Shopping online is both convenient and, if done right, cost-efficient. Typically, by making your purchases online as opposed to in the actual store, you will save money. Not only will you save money on parking and gas, you will often save money on the cost of the actual product you buy. Even with the possibility of an additional shipping and handling charge, you will still save money. The only downside to shopping online is trying to find the best way to save money. It's not easy, but once you know a few tricks, you'll be on your way to quickly saving money with every online purchase you make.

1. SHOP EBAY AND AUCTION SITES

Shopping on auction sites is one of the best ways to save money online. Even if you aren't looking for a used pontoon boat you can still find a great deal. Visit online auction sites such as the ber-popular eBay, Yahoo Auctions, uBid and Online Auction.com. There are plenty of shops online that sell new items at a huge discount within these sites, such as:

Better-Value1 which offers computers and technological equipment to savvy consumers.

Pockets Productions specializes in hip-hop music.

Overstock sites

Another avenue to save money online is by shopping at overstock websites. Overstock sites specialize in surplus and returned goods that consumers can purchase, sometimes at huge discounts.

Overstock.com: by far the most popular of the overstock sites. Overstock.com specializes in just about anything you can think of. Type in a product you're looking for and let Overstock.com find what you need.

TVoverstocks is a website to find all the overstock and returned merchandise that you see on those late night infomercials and commercials.

Find great deals on jewelry at overstockjewler.com. Watches, necklaces, engagement rings and more can be found at a great price.

2. LOOK FOR SALES

The easiest way to save money when shopping online is to shop the sales. Just like going to an actual store, online stores will always run specials and sales. When you get to the website, these sales and specials will be advertised quite clearly on the main page. There is often an additional "Sales" page where more deals and clearance items are listed. Just look for the link or icon that will take you here. More so, almost all the sales found in the store's weekly sales ads can also be found in the online store.

Discounts and Buying in Bulk

Most online stores offer additional savings just for doing your shopping online. Because an online sale saves the store money, some of this savings is transferred to you by giving you "web-only" discounts. This is particularly true when purchasing travel online. Most airlines and hotels will have special fares and rates for those who book online. Another built-in method of saving money when shopping online is to buy in bulk. As shipping and handling can by costly, it often makes sense to buy more of an often-used item as this will bring the cost of shipping and handling down. Also, many stores will waive the shipping and handling charges if you buy a certain amount of products. In other words, the more you buy the more money you can save.

3. COUPON CODES

One of the best-kept secrets in the online shopping world is the use of promotional coupons. Promotional coupons are codes that companies send out for discounts, free gifts and substantial price reductions off of various products. When you go to check out and purchase your item, you will typically see a space where you can type in the coupon code and receive your discount. Companies use these codes for promotional purposes, typically sending them out to select, targeted groups of individuals in order to test a new product's sale potential. Of course this is where the problem sits: Finding the coupon codes in order to get the discount.

Cool Savings offers coupons in many different areas including groceries, baby needs, pet supplies and travel. Enter your zip code and email address to get great savings.

Coupons.com allows you to print coupons from your computer which you can use in your local stores to help you save money. If that's not enough they also have a recipes section to help you plan your weekly menu.

ValPak is one of the largest distributors of coupons in the country. You've no-doubt seen their baby-blue envelope in your mailbox from time to time. Visit them online to print coupons or request a delivery.

SIGN IN FOR COUPON CODES

A slightly easier way to get in on the coupon code secret is to sign up for as many membership groups or mailing lists as you can. Since companies often send the codes to exclusive, targeted groups of people, one way to make sure you get the codes is to become one of those targeted people. When you do online shopping, look for opportunities to sign up for mailing list. Often times the company will send out promotional codes to everyone on their mailing lists. The more mailing lists you are on, the more codes you will get and the more money you can save while shopping online.

But all of this seems to be time consuming and you're probably wondering if it's really worth the hassle. Isn't there an easier way? The answer: Yes there is. Several people have taken the time to track thousand's of online stores and their promotional codes. They then list them all on their websites. The leading Coupon Code Super Centers are dealhunting.com and currentcodes.com.

These sites allow you to find coupon codes by store and products. Better yet, they are constantly updating the site with new codes so you will have the best deals and promotional codes at your fingertips every day.

The one thing you must keep in mind when using coupon codes is that they often last for only a very limited time. Some last several days, others for just hours. One useful tip is to resist your urge to do compulsive buying. Since companies run different coupon codes daily, what seems like a good deal today will be nothing compared to the better deal running tomorrow. Remember, patience can pay. No matter how you choose to approach the world of online shopping, you should be able to save money. With a bit of patience and a little sleuth, you can even find bargains that you wouldn't believe.

Major Sites:

Even the big-box stores like Best Buy, Toys R Us, and even Victoria's Secret will sometimes have specials that are available only on their website. So, before trekking to a brick and mortar store, check the store's online site first for specials or coupons that you can print out when and if you actually visit the store.