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1. Buy what you need from Amazon whenever possible.
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Avoid driving to the store, wandering through the maze of isles to find an item that is out of stock, waiting to herd through checkout lines, and wondering whether you paid too much. Buy from Amazon and you will save money, time, and your sanity. In addition, consolidating your purchases with Amazon will give you more weight as a customer in their eyes. If a problem arises, they are more likely to see your loyalty and give you the benefit of the doubt "because you are a valued customer."

2. Join Amazon Prime.

For a $79 annual membership fee, Amazon Prime gives you free 2-day shipping with no order minimum. Upgrade to 1-day shipping for only $3.99. You can place as many orders as you want with these benefits. I no longer wait until I have $25 worth of items to order from Amazon or waste time looking for filler items to bring the total up to $25. As soon as I know I need something, I place the order. Buying gifts for friends and family is a breeze now.

3. Use Subscribe & Save.

When you find an item you want to buy, look for Subscribe & Save in the top section of the product detail page (to the right of the product images). If available, Subscribe & Save will save you around 15% or more. Standard shipping is free for all Subscribe & Save orders. You do not need to order more than $25 or be a member of Amazon Prime. Cancel a subscription at any time with no penalty. Right now, I subscribe and save on Huggies diapers, L'il Critters Gummy Bears vitamins, Kashi cereals and bars, John McCann's steel cut oatmeal, and Clif Bar and Clif Shot products. New items are frequently added to the Subscribe & Save program, so always look for it.

4. Check FatWallet or your favorite shopping deal site for hot deals and discount or coupon codes.

Visit FatWallet.com or a similar site. Search the forums for hot deals at Amazon (type in "Amazon" and scan the recent posts). You can also search for the name of a certain item you want to buy. You may find a great deal at Amazon or another site. Then, enter the cash back and coupon section to see if any coupon codes are available and applicable to your purchase.

5. Compare prices with PriceGrabber, Froogle, or your favorite price comparison site.

Often, Amazon offers the lowest price. But, in some cases, you may save money by not buying from Amazon. It only takes a few seconds to check. While you are at FatWallet, click on the Compare Prices button to access PriceGrabber.com. Type in the model number or the name of the item and search. Click on the Compare Prices button next to the correct item and a list of Sellers and prices will appear. Enter your zip code, if you haven't already, to get the total prices including shipping and tax.

6. Add items that you wish to buy to your cart and monitor.

If you are not in a rush to buy, add the item to your cart and click on the Save for later button. Visit Amazon periodically and click on Cart. When you do, an Important Message may come up at the top of the screen highlighting any changes in the prices of items in your cart. These changes will be from the last time you viewed your cart until present time. You will not find out about other changes that may have occurred along the way, and Amazon tends to tinker with the prices a lot, sometimes more than once a day. However, you will get a feel for when you are getting the best deal in recent weeks versus the best deal at that moment.

7. Add items that you just bought to your cart again and monitor.

As in Tip 6, you will get an important message alert for any price changes. If Amazon lowers the price of an item within 30 days from the day you received the item, send them an e-mail or give them a call and ask for a credit for the difference. Make sure you are looking at the price from Amazon. Amazon will not match a lower price from other Sellers (see policy details).

8. Get an Amazon.com Visa card.

Sign up online through Amazon and you will receive a $30 credit after your first purchase. Earn additional $25 reward certificates by collecting points for purchases. These points equate to a 3% savings at Amazon and a 1% savings everywhere else.

9. Consider buying from Amazon Sellers.

Sellers (big names like Target and small names like me) are great when you are looking for the absolute lowest price (not always Amazon), a used item (to save money), or an item that Amazon does not carry or have in stock. You still get all the advantages of your relationship with Amazon (order convenience, purchase protection, Visa card rewards, excellent customer service, etc.). Look for More Buying Choices information on the far right of the product detail page.

10. Collect items you no longer use to sell on Amazon.

Selling on Amazon is much easier than selling on eBay. Amazon takes a cut only if the item sells. Otherwise, it costs nothing. The item must be in Amazon's vast catalog of products before you can sell it.
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