A 30-day Free Trial Amazon Prime Program To Save Money

I signed up for Amazon Prime for a year for $80. I saved a lot of money for my family in various situations. It offers various shipping benefits, including free 2-day shipping for eligible orders. Members also get instant access to Amazon instant video and the ability to borrow books from the Kindle owners' lending library.

               

If you are a student or parent/caretaker, you can get  a year of Amazon prime for FREE right now. Amazon student has 2 different options. You can get the free version with just the shipping benefits or you can pay $39, and get both shipping benefits and prime streaming videos.

Can you imagine buying individual items for less than $25 without any shipping costs? With prime it's possible. Think if you are purchasing below $25. You are tempted to do unnecessary purchases to become eligible for free shipping. Else, you just walk away and buy elsewhere for higher prices. Small purchasers, bulk purchasers and gift shoppers will benefit more from Amazon prime.

In such case, I have done price comparisons for items I bought. I collected some receipts of last few weeks of purchases and I compared them with Amazon. Since I am a warehouse club member I included in my comparisons. I examined Amazon's "subscribe & save" program on household products, where I have shampoo shipped to me every 2 months where I saved 5-15% off the actual costs. As a prime member, in addition, my shipping costs too vanished. This program allows you to set up repeat deliveries of products you need on a regular basis.

Next is Video streaming service. I cancelled my Netflix subscription as Prime is a deal- breaker for me. I saw Amazon prime content largely overlaps Netflix with minor additions. Netflix costs me $9/month, while Amazon Prime  is $7/month. Prime saved me a lot. I've my PS3 registered with amazon prime and all the movies stream directly to my living room TV.  My kids watch loads of cartoons from amazon, so much in fact I simply cancelled my cable connection. My cable bill is now $50 for cable internet, instead of $160 for internet and TV. That's $110 in my pocket EACH MONTH and still my kids do watch their favorites. That's $1320 a year in cable TV savings, if you're counting. Minus $80 for prime.... $1240..... Yeah! I would say that prime is paying for itself quite nicely.

The Kindle lending library is meant for avid readers like me. Note: you need an actual kindle, say, not the kindle app for ipad, to take advantage of it. The library's book collection is awesome and includes hits like hunger games trilogy, Harry potter series and Fast Food Nation etc. One free borrowed e-book per month from the Kindle owners' lending library. The library has over 145,000 hit titles to its credit.

If you think Amazon prime is a little bit heavy, then you have option of 'Amazon Prime Sharing' feature. Split the cost by sharing prime features with others. You can add up to 4 household members either family/ colleagues/ friends etc.

Amazon has daily deals called "Gold Box" deals. Take a look at the small golden treasure chest on the top of the site, labelled, "Today's Deals". Get discounts from 20-90%. Alongside this deal is another "Lightning Deals". It exists for few hours so grab it at once by daily checking the site. Sign-up them to be notified via text, e-mail, rss or twitter so that you never miss the golden opportunity.

Look out for coupon codes to add extra savings. You can find great bargains at outlet shopping page of Amazon. 'Today's Deal Page' of Amazon gives excellent deals on useful products. Also check out Black Friday deals on over hundreds of useful hot items.

Take advantage of freebies. Amazon gives many e-books, android apps, computer games, and music. It also offers credits for MP3s and instant videos. You sort by price within a category to find out freebies.

Go for Warehouse Deals of 30-day price guarantee. I purchased a Kindle fire for $299 in the year beginning. A week later it was discounted to $269. I called customer service and they put $30 back into my bank account within in a day. I couldn't find an official price guarantee feature anywhere; but, when they give a refund for the difference, they call it a "goodwill refund". The amazing thing was that I didn't have to escalate my concern to supervisor. The first person I spoke with was able to help me. Isn't that amazing these days?

The best Amazon money saving tip is use CamelCamelCamel.com . Amazon changes prices over time and this site tracks it and will send you an alert when an item hits your target price. If it's something expensive, the difference can be pretty big.

I usually 'window shop' by picking up things I want and then putting in my cart for later. Then I'll wait a bit to see if I really need the item. Many times I don't. "Save for later" is a great way to track changes in the prices of items you are buying. Amazon gives you an alert at the top of the screen indicating you of price changes since the last time you viewed your cart.  This feature helped me realize when the price of an AC heater unit I wanted dropped, saving me $80.

Earn Amazon Gift Cards when you trade in electronics like old cell phones. Another way to get is use Swagbucks. Just download the Swagbucks toolbar and search the net as you normally do to rack up a lot of Swagbucks and later redeem these for free Amazon Gift cards among others. Else, shop sites which sells discounted gift cards to snag Amazon gift cards for discounted face value. 

Use 'Amazon filler item finder' to find free shipping qualifying items, if your order falls below $25 minimum. Type the amount needed to reach $25, you get a list of qualifying items quickly.

Amazon sells groceries in bulk which warehouse stores like Sams club or Costco find difficulty. Normally I purchase groceries in bulk in Amazon like cereals, energy bars, bath items etc. Do the calculation and you will be amazed at buying from Amazon at huge discounts instead of buying from physical stores.

Whenever I make big purchases say more than $100 I readily go for Amazon, the net buyer's household name. I browse for users comments and forums there to get a both positive and negative feedback of intended purchase.

Wishlist is a super saving feature of Amazon. Add your favorite products to wish or gift list. You can generate multiple wishlist too. They can be sent to family/ friends/ relatives/ colleagues for various occasions like birthdays, thanksgiving, anniversaries, holidays etc. Through this method, you can avoid getting gifts you don't want and instead you receive things you've had your eye on for a while.

Before my Prime membership, I used the free super saver shipping option, where I could order any book or kitchen gadget for a great deal and get it within a week or two! However, to claim it , I have to buy things worth for $25+. After doing the math, I realized that I spent more money each year to avail free shipping. Initially I resisted Prime for the annual fee. But, considering the numerous benefits and conveniences I will be availing for a one time /year fee, this Prime membership is a worthy option I decide. After my Prime membership, I am now walking not on my feet. I saw excellent savings after a long overhaul. I haven't cancelled my prime membership until now as I realized many household products are cheaper than stores. Name any product and you get instantly in scores. I buy plenty on Amazon in a year to offset the $79 annual fee. The benefit of movies is a great bonus!

Till, none of the product I purchased here is out of impulsive buying. I put them in cart, monitor price changes, and when I think, they're at their lowest price, I buy them and get shipped in 2 days.

I recently indulged in a vanity item for myself using the points I had collected from the amazon prime credit card. Every dollar you spend in amazon results in 3 points that can be used towards your purchase on amazon like other usual rewards like travel. I am trying to watch what I spend and this has been a great tool. Though I hate to spend the annual cost of $79, still it's very much worth. I'll bet I've saved enough in gas as well. 

The only thing that bothers me as a recycling fanatic and who takes her own grocery bag to the store, is all the cardboard packaging and plastic fillers I accumulate. If there is a good way to put back into the system, I'll be very happy.

               Get your Free one month trial here

Be A Fool-Proof Shopper When You Shop Online

Many sites "fool" us by many false innovative claims for promotion of not so good products, nowadays. We are easily attracted to such products gorgeously displayed. We are glibly tempted to get one soon. Then, actually seeing the real worth of the product, we end up in frustration, because of not only the loss of money, but also the tiresome hassles we run through in delivery etc. Finally, we develop an indifference, if not bitterness, towards on-line shopping as a whole. Sometimes, at the mention of on-line shopping, we become haunted with unforgettable experiences of a few such sites we had dealt with. Are you visiting online sites confidently? 

                             

Yet, I do not fail to see that many people are lazy to do sufficient research before trying online retailers. It is hard to find any good independent traders online especially. What is the way out for online shoppers, then?

Here comes a credible solution to online shoppers: 'E-Malls'! What is an E-mall? It is the online equivalent of a standard shopping mall physically. E-malls give customers only reputed agents / retailers and their service is rated by the consuming public on a module of various performance parameters. These ratings from online shopping customer feed-backs are dynamic and they assess and evaluate the product and the retailers on an ongoing basis. These ratings have also the passive power even to penalize the retailers and the products, if not up to the e-mall's standards. This I experienced earlier in Tripleclicks when I was a seller of old books. Many other e-malls like Amazon, eBay, Best-Buy, Gap are following best business practices.

A conglomeration of retailers from all around the world giving various products, of all categories, best price offers at a single place is remarkable. It is an amazing virtual market of global dimensions. Thanks to internet and e-malls, our shopping style today is changed far from the age-old customary way our grandma's and great grandma's followed.

This E-mall way, I am shopping for the past 5 years with confidence gained from my personal experiences and from other resources in internet. You can shop next time boldly, gaining from my personal experiences.

Details Of Site's Existence / History:

A site that is online for at least 3 years is a good site. Some sites get closed down after 1 or 2 years in business. Swoopo is one such sites. They initially offered fantastic deals but what use if they closed business all on a sudden! Search for good sites is a tedious process, done and redone without good results. Why unnecessarily waste your energy and time?

Out of my long and laborious probes online and hard experiences, I find that Tripleclicks' parent company, SFI, has been in business for 14 years online. They launched Tripleclicks in 2009. It is growing rapidly with 1.7 million members and is a well established e-mall.

Details Of Site's Navigation:

How easy the system is to use and find your products is most crucial. When you find difficulty in downloads or error messages or find it messy with irrelevant information, again you waste time. Any site which is easy to use, quick to load, and simple in presentation of information is a green signal for you.

Though Tripleclicks loading time is quite slow, its  logo is a tell-tale to show how facile it is.

                                        

Details Of Site's Contact Information:

Are they available for support and queries? Do they resolve our tickets immediately? Do they have active support features to quickly address our problems?

Tripleclicks always value its customers great. I have my own support tickets resolved on time mostly or within 48 hrs. They can be contacted via phone, fax or postal mail. Their 24 hrs support center and frequently asked questions  (FAQ) are extraordinary sources we can avail of.

Details Of Site's Refund Policy:

Have you ever physically touched and senses any online products just you do in a physical store? No, is n't? So, it is essential that  you study the refund policy before buying anything online. Refund within 30 days or more is great.

Tripleclicks has merchants all around the globe. They all do not have a uniform policy. If we purchase any product, the product details, shipping and refund policy are displayed in their respective tabs along with graphics and ratings. Each merchant's policy varies accordingly. Most come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Once I was not happy with a travel mug I purchased from an ECA of tripleclicks.  As per the return policy, I got my money back minus 15% re-stocking fee. Truly stated policies and no rules bending, here. You can contact the respective seller from the link provided in the product page itself. 

Details Of Your E-mail Address:

Safe sites always ensure your privacy and confidentiality. Tripleclick sites show us privacy statement saying "your mail address or your personal details won't be sold to any third parties. We respect/value your privacy."

Shopping by mobile turns out to be a risky proposition nowadays. Shortened URLs tricks us into visiting harmful sites. I find public Wi-Fi access convenient initially. Avoid using public networks as they allow casual hackers and identity thieves to collect your information (password and credit card number). Social networking sites too pose a risk by getting malicious messages from fraudsters.

Tripleclicks is a gem of marketers. So far I didn't receive any junk or bulk mails or any kind of nuisances.

Details Of Site's Delivery Mechanism:

Are you able to choose your own date and time to receive your product? Do the retailers have this option before check-out? Do they deliver at weekends? How do you receive your product? Either on hands or simply you open the door to see your new product crying for attention? 

In Tripleclicks, almost all merchants want excellent ratings and feedback from customers. So, they give particular attention from sourcing to delivery of their products to the customers, after-sale complaints, returns, attending customer calls etc. Apart from Amazon, this is the only other site I am much pleased and happy to shop with. For this reason alone, I will not go to any other site in future. I recommend this to my family, friends, relatives and word-of-mouth to my colleagues. I am writing here to make other worldwide shoppers aware so as to take a correct decision while choosing a site for happy shopping.

Details Of The Order Placed Via Confirmation E-mail:

Repute companies usually send an e-mail, confirming the product we ordered or a thank you letter, or alleviate our anxieties by messaging the exact date and time the ordered product will be shipped to us.

In Tripleclicks, whenever I order a physical product, I get 2-3 series of mails confirming the arrival, say, if shipped, "you will be receiving within 3 days". They do exactly what they say. For any mishap, there comes an apology letter for inconvenience and a strong assurance that this won't happen again. A thank you message followed whenever I received safely. I have to give my feed-back about the product as well as the seller. If unsatisfied, again there are excellent follow-up mails. All these vouchsafe greater customer satisfaction. Try for once: you will be amazed by their customer service.

Details Of Gift Packages:

 A Gift Item Of Tripleclicks

If you order gift items, see the seller's packaging details. If not, contact the seller immediately before your purchase and know exactly the packing material, type, instructions if any etc.

For instance, if you buy flowers, look if they are selling in vase, wrapped or in box. Got any flower care instructions? Is it fresh or wilted?

In Tripleclicks, I have seen products come with packaging details mostly. Personally I haven't bought any vase or bouquet for gifts. So, I am not so sure about this.

Details Of Your Payments:

You need to buy from a secure site. See the complaints at other sites, you will be amazed with the nature of complaints. Mostly payment insecurity and shipping. These two are the major setbacks that force the companies to lose its loyal customers. Once a customer is frustrated after a second incident with the same company, once for all the company loses a prospective buyer.

I see these 3 things. Shipment, customer handling / support, payment options. Only secure sites address the above 3 problems. At eBay, I am amused at the way they handle customers when returning a customer call. Though customer care feature is there, they don't respond to us gently and politely.

                         

When you order a product or get into site's homepage, you can see a lock with https:// This means your details are encrypted so that no hacker can steal your information. Most merchants display shields from security companies like Verisign, GeoTrust, Comodo, and Entrust.

Tripleclicks is safe for you. In addition they are an A+ rated member of Better Business Bureau (BBB). Hence all of their business practices are ethical and safe. Otherwise they would not have been in business for 14 years and more than 1,768,500 members, 98210 products and services. Agree? They have customer-friendly payment options. More than 50! Plus you can pay directly to any of the sellers there via Direct Local Pay option. So sweet when I sampled.

Details Of Your Credit Card:
                             

Reputed and responsible companies show concern for our safety and thereby set up a great security system.

Tripleclicks use high-security Verisign encryption and verified by GeoTrust and other security measures too, to ensure your transactions are safe, secure and private. Therefore shoppers can buy with confidence in Tripleclicks. Verified shields are displayed at homepage of the site.

You can visit tripleclicks without revealing any personal data. While your IP addresses are logged (to track a user's session), you remain anonymous. This tracking is to find your area, browsing time, type of computer and the operating system you use, but not to get personal information. They ask email addresses only from members who purchase products and those who sign up for their mailing lists. Your SESSION is tracked but you are ANONYMOUS. 

They use my e-mail only to send me information which I requested or to confirm my orders. When I order a product / service from a seller, they are provided with my email address, phone number and shipping details in order to contact me about the order placed.

If you like to unsubscribe from their mailing lists which you previously subscribed to, you can do it simply with the directions given in bottom of your email.

The credit card information is retained for a period  to allow for the possibility of credit being posted to your credit card for a product being returned.

They ask for phone numbers on order forms to contact us about our order. Tripleclick's privacy policy is "We NEVER sell, rent or loan our list of customer phone numbers, nor any other information about customers". Tripleclicks holds the privacy and security of their site customers in the highest regard. 

Details Of Negative Reviews:
                                

Every company, even reputed ones, are subjected to criticism at one or other. Take a look at forums and complaint / review sites. Some companies which we rate 'good' by our own experience are marked 'poor' by others. We are puzzled after reading all. We aren't in a position to make a right choice. Are you?

I personally consider reviews as 'bad' only when:

• Users citing not received their products
• Money not refunded
• non-returned phone calls / support

To know about a company review, try Alexa.com. Type in the address/URL of a site to check. You will be given an in-depth details about the site.

We don't expect them to be perfect; but we expect them to fix things when they go wrong. Being on par in terms of price and quality gets a business into the game; service wins the game. Good service in my opinion is good business. Moreover, Tripleclicks donates a portion of their revenue to International Charity, CARE. There is a spiritual aspect to our lives - When we give we receive - When a business does something good for somebody, that somebody feels good about them.

What BBB Advises For Cyber Monday Safe Shopping Tips

I always prefer a unique password to minimize my chance of identity theft. Try avoiding your initials, birthdays, addresses, phone numbers or even pet names.

If you prefer credit card for your payment, check your credit card liability. Many card providers give you zero-liability, to mean, when your card information is stolen and misused, you won't pay anything. Paypal also gives you refund for any unauthorized purchases. But charges are time-driven. So check out your financial statements often and not monthly.

                              

In case you like to hide your identity from site users who use cookies, try anonymizer.com or Guerrillamail.com which allows you to create a temporary email address lasting for just 1 hour.

Previously, I got a few fake invoices and delivery notices from cyber criminals which appear exactly like real merchants. Either they request my billing information or ask me to open an invoice attachment. Be alert. Trust your instinct. Don't become a victim! BBB also warned customers that no legitimate sites will ask you for follow-up financial information.

                                 

Sites like eBay, Amazon and Tripleclicks allow you to rate the sellers, based on their quality and service provided. You can easily identify which sellers are best by seeing the ratings below their details. Also, every product has reviews from buyers. Check it so that you have before-hand product performance. By this way you have both seller and product credentials before you buy.

                               
                          An Eca Rating Of Tripleclicks            
                 

                                       (5) 
                                                                                              ECA Rating

Don't give your social security number during checkout process as it is a scam site, warns, Adam Levin, the founder of credit.com and identity theft 911.

                                

In the arena of business, we, consumers, are Kings. We have our rights protected. If we face delayed deliveries, shipments, defectives, misrepresented information from merchandisers, Better Business Bureau recommends us to cancel any order or get refunds. You have 7 days legal right to return even a faultless product for a full refund (including outward delivery costs) under Distance Selling Regulations.

By the way I like to listen to music while shopping. Do you?

Believe me the music which I hear in Tripleclicks is awesome. I have never heard before from any other site or anywhere. If you too are fond of music, I request you to listen to new upcoming artists in Tripleclicks.

          Music Lovers,You are just a click away!

           Don't miss my additional savings tips, read here.

Life is nothing but change alone. We cannot simply follow a monotonous one. Either we should change or nature will make us change. Try until you succeed in your life. Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The greatest failure in life I consider is the failure to try. You may be disappointed if you fail. But you are doomed if you don't try.

         My best wishes for your shopping goals.   

What I did personally to drastically cut down my spendings while shopping

Online shopping today is far rewarding and earn miles for shoppers than from physical stores.Though few incidents in even top e-tailers continues pouring, online shopping is still soaring!

Do you really save from coupons? Personally, I didn't. I had to spend more than what I get from! Basically more hidden charges of the owner's tactics. If at all I get some savings, it's meagre only.

Hence I jumped into games, rewards and loyalty programs which in my opinion is far rewarding. Coupon is easy to get but games sometimes need brilliance and luck. Once you become aware of the rules and how to win YOU REALLY SAVE INCREDIBLY!

                                    

Participate in penny auctions or any other special programs and you will wonder the results it gives. Can you get Motorola MB300 Backflip Unlocked 3G Android Phone just for $1.54. When you buy from store it costs $249.99! I got it and learnt the ropes.This I did by learning tricks given in niche e-books I got from Tripleclicks and then participated in their penny auctions.Also learn their strategies and tips provided on their website too.

I joined WAVE3 PROGRAM too. Since Free to join and I got various Deal-of-the day, every month I am saving. Just I quote one example for you- Car Tunes Direct Connect 2GB MP3 Player for $11.97 as a WAVE3 Member special. But retails for $29.39. I thus saved $17.42 (59%) simply by becoming a free wave3 member.

I will not miss any hot deals whenever functions arises in my home. Last month I ordered a platinum crystal ring which my daughter liked the most from Tripleclicks as her birthday gift. I showed her Amazon and Best buy sites  too. I did not want her to buy only from one site I show. I thought it should be the best of all!

First she waved between Amazon and TRIPLECLICKS. To my surprise, she chose the one from ECA Wang Xiyan of Tripleclicks. It's retail price is $89.99. I got it for $7.59, thus saved $82.40. A savings of 92%!!!So, I asked her that it was the price that made you to choose Tripleclicks? She replied quickly that I liked the most here than the other one and my finger should look beautiful;only the best and not to please you dear!

Moreover, I am a gadget and book lover.So, I go for all hot deals and close-outs and in few cases auctions to save my budget. What if happens if I didn't saved from all these? Today I would be in damn debt or I would not have all the electronic gadgets and 
e-books which I loved the most!

Another day, I bought a Nintendo Gamecube Console(platinum) for my family friend. He said How can I repay this costlier gift? I just laughed and asked him to guess the price? He answered $140-150?

Actually the retail price is $129.00. Discount price is $55 in Tripleclicks. Saved $74,( a 57% ). The same costs $54.99 in E-bay. Plus No Free Shipping. I didn't want another untoward incident as happened before in e-bay(delivery/shipping). In Tripleclicks within 2 days of order product is at my hands in free shipping. The condition is also excellent.

I look for not only price/discounts but the other hidden charges of course as well as my personal experiences. Google the consumer reviews and complaints.


Look for the following on how to save your hard earned money
while shopping online without falling a prey to e-tailers business
tactics:

      1. Are you given a FREE membership?
      2. Is the site is secured with lock features and beginning
          with https:// 
      3. Look for freebies, gifts, rewards, coupons etc..
      4. FREE shipping and refund options and policies
      5. Avoid shipping costs by selecting ECA's of your own 
          country
      6. Always consolidate your purchases
      7. Confirm your subscription to automate your re-purchases
      8. Leave your shopping cart unless you want the item 
          urgently as you get more discounts from retailers after
          2 or 3 days from your checkout time
     9. Check for their customer support fax,email,phone,live chat
    10. Never trust comparison sites because you won't get accurate
          data of large retailers and hidden charges like shipping etc..
    11. Use credit/debit card to get discounts only if your card has
          merchant- funded rewards programme else paypal is secure
    12. Give your e-mail to your favourite retailers to attract more
          discounts and updates
    13. Also make use of social media connections like facebook
          and twitter to checkout recent news of your retailers
    14. Local stores like PriceBaba.com lists prices of various local
          stores in a chosen city, which is best than big online giants
    15. Get only valid coupon codes from trusted sites
          like RetailMeNot.com
    16. Have a list of codes, stack it. Remember to enter the bigger 
          amount say 15% discount and then a coupon of $10
    17. Sites like e-bay.com lets you with referral shopping to earn
          cashback
    18. Before choosing a product, be aware of stores return policy
    19. Participate in contests, games, loyalty programmes
    20. Read for the tips and strategies first before leaping directly
          to penny auctions

How about if you find almost a matching online shopping
site today? Of the above 20 points, I assure you Tripleclicks matches 18 of these. 

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT TRIPLECLICKS

However, I would like to admit few limitations in using Tripleclicks

 1. Only few products have Free Shipping
 2. All sellers aren't trustworthy, since anyone can sell items
     chances are there for you to be duped, especially when you
     purchase used items
 3. Setting up a store requires fulfilling applications which takes
    a long time usually
 4. If you aren't an ECA, you can sell only used items.

But as a general rule,any system has its own limitations and advantages in general. I experienced before in ebay too. If
anyone of you reading this blog can say "no" to my question
I'm astonished and I would like to switch over again.

I SAVED A LOT HERE.WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Last but not least, don't wait until last minute to shop. You will 
miss various offers and sales plus you will be paying extra for
shipping and you don't have your gift when you need it.   

Look forward for review of Tripleclicks most selling and popular
products, selling like hot cakes with 100% customer satisfaction.