Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Wikibuy. As always, all words and opinions are honest and my own. This is a free product I use personally and I’m happy to share it with my readers. This post also contains affiliate links. Wikibuy compensates me when you get the Wikibuy extension using the links in this post.
I remember making one of my first online purchases about 20 years ago. I don’t remember what I purchased, but I remember experiencing the angst of pressing the buy button. Was it a scam? Would my credit card number be stolen? Would I actually get what I paid for? It seriously took me about an hour to go through with it. I would add it to my cart, remove it, add it again, enter my credit card information, delete it, enter it again, walk away, take a deep breath, and finally pressed the buy button like I was trying to kill a spider without touching it.
Online shopping and my attitude towards it has come such a long way! When I moved from a suburban area to a rural, two-stoplight town about 15 years ago, I started to rely on online shopping even more. I’ve bought everything online from tile to toilets, fabric to furniture, clothing, groceries, toilet paper, art supplies, and even a bathtub. Not only is it a time-saver, preventing me from running all over town looking for the exact product I want, but it’s a quicker way to comparison shop or find something that isn’t sold locally, like a French market basket or Icelandic wool yarn.
And online shopping has gotten even easier with browser extensions like Wikibuy that will notify you of coupon codes, potential discounts, price drops, and loyalty credit offers automatically at checkout. When you shop online a lot, the savings can really add up! The best part is that Wikibuy is 100% free. Not gimmicks or gotchas.
F-R-E-E.
And right now, during this strange season, online is the only way I’m shopping. Items that I might’ve run to the store to pick up, like sewing supplies, a pack of pencils for the boys to use for school, or Skittles for Calvin’s low blood sugar, have to be ordered online.
What I love most about Wikibuy is it will hunt down coupon codes for you. Who can keep up with all of the codes that are currently active?? Who can keep track of which sites even use coupon codes? Well, Wikibuy can do that automatically. When I go to check out, a little box will pop-up at the top right of my screen and offer to test the codes it located for that site. I’ll test out the codes to see if there is a discount I might be missing out on.
I test out codes on every purchase I make, like cotton thread and a 100-yard-roll of bias tape to make masks to donate…
The coupons Wikibuy is able to find that are valid for your purchase will be automatically applied. Sometimes there are valid codes and sometimes there aren’t, but at least you know you tried!
The other option is getting loyalty credits on purchases. A 2lb bag of yeast that I purchased from eBay (yes, I bought yeast on eBay), was eligible for a 1% loyalty credit. I never would’ve known that if I didn’t have the Wikibuy extension installed.
On a bag of yeast, a 1% loyalty credit isn’t very much, but if you start adding up 1% credits on all eligible purchases over the year and that’s nothing to sneeze at.
See…I’ve earned $.32 cents in just the past couple of weeks and that’ll add up over time to be a nice little bonus.
Wikibuy will also notify you of price drops on sites like Amazon. Just add the item to your watchlist and you’ll be notified when it is available at a lower price. This can be especially helpful in this day and age when we’re seeing prices inflated on staple items. If you can wait to make the purchase, add it to your watchlist and wait for the price to drop.
It will even notify you if something is already available at a lower price elsewhere on the web!
Any tool that’s going to make online shopping easier and save me some money, too, is a win-win in my book!
You can get your free Wikibuy browser extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, & Safari to use at online retailers like Amazon, Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, Home Depot, Etsy, eBay, and more HERE.
I read that Wikibuy was purchased by Capitol One. I also read that they sell information to third parties. If true, I am not inclined to want to use their browser extension to earn 32 cents at a time to lose the ability to protect my privacy.
Here is a link to their privacy opt-out notice, which clearly states what they share and do not share.
https://assets.paribus.co/documents/privacy/paribus_privacy_opt_out_notice.pdf
I have Wikibuy but they also want me to connect my credit card. That I haven’t done. That’s where I’m, like you were 20 years ago. What if they scam me and someone there uses it? I don’t do banking with my phone either.
I didn’t connect my credit card, but I like getting the coupon codes and loyalty credits!
Online shopping is convenient, but please remember to support your local small businesses. The current situation has been so hard on us, but we are fighting to survive so we can still be there for you when this is over.
I am right there with you Kim shop local, I am a small B&B if all people go for the big discounts at major Hotels I lose . I see so many people asking me for a price then they say they can do better at a major hotel chain, sad but if they would add up breakfast, 3 taxes to the price of that major chain. OHHH now I see.
We have ordered from local shops who offer curbside pick-up, but my son is high risk, so we are taking extra precautions and ordering most items from online. The great thing about ordering online is that you can support small retailers that way too! I’ve ordered from small sellers on Etsy, Amazon, eBay, and in their online shops.
I have Wikibuy and Honey, and the latter usually finds slightly better deals.
I liked Honey but despise that dancing logo. It is ridiculous and I think most online shoppers are adult enough to click on a less obnoxious link. So, I use wikibuy now
Thank you for sharing this – I was not familiar with Wikibuy! I do not do much online shopping, but this does look like a great opportunity for savings !
Oddly, around 20% of the things I order on-line never turn up, or are not as pictured.
I use PayPal to pay if at all possible. (I’m not getting anything from them to say this.)
The very first thing I ever ordered was a rug. The seller sent the wrong pattern. I sent them pictures and asked for the right pattern. They said ‘bad luck, live with it, lady’ – very rude! PayPal went into bat for me & got a refund, they even paid for the postage to send the item back. I got the correct item from another wonderful helpful seller – a small family business – who sent me photos of the rug in his warehouse and even a discount coupon after I’d purchased from him. There are good people out there.
I’ve noticed that I get no argument from problem sellers when I point out I paid with PayPal. Coincidence? Maybe.
So I personally recommend using PayPal as an extra level of security for on-line shopping.
Where did you find the bias tape roll?
I ordered it from a seller on Etsy, but they are sold out now. 🙁
I have never heard of Wikibuy but seems similar to HONEY which I do use regularly and credits are accumulated here as well
When I tried to get app, got a message it was only available for Mac. I use iPad.
The extension is only available on a desktop, but I believe you can get an app for a tablet or phone.
Always remember, nothing is “free”. As the above attachment shows, your information will be tracked and your information will be shared. If you have concerns about privacy (and the same applies, but in a different manner, to your grocery store loyalty cards, etc.) then do your research. If you don’t mind, then this is certainly a way to trade your information for a discounts or perhaps codes that can easily be found through a google search. Always remember, nothing is “free”!