How to save when shopping online

Bookmark these handy sites to make sure you get the most out of your online shopping dollar.

  • 10 December 2018

    Australian shoppers are a resourceful lot; searching high and low for the best deals and a wider range of products. Research by Australia Post estimates that online spending reached $21.3 billion in 2017 – a 19.2% increase from the year before.

    While the launch of Amazon Australia in late 2017 was touted as one of the biggest shakeups to hit the Australian retail industry in years, new GST laws introduced from 1 July 2018 are the real game changer. Under the new rules, any international retailer that meets the $75,000 AUD turnover threshold for GST registration must charge the 10% tax on all international items shipped to Australia.

    Before these changes, Australian consumers were able to purchase goods from overseas retailers below $1,000 AUD without any GST implications. These changes have prompted some international retailers, like Amazon, to block Australian shoppers from making purchases outside its Australian domain.

    If the US Amazon site was your go-to for online shopping deals, fear not – there are plenty of alternatives to help you get the most out of your online shopping dollar.

    Woman at home shopping online with her laptop.

    Browser-based coupon and discount plugins

    Wouldn’t it be great to know that you’re getting the best deal, no matter where you shop online? Browser-based plugins like Honey and CASHREWARDS do the hard work for you, automatically alerting you to discounts and cash-back offers. Both services require accounts, and once you’ve signed up, you can add their extensions to your browser which will notify you if that retailer has any offers available. With CASHREWARDS, you can also shop directly through their website.

    Online shopping events like Click Frenzy and Amazon Prime Day

    Creating 24 hours of shopping mania once a year since 2012, Click Frenzy is an event-based sale that offers discounts for a limited time. While the best-known Click Frenzy sale takes place on the second Tuesday of November to kick-start Christmas shopping and boasts ‘the best deals and exclusive offers’ for shoppers, other events during the year have been added.

    Australian shoppers still have access to Amazon, just a smaller range of products, and for the first time in 2018, they were able to take advantage of Prime Day. Prime is Amazon’s subscription service offering faster delivery and other benefits and Prime Day is Amazon’s annual sale to end all sales. Responses to Australia’s first Prime Day were lacklustre, but it’s worth keeping an eye on to see whether the retailer can improve the service for next year.

    Marketplace sites

    Australian-based e-commerce giant, Catch Group, has well-known marketplace sites catch.com.au and scoopon.com.au offering daily deals on thousands of everyday products, dining deals, events and activities. The Catch Group brands send out daily emails with current promotions and you can shop anytime via their websites.

    OzBargain is a crowd-sourced deals aggregator where users post both online and in-store deals they find for everything from food and wine to tech, fashion, homewares, entertainment, online courses, internet and phone deals and much more. You can set up alerts for specific items and share the deals you find with the community.

    Student-specific deals

    Sites like UNiDAYS and studentdiscounts.com.au are great for finding deals on well-known brands in a variety of categories. Software providers such as Microsoft and Adobe also offer discounts for students and education professionals.

    Tip

    To access student discounts and deals, you'll often need to have a university or TAFE email address or be able to offer proof of your student status.

    Online shopping safety

    It’s never been easier to make purchases with just a few clicks. As retailers continue to innovate and develop new ways to attract customers, keeping your information safe will only become more important. And, with so many online retailers, it can sometimes be difficult to determine legitimate sites from dubious operators.

    To help keep your information safe while shopping online keep the following tips in mind.

    • Always look for “https” at the beginning of the URL and make sure the padlock security symbol is visible on every page of an online store. This ensures that your data is kept safe during transactions.
    • Look for independent, third-party reviews for an online store if you haven’t used it before.
    • Don’t use public Wi-Fi to shop.
    • Ensure you have up to date virus and malware protection on your device.
    • Check your statements regularly for any unauthorised payments.
    • If you suspect unauthorised activity, contact your bank or card provider immediately.
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