8 Ways to Find the Best Clothing Deals Online
Shopping for clothes online is a borderline addictive hobby that’s enjoyed by millions of people every hour of every day. Sadly, the vast majority of those shoppers aren’t getting the best deal in most transactions, and while that’s good news for e-Commerce stores that make their profit from markups, it’s not very good for the buyer’s card balance.
Although finding the lowest price isn’t always on the top of everyone’s priority list, when you add up the money saved by discounts that accumulate over the course of a year, for many online shoppers, it can amount to thousands saved annually. If you’re making a conscious effort to become a savvier shopper to the point of finding the cheapest possible prices for your favorite clothing online, check out the following eight tips for guidance.
1. Use Voucher Codes
As you may know, nearly every clothing brand distributes voucher codes and digital coupons that can be used to redeem special deals and discounts on their site. These codes are fairly easy to find, especially if you’re using a voucher code directory like this website.
This method is listed first because, quite frankly, it’s the quickest and easiest way to locate a boatload of online clothing store discounts without doing any rigorous research. Browsing voucher code sites is also a great way to discover new clothing brands, which frequently offer excellent deals to promote their burgeoning sites and product lines.
2. Search Social Networking Platforms
Many people aren’t aware that you can find some of the best discount codes on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Oftentimes, customers will be given access to special discount codes during a promotion or as compensation, and since they won’t be using the code before it expires, they just opt to give it to someone else in their social network who can put it to good use.
Thus, it’s possible to find some of the steepest discounts simply by joining couponing groups and following pages related to frugalism. Using this method can also help you find friends and chat buddies who will gladly tell you about cool sales and throw codes your way when they don’t need them.
3. Subscribe to Email Newsletters
Just about every online store will give you the option to receive a recurring email newsletter that contains brand promotions and useful content. Stores will frequently give their email subscribers the best exclusive discounts as a reward for opting into their list and being loyal customers. Signing up for email updates is usually a self-explanatory process, as you just have to find the email address form on the store’s site. In most cases, the opt-in form will pop up in front of the home page when you first arrive, so they’re hard to miss and it literally takes a few seconds to do this for each of your favorite stores.
However, be forewarned that you may want to use a separate email account specifically designated for this purpose, as your inbox will be flooded with promotions. Luckily, you can setup folder rules to automatically sort incoming mail into labeled folders by brand/store, which makes it easier to avoid spam.
Note: When using this method, it’s also a good idea to confirm that the email is coming from a legit source and the links are taking you to the store’s official website instead of a fraudulent duplicate.
4. Shop During Seasonal Sales
Many people decide to do the majority of their shopping during times of the year when the discounts are the steepest. Generally, such sales can be found during holiday seasons like Christmas, Easter, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. There is also great deals to be found during the “back to school” rush that begins a few weeks before the summer school break ends.
Additionally, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are famous for being the days when most online stores provide superb discounts. When you add up all the different holidays and promotional periods, it’s possible to do a decent amount of shopping throughout the year without ever paying normal prices.
5. Sign Up for a New Site
Most online clothing stores will give you a special discount or sign-up bonus when you create a new account. Some people even create extra accounts with their favorite stores using different email addresses in order to get the new member bonus multiple times, but this is typically against the store’s terms of service, so it isn’t necessarily the recommended route.
Since you can usually find your favorite brands at a variety of stores, it may make sense to sign up for an account with a new site every time you make an order instead of using the same provider repeatedly. Another benefit of using this method is that new stores often try to undercut the competition on price in order to gain customers, so on top of the new member discount, you may also find that their default prices are lower as well.
6. Apply for Store Cards
Applying for a store credit card is a great way to not only reduce the out-of-pocket cost of your online shopping but also gain access to cardholder-only discounts. For example, some stores give cardholders as much as 30% off on an ongoing basis, even when there are no special promotions occurring.
7. Consider Gently Used Items
Although you may not be fond of the idea of buying used clothing online, you can usually find items that are in like-new condition for massive discounts. If you buy from a reputable seller who has established feedback on a site like eBay, you can be fairly sure that the quality will be comparable to new clothing.
8. Buy in Bulk
Finally, as a bonus tip: Many stores will provide better discounts when your cart total reaches higher amounts. Likewise, even used clothing sellers offer bulk discounts when selling packaged lots of clothes. Therefore, you may want to consolidate your clothing purchases into larger orders instead of making frequent small orders.
Shopping Around Isn’t Really That Difficult
Many online shoppers miss out on great deals simply because they don’t want to “waste their time” shopping around for the lowest price and would rather streamline the shopping process. While this stance has its merits, particularly if you’re operating with an unrestricted budget and have no desire to save money, it certainly isn’t the smartest way to shop. Heeding the tips above might seem like a lot, but it really only takes a few minutes of your time once you know how to do it.
