon.com's "Frustration-Free Packaging" live up to its name?

Torley Wong — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:17:56 +0000

In early November, Internet ultrastore Amazon.com announced their "Frustration-Free Packaging" initiative, aimed squarely at reducing the jagged tears and nasty lacerations that are an unfortunate occurrence of wrestling with clamshell and other hard-to-open packaging. One of the key points is: you've already bought an item and it's been shipped in a box, so enforcing plastic armor as an anti-theft deterrent is absolutely stupid.

I'm sad to announce that as of this writing, only 19 products are certified "frustration-free". Granted, Amazon has declared FFP to be a multi-year project, but the current list basically boils down to 8 kinds of toys, 7 of the same Microsoft mouse in different colors, and 3 SDHC memory cards. I love keeping you apprised of continuity, so you may remember that in "How to find the sweet spot when buying electronics", I cited the 16GB SDHC from Transcend as a sweet spot. Shortly after writing the article, I purchased 2 of them, and thanks to Amazon Prime, they arrived a couple days later.

Both cards came in a bigger cardboard box, not much deeper than the plastic cases needed to hold the cards. Inside were two smaller flatpacks, each containing a card and labeled as you see:

There was a tear strip that didn't even need scissors.

Seconds later, I had opened the contents.

Also good for the environment: "Contains 30% recycled fiber".

So does Amazon.com's "Frustration-Free Packaging" live up to its name? Simply put: while I haven't tried the other products offered under this option, in this case and without a doubt, yes.

If I had a suggestion for improvement, it'd be that the overall packaging for these tiny cards was still too big.

With an increasing amount of business done online, and quite some time before consumer 3D printers to manufacture our own goods are commonplace, FFP is one of the stepping stones in the bridge of progress. While nascent, it makes sense that when things still need to be shipped as opposed to downloaded (like movies & music), that we'll see this trend continue to rise — and accelerate, especially if more consumers are vocal about their displeasure with clamshell hell.

As with a number of other non-legally-protected advances, more e-merchants should take a page from Amazon's book and provide better packaging which is environmentally-friendly and a joy to unwrap.

Have you experienced Frustration-Free Packaging?

This article is from Torley Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Is it worth paying more for faster shipping?

Torley Wong — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:37:10 +0000

"Free shipping" is often advertised as attractive bait for you to take action and buy something! That is, until you find out it's not free after all. In other words, an absorbed charge. For example, I love Amazon.com. Their selection is generally excellent and their service is unrivaled (over the holidays, I got a reply on Xmas day when I enquired about undelivered goods). But if you've compared their prices with other online stores, you'll notice unless it's an especially killer deal, they'll factor shipping into their at-face cost.

The same has applied to Zappos (which has prominently advertised "free overnight shipping" and tried to differentiate with no-hassle support), eBay (where it's determined per-seller) and other places: whenever you see "free shipping", take a closer look at that total number and discern whether it's really gratis, or if you're paying a few bucks on top. It usually doesn't amount to more than a tip at a fine restaurant, but nonetheless, it's best for you to be aware.

Amazon has also had great success with their Prime program. Here's where they advertise "all-you-can-eat", free 2-day shipping for $80/year. Plus, $4 extra for each item gets you 1-day shipping. They're savvy enough to lure you in with a free month trial, and that's exactly what happened to me. My subscription just ended yesterday, and I'm going to renew — I've noticed better deals are on the horizon like this 3-month trial w/eligible textbooks.

Before answering:

"Is it worth paying more for faster shipping?"

First ask yourself:

"How much is my time worth?"

As bitter as the economy can be, the fact nevertheless remains: you can make more money. You can't make more time. This is a hard rule of how the universe works. Sometimes this traps us, like people paying more for guaranteed before-Christmas delivery because they procrastinated. It's times like these where it's advantageous to have a flexible lifestyle: not paying attention to social pressure when it comes to holidays, and setting your own rules. Not everyone has that luxury, especially if you have to dig yourself out of a hole of awkward family traditions.

That being said, here are some tips worth applying:

There's often a huge cost jump between 2-day and 1-day shipping, and that price often isn't worth it unless something is "mission-critical". (We aren't talking delivering organ transplants here.) You can easily observe this cost jump by visiting any web store that lets you preview shipping before checking out. (Some places are awful and require you to sign up for an account, or get to the final stages before checkout.) Other World Computing is a fine example of informing you about shipping beforehand. There, 1-day shipping can be double (~$22) what 2-day shipping costs, but the gap between 2-day and longer periods is less.
It's best to buy in the morning. Or more accurately, before the day's cutoff date: if you place your order too late, it doesn't get processed until the next day. Amazon has a handy countdown clock on numerous items, something I wish more places had: I've tested this by placing an order within the last 1-2 minutes, and got my goods on time. Other stores offer a rush processing fee, like Newegg's $3. General consensus is this isn't worth the minimal trouble if you order fresh to begin with. Like shopping in the supermarket, be early in the queue.
A little cost is worth a lot of convenience. Don't be foolishly thrifty. This guideline is especially true if you're putting together a new computer with accessories and expansions, as I experienced with my Mac Pro last month. I didn't want my performance to be bogged down waiting for RAM (which is far cheaper to install yourself than from Apple), so I selected 2nd Day Air @ OWC. Saving money is good, but spending money selectively where it makes a substantial improvement to your experience is even better. I find this is reinforced if I'm ordering something expensive. I get anxiety waiting too long for it to arrive, because even with today's tracking systems, I wonder, "Is it alright?"
Arm yourself with good package tracking tools. Even if you've paid for faster shipping, there's still a chance it may take longer than expected. Check the store's shipping policy ahead of time: in Amazon's case, if they can't live up to their $4-for-1-day guarantee, they'll refund the shipping cost. I've done this twice and they've been very prompt about it. After you get an order receipt, it's common to see tracking numbers in there. Go to the right link and bookmark it, and check it daily (if it's important). On Mac, I favor the Delivery Status Dashboard widget. It's nice and elegant, altho I wish it could autodetect the shipping service from the #. There are also cross-platform websites like TrackThePack.
Amazon Prime has no weight or dimensional restrictions. I wish I could apply this broadly, but I don't know of anywhere else that has a model like Amazon. If you buy a 200-lb. piece of exercise equipment, it's still $4 for 1-day shipping with Prime. Those moments are really worth it, because many places charge shipping by weight or dimensions. But remember, Prime only makes sense if you order regularly from Amazon — say, over a dozen times a year or if Free Super Saver gives you too much of a headache to push just a wee bit over $25. Also, items must be "Prime Eligible", meaning Amazon, not a 3rd-party retailer they list, carries it. Again, consider convenience over cost and what you're willing to dish out.
Keep gas costs in mind. This was more of a factor months ago, but with black clouds still looming overhead, and if your vehicle is a gas-guzzler, I think the lesson's well-burned into you: if it's going to be a long drive to a store that's got something in stock, it may be worth both the time and money to have it delivered to your door instead. Once more, contemplate what might be a better use of that time — relaxing, painting, reading the Wise Driving Guide? :)
Don't put it off. It's the most obvious thing in the world, but unless you can time-shift your holidays and aren't under familial pressure like me, plan and execute with extreme lookahead. Rushing also leads to poor decisions and compounds buyer's remorse, since you have less time in which to make sensible decisions. Remember that procrastination is average, not an exceptional outlier, and all that waiting and lazying around will cumulatively clog up the pipes at Xmas, Valentine's Day, etc. You, on the other hand, should be ahead of the game.

Do you think it's worth paying more for faster shipping? Share why or why not!

This article is from Torley Wong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Seven Ways to Get Free Shipping Supplies

Xin Lu — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:11:39 +0000

Once upon a time I sold a lot of stuff on eBay and Amazon, and I always needed envelopes, boxes, and padding. The costs of these shipping supplies could really add up when you mail over a thousand things per year, so I looked into how to cut down my shipping costs. Here are some of the ways you can get your supplies for free and lower your business overhead.

Reuse Packaging - When I receive an online order it always comes with a box. Those boxes can be flattened and used for your own packages. I usually keep a couple boxes around for future use. Bubblewrap lined envelopes are also great and can be reused.

Newspapers - After you finish reading that weekly circular or newspaper, you could use it to stuff your packages for mailing. It is more environmentally friendly than bubble wraps or foam peanuts and could provide adequate protection to your package.

Junk Mail - If you have a reasonably good shredder, junk mail can be processed into filler for a package. As long as the recipient is not able to piece together your personal information, junk mail is a great substitute for foam peanuts.

Dumpsters/Recycling Bins - There are often perfectly good boxes available in dumpsters and recycling bins. They are usually cleaner in the recycling bin so I suggest looking there first.

Local Stores - Last week in downtown San Mateo I saw several shops closing down, and one of them had a lot of boxes they needed to get rid of. If you look around your town and find any dead businesses it is likely they may have unwanted boxes. I think if you ask around you can even get shipping supplies from stores that are not closing down because businesses tend to receive many packages a day and have no need for the extra packaging material.

United States Postal Service - The USPS offers free shipping boxes and envelopes for their Priority Mail or Global Priority Mail service. You can order the packaging online or go to the postal office. The catch here is that you must use the boxes for Priority Mail.

Friends and Family - You can ask your friends and family to save packing materials for you if you do not have enough yourself. You should make an effort to pick the things up, though.

This list is by no means comprehensive and I am sure you can find other ways of obtaining free mailing supplies. With so much online ordering and shipping of goods around the world I think we all need to reuse and recycle our packing materials.

This article is from Xin Lu of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Big Savings and Free Shipping Through Monday at Ann Taylor Loft!

Linsey Knerl — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:35:35 +0000

Ann Taylor Loft is one of those stores I can spend hours in, but I almost always walk away without a purchase. Why? The products are fabulous, but the prices don’t always fit my tight budget. This weekend, they are offering free shipping on all purchases (no minimum required), and dozens of too-good-to-be true deals. Check it out!

Free Shipping offer – This fabulous promotion, valid on purchases at AnnTaylorLoft.com and AnnTaylor.com , is good on any size order, with no code needed. (Note that our friends in HI, AK, and PR are not eligible. Sorry.) Be sure that you select “Standard Shipping” or the cheapest available option. You have until Monday to get in on this rare savings opportunity!

New Reductions – As always, the Loft is offering some nice markdowns on some of their more popular pieces. Savings of up to 60% are showing up in all departments, including maternity. I didn’t even know they had a maternity section! (Note: as of this posting, the items were being quickly cleared out, especially the maternity pieces.) I like that the website allows you to filter the sale items down to just your size for quick and easy viewing.

Shoes are Buy One Get One 50% Off – Their selection is dwindling, but there are still a few adorable pairs of strappy sandals and these cute skimmers marked down to $14.99! You will automatically get 50% off the cheaper pair when you add it to your basket – no code needed.

Get $25 off your order of $50 or more, plus other great discounts! – This code has been generating deals for so many this weekend! It expires on 4/15, and you can get $25 off your order of $50 or more by using code 80200012. Pair that with a sale and free shipping, and you’ve got it made! (Thanks to a wonderful Wise Bread reader for confirming the expiration date, and for providing us with these other codes: 20% off + Free Shipping on $100 Ann Taylor LOFT Coupon Code 10601358 [Exp. 03/30] or 10601375 [Exp. 04/27] and 25% off on Regular-priced Maternity Order + Free Shipping Ann Taylor LOFT Coupon Code 104004109 [Exp. 03/31])

Teachers get an additional 20% off – Did you know that the Loft Loves Teachers? So much, in fact, that they will give you preferred pricing on items through their loyalty program just for instructors! 20% was the discount reported a few months ago. Sign up for the program at this link.

Like all great sales, the best of the goods are going fast. I was lucky enough to snag a few items before they were all sold out. If you try to save this weekend, let us know how you do!

This article is from Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Confessions of an eBay Shoe Addict

Andrea Karim — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 22:33:57 +0000

In addition to my myriad of other addictions, I am an eBay shoe addict. Oh, sure, I'll go to Target to get my fix every now and then. But with eBay, I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to see anyone else wearing the same shoes as me.

And oh, lordy, the kinds of shoes that you can find on eBay!

Now, you might already know eBay is great for finding fancy-schmancy new stuff for a bargain, like finding sample sales on designer items. And there's also something to be said for purchasing gently used items if they come from a good label, if only for the warranty associated with them. I'm just a little queasy when it comes to shoes. I don't like to buy them used. Sure, you can disinfect them, but it just never feels right to me.

So I'm come to my own compromise — I buy cheap (new) shoes. And yes, I buy them at Target, and I buy them at JCPenney (when they have a sale, they REALLY have a sale), but eBay is increasingly becoming the place that I turn to to find cheap, unique, wild and crazy shoes for rock-bottom prices.

Quality Versus Quantity

Some people argue that you are better off buying quality shoes at high prices, caring for them, and keeping them for years. This is true for men, for sure. Quality men's shoes are really damn good shoes. My boyfriend is a shoe fanatic, but unlike me, he pays high prices for a few excellent Italian shoes. He polishes them regularly, and returns them if there is any problem.

That system won't work for me. For one thing, I don't wear socks (well, you wouldn't wear socks with heels, anyway unless you're Cindy Lauper) but even with nylons, my shoes just don't smell so great after a while. Maybe a year. I don't polish my shoes. I've tried — I almost died from the fumes. I'm also a klutz, so my shoes will look like hell within a few months. I trip over curbs, kick myself in the ankles, close doors on my feet, simply fall over with no warning at all. It's a miracle that I'm still alive, actually.

A couple of years ago, I bought two pairs of pumps at Nordstrom. Good, quality leather. High price. They lasted roughly two months each. I can't bear to throw them away, but there's no saving them, either. So I've simply come to the conclusion that for me, cheap disposable and crazy footwear is where it's at.

Cheapster

Case in point? I paid $1 for a pair of brown leather pumps with lots of detail and little bows. They were being sold as "damaged." The damage was a teeny, imperceptible scratch under one of the bows. I'll take damaged goods like that any day!

My other recent purchase was a pair of zebra pumps with metal heels. These shoes are too naughty for work, but not for drinks with my girlfriends. Oh, they are lovely indeed. They were $12 with $9 shipping — roughly the same as Target, but I doubt I'll ever run into anyone else who is wearing a pair.

My current lust is for polka dot shoes. Green polka dot shoes. Peep toe ones. I can barely contain my glee at the idea.

Some tips:

Cheap shoes are cheap. They are often from China, and some of them smell like a Chinese factory. If you've never smelled that before, let me assure you that it is very unique. The brown pair that I bought had to sit outside on my porch for three days before I could bring them in.
You're not guaranteed a perfect fit. So far, I've been lucky, and if I'm not, I can always add some Dr. Scholls inserts if they shoes are too big, or get them stretched if they are too small.
Look for sellers with cheap shipping ($10 or under) or that combine shipping.
Use the filters to limit your results. You can search by size, type, color, heel height, and more. There are lots of shoes out there, so the filters are your friends.

This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

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