3 Amazon Shopping Mistakes I’ve Finally Learned Not to Repeat

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I’ve made far too many Amazon blunders in my day. Read on so you can avoid my mistakes. [[{“value”:”

For the most part, shopping on Amazon is a practice that helps me save money throughout the year. I buy everything from toiletries to food to apparel on Amazon, and the $139 a year I pay for my Prime membership is generally more than worth the cost.

Although I’ve been a Prime member and Amazon shopper for years, there are certain mistakes I’ve made, even recently, that have left me kicking myself. Here are three I’m sharing so that you can avoid them.

1. Assuming Amazon has the lowest price

Because Amazon’s prices tend to be competitive, I often assume that the price I see on the site is the best one around. But that’s not always the case. And sometimes when I’m in a rush to make purchases, I end up spending more by not shopping around.

During the holidays, for example, there was a certain toy my daughters wanted that Amazon had available for $39.99. Because that was $10 off the regular price, I figured it was the best price.

But it wasn’t. When I mentioned to a friend a few days later that I’d snagged my kids’ toys for $39.99 apiece, she was quick to tell me that Target had them on sale for $34.99. I checked Target.com, and sure enough, she was right.

But I’ll be honest — at that point I had too much on my plate to deal with a new order and an Amazon return for $5 in savings. I was also, at that point, worried about the Target shipment arriving on time. Had I bought those toys from Target originally, though, I would’ve saved that money from the start and not had a hassle.

If you’re on a tight budget, it pays to shop around before making purchases on Amazon. You may find that Target, Walmart, or another store has a slightly better deal.

2. Assuming my Prime orders will arrive in two days

The nice thing about Amazon Prime is getting access to fast free shipping on my orders. But just because Amazon says a given item will arrive at my doorstep in two days doesn’t mean that’ll actually happen.

During the holidays, for example, I waited until the last minute to purchase a few of my gifts. And sure enough, shipping delays made it so that one of those items didn’t arrive in time. I wound up having to throw cash in an envelope in the absence of having a physical gift for one of my recipients, and I then had to deal with the hassle of returning the late item to Amazon.

It’s OK to fall back on Amazon when you’re down to the wire and need things shipped in a hurry. That’s a big part of the benefit of a Prime membership. But be mindful of the fact that your order may be subject to delays, particularly during busy periods like December.

3. Forgetting to cancel Subscribe & Save items

Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program makes it easy to stay well-stocked on the items I use regularly. But it’s super important to review your deliveries each month and make sure you actually need all of the items in your shipment.

A while back, I stopped taking a certain supplement I had set up to auto-ship every three months from Amazon. I didn’t check my Subscribe & Save delivery that month, and lo and behold, a bottle arrived in my mailbox. That left me stuck with it, since it wasn’t eligible for return due to safety issues. So if you’re going to use Subscribe & Save, be careful — especially with items that can’t be sent back.

Although I’ve had my share of positive Amazon shopping experiences, these mistakes have put a damper on that. Now that you’re aware of the blunders I’ve made, hopefully you can take steps to steer clear of them to avoid the aggravation.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon and Target. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Target, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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