Part 11 (2/2)
Of course, these protections apply whether you're shopping online or in a real store But online you have a greater chance of dealing with an unfamiliar retailer Credit cards are a buffer between you and a strange merchant
For more about credit cards, see Chapter 6, ”Credit When Credit's Due”
One exception to this rule is if you don't own a credit card and don't want to Maybe you've gotten into trouble before running up balances you had trouble paying off In that case, you're left with using your debit card that acts as a Visa or MasterCard
Other interle Checkout, can link to credit cards and bank accounts But they're not widely available as payrarams will fill in your name and address information and some even store your credit card information, so you don't have to fetch your card each tirains and passwords to all the different retailers you buy frorale Toolbar, toolbargooglecoht a robust form filler called RoboForm Pro, roboformcom (Windows only)
Coupon Codes and Rebate Portals
Consider these two shopping scenarios that illustrate ways to save ine standing at a store checkout To get 10 percent off your order, all you would have to do is step away from the cashi+er for a moment and look on a nearby shelf for a coupon Would you bother?
That's essentially what you can do while shopping on the Internet Get in the habit of searching for discount codes, also called pro online, you place iteh a checkout procedure While checking out, the Web site often will ask if you have a discount code to enter These codes are generally a series of nue discount on your order, dollars off your purchase, and discounted or free shi+pping
If you don't have a discount code, don't just ignore the pro
Open a separatein your Web browser Call up a few of your favorite Web search engines to find codes Type in the retailer's name, the word ”code” and other terms such as ”proregators, such as CouponMooWorldcom, and CouponMountaincom If you find a code, return to your checkout browser and type or paste the found proht have expired, but there's no har it The worst that happens is the retailer rejects the code If you type in a correct code, the discount will be applied to your order
A few s, such as 10 percent off, free shi+pping, or 15 off an order, for exa at the threshold of a retail store, but you can get a 10 percent discount if you walk through another entry door Would you do it?
That's what you can do by shopping through rebate portals
A shopping portal, or entrance, is a separate free Web site that has an arrangement with retailers Retailers pay a co Internet consumer traffic to the retailer's site-a kind of referral fee When the consumer makes a purchase, the retailer pays the portal a cooes a step further and shares its con up for free at the portal's site Then, instead of o to the portal to see whether it is affiliated with that retailer If so, click the link to enter the retailer through a side door, of sorts Then, proceed through the online checkout as you normally would
Behind the scenes, the retailer knows the portal sent you It pays a commission to the portal Then the portal shares the co your portal rebate account It's all electronic and automatic, akin to a rewards credit card
A typical rebate to you would be about 5 percent of the purchase price, but it can vary widely, even surpassing 10 percent for some retailers Opt for cash rebates instead of points or other rewards
Popular rewards sites include FatWalletcom, Ebatescom, Jellyfishcom, and QuickRewards net Portals that donate your rewards to college savings plans include Upro trouble choosing, go with Ebatescolasses Online
You can buy allasses Weird, right?
The short story is lasses purchased online costand a clip-on sun shade, they cost 1690 delivered I see great with theood too In fact, it's a toss-up which I like lasses or the ones I paid about 300 for from a chain-store optician
I ordered them from ZenniOpticalcolasses this way They arrived in seven business days in a padded envelope in a simple hard-plastic case
There are a few minor drawbacks: 1 My written prescription from my eye doctor did not include a measurement for PD, pupillary distance, which is basically the distance in millimeters between the centers of your eyeballs You need this measurement to order online I measured my PD in a mirror I'm sure that's not the way the eye doctor would recoht have to have the nose pads and arht on your face This ht cost you a few bucks, but many optometrists will do it for free
3 The clip-on sun shade isn't custolasses, but it fits and covers the lenses well
The cheap glasses have thinnerthe lasses for the price of one discounted pair at a popular retailer At these prices, you can own several different styles of eyeglasses for a fraction of the usual retail price
I was so pleased I followed up by ordering ri antireflective coating That surely would have cost 500 at an optician or eye doctor My cost: 68 My 10-year-old son now refuses to wear his 300 eyeglasses, and insists on wearing his 8 Zennis He says he just likes theure
By the way, a different Web site, EyeBuyDirectcolasses for about 8
How to Buy Used Stuff