You may have discovered that shopping online can save you a lot of money, as many websites ship stock directly to your home – cutting out the middleman and saving everyone a little money. But because online shopping has now become routine for many, the deals aren’t always as great as they used to be. Now even the well-known online shopping sites like eBay.com can have prices almost close to retail.
If you want to find the cheapest online shopping sites, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we have lists of the best sites for finding bargains for any kind of online shopping you are interested in. We have ecommerce websites cheaper than eBay, websites with daily deals so you can save even more money, websites with coupons for your purchases, classifieds websites, and websites that offer free shipping deals. Check out our best websites to buy cheap stuff below!
Bargain websites that can be cheaper than eBay
1. AliExpress
AliExpress.com is one of the most popular online shopping sites like eBay, but it allows you to buy wholesale from manufacturers in China, completely removing the middleman. On AliExpress, you can find some of the absolute lowest prices on the Internet, for items you would buy retail in North America at more than twice the cost. Visit AliExpress and start browsing for deals today!
2. Bonanza.com
Bonanza.com is a website similar to eBay where sellers can set up their own online profiles and sell direct to you as you browse the site. Bonanza makes an impact by being voted the best place to sell online, and is preferred by sellers; therefore, sellers will be more encouraged to use the site, making it the best place to find the best items online.
3. Alibaba
Alibaba.com is a website like AliExpress, where you can get unbelievable deals by shopping online direct from manufacturers in China. Users can buy products for personal use or their own businesses, and then use or re-sell them as they see fit. You can also sign up as a supplier and use Alibaba as your own selling platform.
4. Overstock
Overstock.com began as a way to sell surplus stock from failed ecommerce sites, meaning the prices were lower than anywhere else. Since then, it has expanded and offers a lot more items, but you can still find things cheaper than you can on many other websites.
5. NewEgg
NewEgg is similar to any other bargain shopping site, but it focusses on electronics. You can find great deals on anything new in the world of tech, and find special sales and discounts that you can’t find anywhere else. NewEgg also has rapid delivery and great customer service, so you know you’ll be satisfied if you decide to make a purchase.
6. Rakuten
Rakuten.com is our last suggestion for an alternative shopping site that can be even cheaper than eBay. In addition to cheap prices, Rakuten offers a points credit program for your future purchases, as well as has video reviews of products so you can buy with more confidence.
Finding daily deals and sales on popular shopping websites
7. DealNews
DealNews.com is a website that shows you some of the best deals and sales available on popular websites for items you may buy all the time. You can search through every deal, check out electronics, or skim through the Editor’s Choice for the best current options. You can also check out their blog to see what may be most relevant to you given the time of year, or what you’re looking for.
8. GottaDeal.com
Similar to DealNews, Gottadeal.com offers great deals on popular shopping websites, so you can still use the sites you know and love, but get even cheaper prices on the items you’re buying. You can sign up for deal alerts, follow the GottaDeal blog for updates on sales.
9. DealsPlus
On DealsPlus.com, you can find the latest sales on your favourite items from other websites, and see easily how much money you’re saving because of the way the webpage is laid out. DealsPlus focusses on flash sales, so be sure to check in often to get the lowest prices on short-lived sales.
10. SlickDeals
SlickDeals.com focusses on popular websites, and chooses the best deals to feature right on the homepage, almost like a newspaper; you see the “Frontpage Slickdeals” right away, and you won’t believe some of the prices you can find on the featured deals.
Save money with coupons at the checkout of your favorite websites
You can also sign up for email notifications from some of these sites so you never miss a great coupon.
11. Ebates
Ebates.com is one of the most well-known cash back websites. Once you sign up and log in, all you have to do is click on a store and offer that you want, and then finish your purchase as normal. When you’re done, the affiliate link that you followed will credit your account with cash back. Once you’ve saved up enough, cash out and get a check delivered to you in the mail or through PayPal.
12. Groupon
Though Groupon.com focusses more on providing coupons for fun activities, you can also find coupons for popular online retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, BestBuy, and more. Sign up to get alerts from Groupon on the best daily deals, or simply browse through for the websites you love to use.
13. RetailMeNot
RetailMeNot.com is a great resource for finding coupons online, and makes it easier than ever to use the coupon deals. Their action buttons are a direct link to the website you want to shop with, so you won’t waste any time discount shopping if you start your session with RetailMeNot.
14. DealCatcher
When you visit DealCatcher.com, you can immediately see some of the best offers for your favourite websites. You can search by store, by category, or by newest and best deals. DealCatcher finds all the best deals for your favourite websites, including deals on free shipping or flash sales.
Online classifieds websites: buy things cheap, used, or for convenience
15. Craigslist
Probably the world’s largest online classifieds website, Craigslist.org has almost anything you can think of. Simply go to Craigslist, indicate where you are located, and search for whatever you need. You’ll see hundreds of ads from users who could be selling the very items you are looking for. Whether you’re looking for new or used items, or simply looking for someone close by who has what you need.
16. Oodle
Oodle.com is a worldwide marketplace with users selling items in the United States, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Oodle focusses on real estate, vehicles, jobs, pets, tickets, and services, so if you’re looking for something in this category, you may be able to find it better than on a standard ecommerce website.
17. Kijiji.ca
Kijiji is Canada’s version of the massive online classified website. With Kijiji, simply indicate where you are located, and search for anything you want or need. You’ll find ads from users indicating what they’re selling and what they want for it, and you can contact the sellers and arrange to meet to exchange goods for money. If you’re in Canada, give Kijiji a try.
Where to find free shipping for your favorite bargain shopping websites
18. Amazon.com
Amazon.com is an ecommerce giant like eBay that is one of the most popular choices for online shopping. Though Amazon is often comparable in price to eBay, it offers free shipping on thousands of items. This can help you avoid those pesky surprise shipping fees while you’re checking out, realizing that the deal you are getting isn’t quite as amazing as you though, because you’re paying more for shipping than for the actual item!
Be sure to check out our free TechBoomers course on shopping on Amazon here.
19. FreeShipping.org
At FreeShipping.org, you can see all of the current deals for free shipping for popular retailers that you love to buy from. This can end up saving you a lot of money at the checkout, especially because the website also has coupon codes. Simply find the code for free shipping by searching for the website you want to use, and then enter that code at checkout!
Now you’re all set to start saving money. But though we’ve given you a great list of websites to buy things cheap online, it’s a lot of information to sort through. Here’s our tips for saving money when shopping online, and what to do to make sure you’re always finding the best deals.
4 tips to find the lowest prices while shopping online
1. Always look for the same item (or something similar) from other sellers.
Bargain shopping sites like eBay, Bonanza, and Amazon often have the same items in stock, or at least products that are comparable. You should always look on other bargain sites for the same things, as the prices could be lower in general, or because of a sale or special deal. Even if you can’t find the exact same item, if you aren’t picky, you could find something very similar to it for a much lower price.
2. Always do a search for your website + “coupons” to save money when checking out.
Once you’ve selected your items for purchase on any website, be sure to access your favorite search engine, and type the name of your website, plus the word “coupons.” This could help you find some last minute savings to apply to your order. You can also check out any of the coupon websites above, and type the name of the website you’re using into the search bar of a site like FatWallet, DealCatcher, or RetailMeNot.
3. If it isn’t an urgent purchase, track the prices over time.
If you have some time before you need the thing you’re buying, watch the item on multiple websites, and track its cost over time. You can even start a wish list or watch list on some websites to track the prices overtime (and even get notified if prices drop!). You can tell when an items gets to its all time low, or when something goes on sale! That way, you can wait it out, and choose the optimal price.
4. Pay attention to shipping costs before shopping to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Always check the shipping costs before making your purchases if you can. Sometimes you can find really cheap stuff online, and the prices are simply too good to be true. And then when you get to checkout, you find that you’re paying more than the item in shipping fees! Check these fees out before finding something you really love, and remember to factor the shipping cost into your total when deciding if it’s worth it to make the purchase. Going out and finding the item in a store may be cheaper if the shipping fees get high enough.
And that’s our list of cheap websites, and advice on finding the best bargain websites cheaper than eBay.