27 Amazon Hacks and Amazon Prime Discounts

If you love to shop on Amazon, there are plenty of easy ways to help you save money and time.

From discounts and deals to little-known perks and sign up bonus, you’ll discover some of the best Amazon Hacks and Amazon Prime discounts and tips that you definitely need to take advantage of today!

Best Amazon Hacks

Here are some of the best Amazon. com hacks and tips that can make your online shopping a lot better and cheaper:

1. Get Amazon Prime for Free (for 30 Days)

Here are the best Amazon Prime perks that you can take advantage of for free for 30 days:

Instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes Unlimited streaming to millions of sings with Prime Music Borrow Kindle books Get unlimited FREE two-day shipping (no minimum order size) Get unlimited Free one-day shipping (where applicable) Free 2-hour delivery on groceries, gifts, and more Get Free Access to The Washing Post Prime Early Access (Shop deals first) Free unlimited photo storage with Prime Photos And so much more!

2. Get a Discount When You Subscribe & Save

If you ever find yourself buying a certain product often whether if it’s weekly, bi-week, monthly, etc, you can actually save up to 15% just by using Amazon’s Subscribe & Save service. Plus, it’s FREE.

All you have to do is…

Select and item to subscribe to. Set how many items you want delivered and how often Then click “Subscribe Now”

3. Get a Refund on TVs if the Price Drops

One of the worst feelings is buying a brand new TV only to find out that Amazon set the price 30% cheaper two weeks later.

Thankfully there’s a way to help you get that money refunded, thanks to the TV Low Price Guarantee.

Basically this means that if you bought any TV sold by Amazon but a competitor is selling it at a lower, you’ll get refunded the difference as long as it occurs within 30 days.

All you need to do is check out this page, find your TV order, contact Amazon and they’ll refund you the difference in price on an Amazon. com gift card.

4. Convert Old Gift Cards in Amazon Gift Cards

Do you have any old prepaid gift cards (like those Visa or American Express ones) with $3.78 left on it?

If so, you should consider converting those gift cards with low balances into Amazon gift cards. Here’s how:

First, check the prepaid gift card balance. Then log into Amazon and then head on over to an email or eGift Card by clicking here. Enter the exact amount of the gift card in the section titled “Enter amount” Use your prepaid gift card to purchase it. Then check your email and click on “Apply Gift Card to Your Account” in the “Your Account” section of the site

5. Sign Up for Ebates and Get Up to 7% Cash Back on Purchases

Ebates is by far one of the best online shopping rebate sites around.

You can literally get up to 40% cash back on almost everything you buy at over 2,000 stores.

Now when you use Ebates and Amazon together you can get up to 3-7% cash back on your purchase.

Fire Tablets Outdoor Recreation Handbags Women’s Shoes Men’s Shoes Kid’s Shoes Sports and Fitness Home Services

Plus, when you click here, you’ll get $10 cash back after your first order!

6. Track Product Price Drops with CamelCamelCamel

CamelCamelCamel is a great way to track Amazon price drops by alerting you whenever a product that you’re keeping an eye on lowers its price.

You can even see any product’s pricing history to see if the price has been increasing or decreasing over the past few days, weeks, or months.

And there’s even a browser extension for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox that way you can easily add items that you want to track and get alerts for any price drops.

7. Get Textbooks Cheaper When You Buy from International Amazon. com Sites

Believe it or not, it can actually be cheaper to by English books from different international Amazon sites thanks to this cool website called Cheap River.

Cheap River searches Amazon. com, Amazon. ca, Amazon. de, Amazon. fr, and Amazon. co. uk to find the cheapest books for you.

Plus once you see this pricing, the shipping and delivery costs are already calculated for you.

8. Don’t Overlook the Third Party Sellers

Products fulfilled by Amazon that are sold by third party sellers can actually be a lot cheaper than the ones sold and listed by Amazon.

The only hard part about this is if the product is back-ordered, Amazon will bury the cheapest listing in it’s third-party list especially if the price is cheaper than what Amazon offers.

9. Avoid Sales Tax by Purchasing from Third Parties

If you live in one of these states then you’ll have to pay a “sales” tax on your Amazon orders.

Arizona California Connecticut Delaware Florida Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Maryland Massachusetts Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington State Wisconsin

In order to avoid this sales tax, you should consider buying your product from a third-party that’s now located in one of the states above.

10. Use this Hack to Get Add-On Items Without Spending $25

This is a very interesting Amazon hack that I learned from Ben’s Bargains.

So basically an Amazon items listed as “Add-On” items are usually things that Amazon will lose money if they shop separately because they’re so inexpensive.

That’s why you need to spend at least $25 in order to buy these items and get free shipping.

However, there is a way around this – preorder products.

When you preorder a product on Amazon, you actually aren’t going to be charged for it until it ships.

So all you have to do is find a product that you want to preorder like a video game, movie, or book, add it to the cart with your Add-On item and boom, you can buy it.

Then once the Add-On item ship just cancel the preorder product.

11. If Your Product Shipment is Delayed, Ask for a Replacement (Or Other Benefits)

Amazon is great when it comes to reimbursing you for lost of delayed products.

For example, if you ordered a product but it was never delivered or the time frame is longer than what you selected, you can actually contact Amazon and they’ll give you a shipping upgrade.

And if the product is lost or can’t be found, Amazon will next-day ship you a replacement order.

12. Use Amazon Kids’s Birthdays to Give Family and Friends Gift Ideas

Using Amazon Kid’s Birthdays is a great way to give your family and friends personalized gift ideas for your kids.

When you use this free Amazon list service, all you have to do is add your kids, build gift/presents lists with your recommendations, and share it to any friends and family members.

Get started with Kid’s Birthday’s here.

13. Find Anyone’s Amazon Wishlist

If you ever wanted to surprise someone with a gift from their Amazon Wishlist or Registry, you can actually find it here on Amazon, if it’s public.

14. Sign Up for Amazon Smile

When you sign up for AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to to a charitable organization of your choice.

Plus it doesn’t cost you anything.

All in all, it’s for a great cause!

15. Get a $5 Credit Just For Using the Amazon. com App

Did you know that Amazon will actually pay you $5 just for downloading their app for the first time?

It’s true. All you you have to do is click on this link below and sign in to the Amazon app for the first time!

Plus, you can start making $5 just for referring friends!

Just go to “Your Account” in the app Scroll down to “Personalized content” Click on “Invite Friends” And then share your link!

16. Get Deep Discounts and Deals on Open Box - and Pre-Owned Products

With Amazon Warehouse Deals, you can get super low prices on open-box and used products from across Amazon.

Product conditions can range from acceptable, good, very good, and like new.

So if you’re fine with pre-owned or open boxes products at a discount, then Warehouse Deals is for you!

Best Amazon Prime Discounts and Hacks

Here are the best Amazon Prime discounts, hacks, and perks that you must take advantage of:

17. Opt for “FREE No-Rush” Shipping and Still Get it in 2 Days

If you ever purchase products on Amazon and you’ve probably seen that option below the Free Two Day shipping called “FREE No-Rush Shipping” which usually gives you a $1 credit for Kindle eBooks, Amazon Instant Videos, Digital Music, Appstores, software, and more.

The kicker is that this package will arrive in 5 business days which sometimes just isn’t acceptable.

But did you know that you can still get that package in 2 days? Here’s how:

If your purchase contains 2 or more items, make separate orders. Then purchase the item (or multiple items) using the FREE No-Rush Shipping option. Then for your last product, make sure to choose the FREE Two Day Shipping option. Chances are Amazon will group those products together and ship them in the same box and they’ll arrive in 2 days.

You’ll get free 2 day shipping and some nice credits.

18. Shipment Didn’t Arrive in 2 Days? Ask for a Free Month of Prime

Sometimes your package won’t arrive in 2 days so if that’s the case, be sure to contact Amazon customer service and they’ll usually give you a free month of Prime.

The same goes for any lost packages.

19. Upload Unlimited Photos and Files with Amazon Drive for Free

If you’re a Prime Member, you can get Amazon Drive for free.

This means that you can upload and store unlimited photos, and and up to 5 GB of videos and files for FREE.

The normal cost by itself is $59.99 a year so this is a great Amazon Prime perk that you should consider especially if you’re someone that uses Dropbox.

20. Pregnant and Expecting a Baby? Get Amazon Family for Free

Here what you’ll get with Amazon Family (previously Amazon Mom):

Save 20% on diaper subscriptions Access to exclusive family oriented offers, coupons, and age based recommendations Unlimited access to 10,000 kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games with FreeTime Unlimited. 15% Baby Registry completion discount

21. Take Advantage of Amazon’s Netflix Rival

Amazon Prime Video is a great alternative to Netflix which features movies, tv shows, and Amazon exclusives and original series.

The best part is that it comes with your Prime Membership, saving you at least $108 from a Netflix subscription.

22. Take Advantage of Amazon’s Spotify Rival

Amazon has a pretty good Spotify and Apple Music Rival, called Prime Music.

And the best thing about it is that it’s the only music streaming service that comes with free 2-day shipping 🙂

Here’s what you get with a Prime Music membership:

AD-FREE

23. Share Your Amazon Prime Account with Someone in Your Household

You can actually share your Amazon Prime account and benefit with your entire household thanks for Amazon Household.

With Amazon Household, you can share you digital content through your family library including music, books, apps, games, and so much more.

Plus you’ll get all the benefits of Prime.

Learn more about Amazon Household here.

24. Get the Amazon. com Store Card

As an Amazon Prime member, you can get 5% cash back every day on Amazon. com purchases with the Amazon Prime Store Card.

Plus there’s No annual fee!

And if you’re looking for a way to save some money on groceries, this is a pretty good card for cash back on groceries.

25. Get Groceries Delivered to Your Home

As a Prime member you can get low-priced everyday essentials delivered to your home with Prime Pantry.

It’s literally a great way to shop without having to buy in bulk while still saving money and time.

The only downside is that it costs $5.99 a box.

But if you’re okay with paying for convenience, this is a great way to make grocery shopping a little bit easier.

26. Prime Members Can Receive Exclusive Discounts and Pricing

Amazon will actually offer up new Amazon products and hardware to Prime members at ridiculous discounts.

For example, the Amazon Echo, which costs $199, was offered to Prime members for only $99 before it was officially released. The same went for the Fire TV and other products.

27. Are You a College Student? If So, Get Prime for FREE

Did you know that there’s an Amazon Prime student discount?

You’ll get all the benefits of Prime for Free including:

Free two day shipping Amazon Prime Video Amazon Music Prime Photos And more!

Have any more Amazon Prime discounts and Amazon hacks?

If so, let us know by leaving a comment below.

(This post contains affiliate links which means that we’ll make a small commission from any of your purchases at no additional costs to you.

Reaping Benefits with Amazon. com

Amazon. com is an internet-based retailer in the United States. This online trove provides customers with an array of goods such as books, DVDs, CDs, electronics, apparel and toys.

Amazon Shop with Points

Shop with Points is a feature where Amazon customers have the ability to pay for purchases using credit card reward points. The points can be used just as any other payment method to buy millions of products online. The eligible credit cards that can be used are Citi ThankYou Rewards, Cashback Bonus from Discover, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership and Amazon. com Rewards Visa Card.

Amazon Free Product Claim

Keep up with promotions that offer a free product. Be sure to add the qualifying items that are part of the deal and the free product into your Shopping Cart, then enter the claim code and you’ve claimed your free product.

Amazon Discounts

Multiple Item or Best Value Discounts. If you purchase multiple qualifying items then some promotions on Amazon. com will offer a discount.

Amazon Consumer Surveys

Amazon customers can participate in online surveys, providing information about their Amazon experience. Some surveys may offer an online gift card to a lucky customer as a prize for completing the survey.

Amazon Coupons

There is an abundance of coupons on Amazon that can be viewed on their website. The coupons fall under various categories such as most popular, baby and childcare, beauty, household supplies, kitchen etc.

Amazon Gold Box Deals

The Gold Box Deals page on Amazon. com showcase some amazing deals and bargains, specials and savings. These handpicked deals alter day to day, yet are at a constant low price for their quality. With this service, you need to buy quickly as these deals have a set time limit. The Best Deals cover a range of items from clothing, jewelry, toys and DVDs. Keep atop of these deals by signing up to the Deal of the Day email and following Amazon social media profiles.

Amazon Prime

If you’re loving the sound of all of the above and shop a lot with Amazon, you might want to sign up for Amazon Prime. It is a loyalty program for frequent shoppers and costs $99 per year. You’ll receive some great benefits like access to video and music streaming, 2-day shipping and free same-day delivery depending on location.

Vipon Review: Get Free Amazon Coupons, Deals & Discounts

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A lot of us can probably admit we are avid Amazon shoppers. Amazon has made shopping online so convenient and easy, plus they literally have everything stocked from clothes to groceries to appliances and electronics.

Amazon is basically an online one-stop-shop and the Amazon app makes shopping that much easier as it puts shopping literally at the tip of your fingers.

Plus, Amazon is always boasting amazing deals, often beating prices you’ll see in stores and the added perk is that the items are delivered directly to you.

So if you already love using Amazon, then you’ll love the opportunity to save even more money by checking out Vipon. Vipon can help you save up to 50% more on your Amazon purchases.

Continue reading for more information about Vipon, how it works, how to get started, how you can save money and how you can even earn money using Vipon.

About Vipon

Vipon is a website and app, available for IOS and Android platforms, that shares Amazon coupons. Vipon lists a wide variety of products, offering new promotions daily.

Previously, Vipon was known as the AMZ Review Trader before officially changing to Vipon in 2016.

Under the old name you were required to write an Amazon review of your purchase but now that isn’t necessary, as the discounts offered on Vipon are coming directly from the sellers of the products.

Vipon is one of the largest Amazon deal sites, with literally millions of monthly shoppers. There are over 40,000 deals available on the Vipon app and everyday brings something new, so they can pretty much guarantee that their Amazon shoppers will find a usable coupon and discount to take advantage of on their site.

Here are some of Vipon’s top features:

Instant access to the day’s top deals Search for deals by keyword, category, price or time (or combine them all) Deal alerts on items so you know when a coupon is available Save items to your “favorites” Share your deals with family and friends

In a nutshell, Vipon’s sole purpose is to help Amazon shoppers save more money by connecting them with the best deals on the items that they need.

How Vipon Works

The concept of Vipon is simple. Amazon sellers share deals and coupons with Vipon. Vipon then publishes the best deals to their registered customers.

This gives sellers the opportunity to boost their sales on Amazon, since cheaper prices and discounts will typically influence someone to make a purchase. Even though Vipon is listing deals from Amazon sellers, all of the actual sales are done through Amazon, not Vipon.

This means you can take advantage of free shipping with your Amazon Prime account and you can use any gift cards you have toward the purchase you make. Vipon is just the middleman providing the discount codes.

Getting Started with Vipon

Vipon is absolutely free to use and sign up for, so rest assured you don’t have to pay for anything in order to receive your Amazon deals.

When you get started you’ll be asked to provide an email and set up a password. Once you have confirmed your email, you’ll have instant access to deals and discount codes.

The Vipon webpage and app will bring up their current and best deals, but along the top of the webpage or app you can choose from the following links: categories, hot deals, instant deals, upcoming, editor’s picks, and group deals (app only).

Instant Deals

Basically, these are the deals that are available right now.

This list the deals that have run out of coupons. You can add them to your favorites and receive an alert when the coupon becomes available again.

Under the item you’ll see a little timer counting down the time until the deal is available again. Most deals will be available again in less than 24 hours.

Editor’s Picks

Editor’s will list the deals that they think are worth taking advantage of. This is further broken down into categories such as Kids and Baby picks or Top Pet Picks and Savings.

Group Coupon

In order to use group coupons, you’ll need to login with Facebook and shop with some friends. Items featured under this section will give you a group price and the regular price. Group pricing will be significantly cheaper.

This feature is exclusive of the app.

Saving With Vipon

Whenever you’re thinking about making an Amazon purchase, you’ll want to check out Vipon first to make sure you’re getting the best deal on your future purchase.

All the products listed on Vipon will provide an image and brief description, plus the cost information. There is even a link to the Amazon page so you can see more about the item or read any reviews posted.

Vipon does recommend you click the Amazon link to get more thorough details before completing your purchase (that way there are no surprises).

Once you decide on a purchase, you can click on the coupon code link. The coupon code will be displayed instantly. You will then be taken to your Amazon account in order to complete your purchase.

The code Vipon provided is redeemed through your Amazon account. Please note, that you can only buy one discount item at a time, the code won’t work for multiple purchases of the same item (to prevent people trying to resell items back on Amazon at the cheaper price).

Keep in mind that there are only so many discount codes offered at a time. You’ll see the number of available vouchers in the top right corner on the app when you click on the deal you are interested in.

If there are no vouchers available, you can add the item to your favorites and receive an alert when more coupon codes are added. Don’t worry, most of the time you’ll see more codes in less than 24 hours.

Another excellent way to save with VIPON is to follow and like their Facebook page. This will let you see the daily deals that they post to their Facebook page.

You can also check out their blog which provides helpful tips and tricks on how to save more money in general, and not just with your Amazon purchases.

Earning Cash with Vipon

Vipon is primarily used as an app to help you save money on your Amazon purchases. Even so, there are a few ways you can take advantage of Vipon to earn cash instead of spending it.

Refer Friends

Invite friends, family and even coworkers to use the Vipon app. When they sign up with Vipon via Facebook, you’ll both get cash. You can also provide a link to share the app with friends, family or coworkers on Facebook, Whatsapp, and Twitter.

The amount you are rewarded will be random for every referee who signs up to the Vipon app with Facebook for the first time. You could earn anywhere from $.01 – $1 per sign up. You can earn a maximum of $3 a day by inviting friends.

All money earned will go directly to your Vipon account. When you have reached $50, you can cash out for a PayPal deposit or enter your email for an Amazon e-gift card.

It can take a while to reach $50 going this route, but Vipon promises that there will be more ways to earn and spend your Vipon credit in the future.

Sign Up For The Newsletter

By subscribing to the Vipon newsletter, you’ll not only receive emails about the latest, best deals and discounts, but you’ll also be entered into a chance to win a $50 cash prize.

For every 1,000 new subscribers, Vipon selects a random winner to receive a $50 Paypal or Amazon gift card.

Affiliate Program

You can help spread to the word about Vipon by becoming an affiliate. Through their affiliate program, you could earn 15% in commissions of all sales of Vipon Seller Program that you send their way. And there isn’t a limit to how much you can earn!

The process is simple. When a visitor clicks on your affiliate link, they’ll be taken to the Vipon website to browse. When they make a purchase, Vipon will review and approve the sale before you’ll receive your 15% commission.

Commission payouts are paid on the 15th of every month, but you do need to meet the $50 minimum in order to cash out via Paypal or bank transfer.

Promo Program

Similar to their affiliate program, Vipon also has a Promo program. This program is geared toward influencers who want to help spread the word about Vipon and the great deals that they offer.

By promoting the site, you’ll have access to rewards such as free products, commission, channel marketing, and more.

Vipon expects most influencers to already have a solid base before getting started as a promoter. Facebook, Twitter and Blog promoters need to have 10,000 followers or more. Youtubers have to have an average of 1000 views per video or more.

Become a Vipon Amazon Seller

This is only for those folks that are trying to make a business out of selling on Amazon. If you have products you want to sell but need to boost your audience, Vipon can help.

With Vipon, Amazon sellers are able to increase their Amazon rankings and grow their business naturally by catering to those shoppers on the lookout for great deals. Top sellers can expect to send a million codes a month and see a 70% return in site visits.

The only catch is that there is a monthly premium. They have packages starting with Standard ($100 a month) up to Enterprise Premium (a whopping $1,600 a month). Different packages will allow for a larger number of product promotions, but all packages do feature unlimited voucher sends.

Pros and Cons of Vipon

Free to sign up Available on IOS and Android platforms Great deals, usually 50% off or more Direct link and access to your Amazon account to complete your purchase Several ways to search for the deals you are looking for Ability to set favorites and alerts for deals you are interested in Free shipping options App is easy to use and navigate Your Vipon discount can be combined with other deals Amazon is promoting (I got 50% off an item through Vipon and an additional 3% via Amazon) Ability to earn cash by sharing on Facebook with friends, family and coworkers Very few complaints with the app (I mean, who doesn’t love a deal?) Vipon offers several ways to earn money in addition to saving money

Can only make a single purchase at one time Cannot share coupon vouchers with friends Link to coupon doesn’t always work and you’ll need to write down the discount code and physically type it in on your Amazon app

Is Vipon Legit or a Scam?

Vipon is definitely a legitimate platform. There are basically no gimmicks involved with the Vipon app. You simply shop around for whatever you are interested in and enjoy the benefits of a discounted product.

Most of the merchandise listed on Vipon are quality pieces and if you are unsure about them, you can always go directly to the item on Amazon to read a more thorough description and reviews from other customers.

Plus keep in mind that you aren’t making your purchases through the VIpon app. All of your orders go through your Amazon app, which is a well-known and trusted platform.

Is Vipon Worth The Download?

I would have to say yes, the Vipon app is totally worth the download. With my first purchase I saved 50% and even qualified for an additional 3% off an item on Amazon, saving me about $25 on an item I’d been eyeing for a while but didn’t quite want to commit to the full price.

I think the Vipon app helps you make better purchase decisions. I like to search on Vipon first for a specific product before I even use the Amazon app, that way I can see if there are any deals going on in advance.

Plus, Vipon is one of the largest deal sites for Amazon sellers, so customers can pretty much guarantee they are getting some of the best discounts available.

Other Ways to Save on Amazon

Now that you know how awesome the Vipon app is. I wanted to share a few articles here that will give you even more ways to save on your Amazon purchases.

Final Thoughts

Next time you go to make an Amazon purchase, remember to check out Vipon first to see what great discounts they have going on. You might luck out and find exactly what you are looking for at a fraction of the price.

With such an easy to use and free app, you shouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of some major savings. After reading this review, I hope you take the time to check out the Vipon app. If you already use Vipon, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

14 confusing things about shopping on Amazon

Why does the same product have different prices, and what's the deal with Prime Now?

Amazon is the first stop for many online shoppers, but that doesn't mean it's always easy to shop there. The megaretailer comes with pitfalls that can try our patience. We've rounded up 14 of the most confusing things about shopping on Amazon. In some cases, we'll even tell you how to avoid them.

Amazon 2-Day Shipping Can Take Longer

It's not hard to find people complaining about how their Prime 2-day shipping from Amazon took way longer. However, many shoppers don't realize that the 2-day guarantee doesn't kick in until after the package has shipped. Amazon doesn't guarantee it'll ship your items within two days of purchase — it guarantees your order will get to you within two days of leaving a warehouse.

Amazon Doesn't Guarantee Low Prices

Lots of people are shocked to hear that Amazon doesn't offer price matching. While the site states that it "consistently works toward maintaining competitive prices," this doesn't mean it'll always have the best price. Often, Amazon's real appeal is its convenience.

Not Everything Is Prime Eligible

Eagle-eyed Amazon shoppers recognize that not every item on the site is Prime eligible. Items sold by third parties could be subject to shipping charges. And some third-party items are still eligible for free shipping, even if it isn't via Prime. The best thing you can do when shopping is either filter your search results so only Prime-eligible items show up, or look for the Prime logo next to the price before you put an item in your cart.

While Amazon does sell a large portion of the items on its site, it's still a marketplace populated by third-party sellers. Even if Amazon fulfills an order, another party can be responsible for the sale and item itself. That means Amazon is just the conduit — and any of your purchases can come from a different seller.

Single Products Have Multiple Sellers

Once you find the perfect item on the site, you might think it's just a matter of choosing options like color or size. But some iterations of a product might be cheaper than others. What gives? The unequal prices are due to the fact that different product styles, sizes, or models can be sold by different vendors — all while occupying a single Amazon product page. And different sellers often set different prices.

Different product styles, sizes, or models can be sold by different vendors — all while occupying a single Amazon product page.

Sometimes, a third parties lists their items as "fulfilled by Amazon." So what does that mean? Essentially, the seller ships its inventory to Amazon, and it's up to Amazon to ship it to the customer in a timely fashion. This process can help offset costs for everyone involved. Of course, if a third party is selling And shipping your order, it's subject to their practices (rather than Amazon's).

You Can't Trust Every Amazon Review

Fake Amazon reviews are nothing new. Plenty of pieces have pointed out the hilarious reviews that items like the banana slicer or sugar-free gummy bears have amassed. All joking aside, some reviews are simply unhelpful.

It's easy to come across reviews giving one star for reasons that have nothing to do with the product itself. Maybe someone didn't read a book, but had issues with the subject matter. Or perhaps someone wants to complain that the packaging was a mess when it arrived. (This is why Amazon often asks you to leave packaging feedback specifically.) Buyer beware: It pays to actually read the reviews, rather than basing judgement on a product's overall rating.

Seriously, Amazon Smile Doesn't Cost Extra

AmazonSmile lets you shop the site and donate to charity with your purchase. It doesn't cost anything extra, and you can choose which organization your contributions go to. Every item available for purchase at the regular site is available at smile. amazon. com for the same price. When you shop eligible products, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price. It's genuinely just an easy way to do something good.

Shopping for Household Items Can Be a Challenge

Amazon usually has awesome prices on household items, but the different size and delivery options can be daunting. For example, if you're looking for Colgate Total whitening toothpaste, you can buy a large amount with Prime — say, an order of six 7.8-oz. tubes — which may be more toothpaste than you want. Alternatively, you can buy two 6-oz. tubes as an add-on item. which means your toothpaste won't ship unless your order total is over $25.

Another option? Buy two 6-oz. tubes via Prime Pantry, but then you'll have to pay $5.99 for delivery, since the box is meant to be filled with household and grocery items. In the end, you may just pop over to your local store and grab a tube of toothpaste.

No-Rush Credits Aren't Always Worth It

Amazon's 2-day shipping is an excellent perk, but if you're ordering something you don't need immediately, Amazon may offer a $1 credit for no-rush shipping. On the one hand, receiving a credit simply for opting into a longer shipping time may seem like a no-brainer. But if you aren't going to use that credit, it might not be worth getting.

Unfortunately, the credit isn't universal — you'll receive a credit that can only be used on specific items. The credits can be spent on items from Prime Pantry, Kindle eBooks, Amazon Instant Videos, digital music, Amazon Appstore apps, digital video games, digital software, and more. Additionally, credits often expire after a certain amount of time. Still, if you have environmental concerns, opting for slower shipping times could help you do your part.

It's Hard to Gauge the Environmental Impact

Online shopping in general has led to a host of environmental concerns. In 2016, transportation became the top producer of carbon dioxide emissions in the U. S. (Previously, power plants held that "honor.") A lot of the increase seems to be related to "the last mile" of deliveries. Trucks are having to drive further to fulfill orders, going everywhere from malls and stores to residential neighborhoods. That means more time spent on the road, which equates to more harmful emissions.

To help the environment, consolidate your orders and avoid expedited shipping.

So what can you do to help? Online shopping isn't inherently bad for the environment; it's about how it's utilized. Vox recommends consolidating your orders, so you have fewer shipments overall. It also suggests avoiding expedited shipping.

Amazon's Return Policy Varies

Not every item sold on Amazon has the same return policy, particularly if it's sold by a third party. Shoppers typically have 30 days to return anything that is new and unopened. However, the time frame is usually extended for the holidays, and only items that are shipped from Amazon are eligible. Third parties that sell and fulfill orders themselves most often offer policies similar to Amazon. But some do vary, so before you purchase from a third party, be sure to check the return policy.

Prime Day Is Both Good and Bad

Ever since Amazon introduced Prime Day, the annual summer celebration touted as having more deals than Black Friday, its been plagued by criticism. Shoppers liken the event to a garage sale, with Amazon trying to clean out its shelves and putting useless items up for grabs.

While Prime Day does offer plenty of boring items that might not appeal to shoppers, there are some great picks, too. Prime Day often yields serious discounts on Amazon devices, including the different variations of Echos, Kindles, and Fire TVs. It also produces savings on other high-end items, including fitness trackers, laptops, desktops, small kitchen appliances, toys, and more. Prime Day might not be as great as Black Friday, but it's worth keeping an eye on.

If You Have Prime, You Have Prime Now (Maybe)

If you have Amazon Prime, you might think you have Prime Now. And you do. sort of. The service itself is only available in about 30 areas, and you must be a Prime member in one of those cities to use Prime Now. Those lucky enough to have access can receive same-day deliveries of household items, groceries, electronics, gifts, and more. The service allows shoppers to order from local stores and restaurants, as well.

Amazon Uses Live Chat, but It's Difficult to Find

These days, nobody wants to be stuck on the phone trying to resolve an issue. Many companies offer live chat, which can be a more convenient alternative to sitting on the phone. Amazon is one of these companies, but live chat isn't always easy to find. Start by going to the Contact Us option under the Help topics.

Unfortunately, you can't jump straight into a conversation. You have to choose whether you want help with a relevant order, a device, digital content and services, or Prime (or something else). Once you choose your order, you must choose your issue. After that, you'll have to select issue details, and possibly additional details. A link for solving the issue will usually be provided, but below that you'll find three options for how to contact Amazon. You can choose from email, phone, or chat. Choosing chat will open a separate window and connect you with a representative you can talk to.

Rumors Swirl About Wish List Prices

We've heard anecdotes about shoppers adding an item to their wish list, only to have the price decrease (or increase) within the next couple of days. However, there's no proof to indicate this is true. That would mean Amazon was lowering its price for an individual, which is something Amazon doesn't do in general. For what it's worth, DealNews staff visit Amazon every day from different locations, and we've never experienced this kind of individual pricing.

Even if an item's price doesn't fluctuate just because it's on your wish list, adding an item to your list is a great way to track its price over time. The site regularly notes if a price has increased or decreased since the item was added to the wish list. If you use a tool like CamelCamelCamel, you can also set price targets and be alerted when an item hits your preferred cost.

Julie Ramhold is a staff writer at dealnews. Republished with permission.

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