JoeShopping Blog

Updated: Mega List of Online Stores that Offer Free Shipping

Posted on February 18, 2013 by JoeShopping

The worst part of online shopping is having to pay all those annoying shipping fees. Yes, free shipping is a major advantage that one online store has over another.

And while many stores do offer free shipping, they also require you to spend a minimum purchase first. That’s certainly better but still not cool.

That’s why a few months back, your friends at JoeShopping put together a list of online stores that offer free shipping with no minimum! What’s more, we just cleaned up that list, removing stores that no longer offer free shipping, as well as adding dozens of new ones that do!

What we’ve got now is one big honkin’ list of over 75 online stores worth shopping at! We hope this resource is one you’ll add to your Online Shopper’s Toolkit to make sure you’re getting the best deals when you shop online!

See the 75+ Free Shipping Stores

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

20 Stores With No Sales Tax

Posted on April 30, 2012 by JoeShopping

When you’re shopping online, you often account for things like shipping and handling fees. But sales tax can sometimes take you by surprise, adding as much as an additional 9% to your purchase price. Unfortunately, online stores are forced to tack on these taxes if they have a physical location (like a brick and mortar store or shipping warehouse) that operates in your state.

Although coupon codes and special discounts can’t be applied to sales taxes, there’s still a way to save. In many cases, most stores only apply sales tax to a handful of states. And, believe it or not, there are some stores that don’t charge any sales tax at all. In our list below, we’ve gathered up 20 different online stores that don’t charge a penny for sales tax. Even better, many of these stores also offer additional shopping perks, like free shipping and/or free returns!

For more stores with free shipping and free returns, check out our previous blogs, which feature 66 stores with free shipping (no minimum!) and 30 stores with free return shipping!

Continue reading →

30 Online Stores That Offer Free Return Shipping

Posted on April 16, 2012 by JoeShopping

Buying online has its advantages. You can skip the traffic, long lines, cranky sales people, and those pesky shoppers who browse the sales rack alongside you like it’s a competitive sport. At home, you can take a more relaxed approach, save on gas, and even compare prices at multiple stores. Plus, there’s that whole shopping in your underwear thing (come on, we can’t be the only ones). The biggest drawback, though, is having to return an item you purchased online.

Sending an item back can not only cause extra hassle, but it could cost extra money. Many stores leave the shipping expense for a return up to the customer, and some even charge an additional restocking fee. That’s even if they allow for returns in the first place. It can be a true nightmare.

To these stores, we say nay! We scoured the online shopping landscape and rounded up 30 different stores that offer absolutely free returns. From Amazon.com to Zara.com, these stores won’t charge you a penny for returning an item to them. Plus, most of them even offer free shipping when you place your order!

And for online stores that allow for order returns to their bricks and mortar locations, check out the list at the end of this post! Continue reading →

When Free Shipping Isn’t Free

Posted on November 17, 2010 by JoeShopping

Almost every site offers some kind of free shipping, whether it’s a regular
option or a special deal with minimum purchase. But sometimes when these
deals seem to be too good to be true, they are. Here are few helpful tips to
make sure “free shipping” doesn’t cost you; it’s mainly common sense, but it’s
still worth remembering, especially when you’re neck-deep in frantic holiday
shopping.

Make sure it applies to your item
Many stores offer great online discounts, and many stores offer free shipping.
Unfortunately, the two are sometimes mutually exclusive. Many big ticket items,
like TVs and DVD players, may be on a special sale, but many times those sales
make them ineligible for free shipping. Always double-check your final total to
see if you’re getting one or both.

Make sure you’re not paying extra
We’ve all done it — we have $40 worth of items in our cart, then we see
those “free shipping” deals with purchase of $50 or whatever, and we can all
usually find a $12 item to put us over the edge. But make sure what you’re
buying is really worth the deal. Buying $40 worth of stuff may cost $7 in shipping,
but isn’t that better than buying an extra $12 item you neither need nor can use
just to get the “free” shipping? Answer: Yes, to the tune of $5, specifically.

Make sure it’ll still come on time
Many online stores offer free shipping, but it’s often free ground shipping —
meaning it often takes 7-10 business days to arrive. That’s no problem if the item
you want is in stock and you’re buying early enough, but too many people have
bought too-popular items too late, and watched them get delivered on December
26th. Just pay attention to your items’ in-stock status, as well as the calendar!

Shipping deals you oughtta know about
From now until December 20th, Wal-Mart is offering free shipping on everything
they sell, with no minimum. As above, make sure your items will still arrive by
your due date. If you need things more quickly, some online stores allow you to
get unlimited free two-day shipping for a yearly membership fee — for example,
Amazon offers their Prime membership for $79. It sounds like a lot, but if you
order from Amazon once a month — if you normally spend $7 for shipping per
order — it pays for itself, and you get all your items in only two days!