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8 easy ways avoid overpaying for products on Amazon

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We all love Amazon, right? Their low prices, their free shipping (if we’re an Amazon Prime member), their variety of products and I could go on and on.

How can such a great site be even better? Even lower prices. Here are 8 ways you can save yet more money on Amazon, so start shopping!

1. Check Out The Amazon Outlet

I had NO IDEA this existed until I was doing research online and came across the Debt Roundup blog (which is great aside from its Amazon-based posts).

Amazon’s Outlet is like going to an outlet mall… but from the comfort of your own home, and without all the crowds or having to drive dozens of miles out of town in bad weekend traffic.

You’ll find huge discounts on everything from headphones to bicycles. My only warning? It’s addictive. So shop wisely. (Even while writing this article, I had to make myself stop scrolling through all the deals!)

2. Take Advantage Of Warehouse Deals

Amazon’s Warehouse Deals remind me of when you buy the floor model of a bed at a furniture store—there’s nothing wrong with the mattress, but a lot of people have sat on it so it’s not necessarily as new as one in the back.

With the Warehouse Deals, you can get big discounts on used and open-box items. Some of the items have been returned to Amazon while others arrived to Amazon in damaged boxes (even though the contents were—and are—just fine).

3. Try Subscribe & Save

A friend of mine clued me in to Amazon’s Subscribe & Save, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t known about it sooner. The idea is, there are certain products we use regularly, like a particular soap (Dove), shampoo (Garnier Fructis), or laundry detergent (Gain).

All you have to do is subscribe and Amazon will send you your must-have items regularly. And the shipping’s FREE. Plus, they’ll give you a discount on the goods. Sweet, huh?

With five or more subscriptions delivered on your monthly delivery date, you’ll get 15 percent off, too.

4. Use The Lending Library

Free books, anyone? Then check out Amazon’s free and low-priced eBooks. All you have to do is download the Kindle Reading app to your laptop (you don’t need a Kindle). Too easy, right?

Plus, Prime Members also have access to the lending library, which has over a half-million (!) books waiting for you to discover. Time to get out your reading glasses!

5. Get Free Amazon Gift Cards

You can earn free Amazon Gift Cards when you answer surveys, surf the Web, do tasks and earn Swagbucks (which you can later trade for Amazon credits), and so forth—check out this link for more specifics.

In addition, if you get an Amazon.com Visa card, you’ll earn points—three for each dollar you spend on Amazon, two for each dollar at gas stations, drug stores, and restaurants, and one for each dollar you spend at other places (when you use your Amazon.com Visa card, of course).

When you get 2,500 points, you get a $25 Amazon gift card. I just went to the Amazon.com Visa card link and you’ll get $80 off if you’re approved.

Personally, I see no reason not to get this card. Bonus tip: Look on Amazon’s site for gift card promotions. Oftentimes, they’ll have a special where you can get a free $25 gift card if you spend $50, particularly in the “Grocery” and “Health and Personal Care” sections.

6. Student Accounts

Students get Amazon Prime for FREE for the first six months, then half off the membership price afterwards.

7. Mom Accounts

Amazon Mom costs the same as good old, regular Amazon Prime, but moms will get discounts on mom-type purchases, like diapers.

8. Amazon Prime

I know, this one costs money, so how does it save you money? In the long run.

With Amazon Prime, for $99 a year, you’ll get free two-day shipping (goodbye, delivery charges), as well as the ability to stream music, TV shows, and movies. Plus, you can use the lending library.

I know more and more people who are sharing the cost of the annual fee, so that’s a possibility. But you can also make it official and add their names to your account. You can add up to four people as “household members.” Who knew, right?

About the Author

Natalia Lusinski

In addition to Don't Waste Your Money, Natalia is an ongoing writer for Bustle (sex, dating, relationships, and money), HelloGiggles (pop culture and news), Simplemost (lifestyle topics), and The Delite (feel-good stories). You can also find her writing in the L.A. Times, the Chicago Tribune's RedEye, xoJane, Elite Daily, Scary Mommy, Elephant Journal, and Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, among other publications. She has a Ph.D. in couch-surfing, having spent four years sleeping on over 200 L.A.-area love seats and sectionals, all in an effort to whittle down her student loan debt. She still loves couch-surfing in other cities, too (hint, hint). More.

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