FashBlog.com

by Christina VanGinkel

Shopping for clothes online was once limited to a few sites. Once more and more stores became prevalent, the cost of shipping often left the shoppers canceling their orders once they were in the checkout. Once the shipping charges were added in, any deals that a shopper felt they had come upon were soon dissolved. Shipping could often be more than the items themselves.

Thankfully, as shopping online grows in popularity, so have the shipping charges become more realistic. Yes, the convenience of shopping from the comfort of our home does have to come at the cost of getting the merchandise to us via FedEx, USPS, UPS, or other courier services that commonly deliver packages. However, it should not include exorbitant handling charges, processing fees, and other add-on charges that seem to be made up just to pad the pockets of the retailers.

Many stores have changed their shipping charges recently to reflect the customer's requests of cheaper shipping, with less additional charges. This trend seems to have given customers the confidence to shop more regularly, and for a bigger variety of items. Clothing is one area that many people have avoided shopping online for, because of the increased chance of returns due to sizing issues. Again, because retailers have made their sites more shopper friendly, with better sizing guidelines, returns are becoming less of an issue.

One clothing store that has made the shipping charge nearly a non-issue is Old Navy online. They have instituted a flat fee of $5.00 for shipping a single order to one address. There are additional charges if you need your order shipped to more than one address, or if you require rush shipping.

Overstock.com also has exceptionally low shipping charges with a flat fee of $2.95. They even offer $1.00 shipping occasionally. While not a clothing store exclusively, as they offer a wide range of items including electronics, sporting goods, jewelry and watches, home and garden, gifts, and health, in addition to apparel. In apparel, they have a huge selection, from women's and children's, to men's, and footwear, though the stock varies.

Besides low shipping charges, many stores will also offer convenient coupons and discount codes for those consumers willing to take the time to search for them. Entering the name of the store along with the word coupon or discount in a major search engine, such as Google, will often point you in the correct direction if any coupons or discount codes exist for the store. Coupons are often free shipping, or a flat dollar amount off an order that is a minimum dollar amount. For example, if your order totals $100.00, you can often find a coupon for an additional $10.00 or ten percent off.

Shopping for clothing online has come far in the past few years. By shopping smart, and being aware of shipping charges before you start your shopping, you can save both time and money. Remember to check for coupons or discounts too, as this may make a huge difference between one stores prices when compared to another.