19 Ways to Save Money at Amazon

Here at NetVouchercodes we know that when it comes to online shopping most buyers want speed and convenience, instead of spending hours browsing for a product at the cheapest possible price. For many, Amazon has become the prime example of a ‘one stop shop’ due to its huge variety and great prices, making it a cheap and simple way to shop online.

You may think you’re saving as much money as possible with Amazon, but NVC know some thrifty tricks that you might not be aware of, that’ll help save EVEN MORE money. We’ve created a bargain hunters ultimate guide to slashing prices with ’19 Top Tips For Saving Money At Amazon’.

With this guide you could find yourself cutting costs on delivery, household items and must have expensive products.

1. Check whether you’re buying from Amazon or its Marketplace

If a product says ‘sold by’ a user rather than Amazon then the product’s coming from what’s known as a Marketplace- a trader selling via Amazon. When buying through a Marketplace delivery can cost more than usual and you aren’t eligible for free super saver delivery (normally available on items costing more than £20).

It’s important that you know your rights when buying via a marketplace. If there’s a problem with your item or you want to return it, you need to go to the seller first, not Amazon. If you need to return your item or your item doesn’t arrive a Marketplace will reimburse you through Amazon.

However, you won’t be covered under items that are worth approximately between £100 and £30,000, which are paid for with a credit card.

2. Find cheap items to help you hit the £20 threshold for free delivery

If an item costs under £20 and it’s from Amazon itself (not a Marketplace seller), check the delivery cost. Delivery can range from £1.49 to £6. So it may be worth buying something small that you need that costs less than that to take you over the £20 free delivery threshold.

For example:

Imagine Sarah wanted a £19.30 hairdryer- she’s then faced with £6.01 delivery, a total of £25.31. However she could add a 99p hair brush, so she’d only pay £20.29 – saving £5.02 and adding a brush into the bargain.

If the total price you pay getting the extra item is less than your original price plus delivery, it’s worth it.

3. Beat delivery charges and get free extra’s with a free Prime Trial

If you don’t qualify for free delivery, the charge depends on the category, and is usually between £1.49 and £6. However if you sign up for a month free Amazon Prime Trial you can get free unlimited one day delivery and other extras like unlimited movies and TV shows as well as early access to lightning deals.

All you have to do is sign up, order, use the benefits then cancel the trial before Amazon charges you.

Only do this if you are very organised and will remember to cancel though, otherwise £79 will be taken from your account.

4. Sign up to Subscribe and Save

Sign up for Amazon’s “Subscribe and Save” program to get discounts on thousands of everyday items, like laundry supplies and baby products. Not only will you have access to free shipping, but you could also save up to 15 percent on your entire order.

5. Get deals on children and baby items with Amazon Family

The Amazon Family program is free for Amazon Prime members and offers great deals on baby registry items and essentials such as nappies and wipes from big names likes Pampers. You could find yourself enjoying great discounts like 15% off baby wipes with this family friendly programme.

6. Combine Subscribe and Save with Amazon Family for 20% off nappies

You can combine two Amazon discounts to grab a big saving on nappies and wipes.

– Step 1: Save 5% off with Subscribe & Save. Amazon’s Subscribe and Save service gives 5% off selected household items when you place a repeat order, including nappies and wipes. There’s no minimum commitment, so if you want, you can simply cancel after your first delivery.

– Step 2: Get an extra 15% off with Amazon Family. This’ll boost savings to 20%.

7. Grab more discounts with Amazon vouchers

Amazon’s voucher page gives you a list of vouchers for specific items, which are often everyday products you use at home. You simply click on the voucher to collect it and it’s applied to your order at the checkout.

Simply sign in to your account and find great vouchers that are actually worth your time. There’s vouchers like 30% off Fairy Non Bio Pods Washing Capsules, 20% on MaxiNutrition bars, 20% off Go Cat Dry Cat food as well as other discounts on things like Weetabix, razors and Pampers products.

8. Students can get six months’ free one-day delivery (plus 50% off with NUS cards)

The Amazon Student club is a version of Prime specifically for students. It gives those aged 18+ who are in higher education access to free one-day delivery, Amazon’s video and music streaming services, its Kindle lending library and photo storage – plus some student-specific discounts.

It’s just £39 a year for membership, compared to the normal £79 charge, but students can get a six-month trial free (excludes Kindle lending library). Don’t forget to cancel if you don’t want to be charged £39 by going to Manage Prime Membership.

Amazon Student members who have a National Union of Students Extra card can enjoy 50% off Amazon Student membership and 5% off many products until 31 October 2016 (excludes Kindle devices, MP3 and Amazon Instant Video). Just log into NUS for a personal code to paste into the promo code box on Amazon every time you order.

9. Compare Amazon with other prices to make sure it’s the cheapest

Although Amazon can appear as a cheap alternative it is possible to undercut it. Amazon can often make up for cheap price tags with hefty delivery charges so it’s always best to compare Amazon’s prices with other online retailers and offers to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal.

10. Check out Amazon’s ‘Today’s Deals.’

The “Today’s Deals” link is usually located at the top of most Amazon pages and typically includes a “Deal of the Day,” “Lightning Deals” and other limited-time offers. This enables you to grab great one time offers on products you’ve been watching for a while. You can even keep an eye on deals by clicking “Watch this deal.”

11. Use deal tracker sites.

Prices for items on Amazon can vary constantly between low cost and overpriced. You can use sites like CamelCamelCamel.com to find your product at the best possible price. Simply enter your item and desired cost and the website will alert you when an item you want drops in price. This website also offers millions of items’ pricing histories to help you determine when the right time to buy is.

12. Get a price-match refund on a TV.

If you’ve purchased a TV on Amazon but within 30 days notice that another retailer is selling the same item for a lower price, contact Amazon. Amazon has a price-matching policy for TVs and promises to refund you on an Amazon gift card. And if Amazon lowers its own price within 30 days, you’ll get refunded the difference.

Note: the retailer you find the cheaper TV from must be a qualifying competitor in order to be eligible for the money back guarantee.

13. Check the Amazon Outlet for discounts and sale items

Just like a traditional outlet store, the Amazon Outlet offers big discounts on popular, yet expensive, items. You can find items in the Amazon Outlet from brands such as Ted Baker, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Debenhams and Adidas, with products ranging from fashion to luggage to jewellery.

14. Trade in your old stuff

Through its Trade-In program, Amazon offers gift cards to customers who trade in certain items such as tablets, phones, DVDs, CDs, books and video games. You won’t get actual cash in-hand but a gift card will let you buy practically anything you need via Amazon.

15. Shop Amazon Warehouse deals

Amazon Warehouse is Amazon’s store for open-box items, including TVs, tablets, laptops, home goods and more. It usually features items that have been refurbished, returned, used or damaged in a warehouse. Items are sorted by conditions, so you’ll know if the item you’ve purchased is in good shape. Amazon Student members get a 20% discount off selected products from Amazon Warehouse Deals UK. This Offer ends on 11 November 2016.

16. Get cash back if you see a price drop on Amazon after you buy something

One of the worst things about shopping is buying something right before it goes on sale. Thankfully, you don’t have to suffer that on Amazon: If you end up seeing a price drop after you’ve purchased something, contact Amazon’s customer service through live chat, phone call, or email and they’ll refund you the difference. This only applies to items shipped and sold by Amazon. The official policy says it must be done within seven days of your delivery date, but a lot of people have had luck with a refund even after that time.

17.  Freebies

Take advantage of the free eBooks available to download from the Kindle store. You don’t even need a Kindle to read these books- you can read them off your desktop computer. And, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, remember to borrow books from Amazon’s lending library. The library has over 500,000 titles for you to borrow.

18. Earn Amazon vouchers with online surveys and competitions

If you’re willing to give your views on a range of topics like drinking habits, exercise, celebrities, lingerie or the latest baby products you could find yourself earning gift vouchers for Amazon and other stores by doing online surveys. Dedicated survey do-ers can earn around £200 a year from home, with several sites paying you in Amazon vouchers, people have even been known to earn up to £800 through completing online surveys, all you have to do is put the time in.

19. Give money to charity through Amazon at no extra cost

Make an account with AmazonSmile and 0.5% of your purchase will automatically be donated by Amazon to a charity of your choice, at no extra cost to you. Simply click through to Amazon from a charity’s special link, login and click on the product you want. This is a great way to do something nice for society and feel good while spending no extra money. The charities involved in AmazonSmile include Macmillan Cancer Support, Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Epilepsy Action.