The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret

This one key search term is the best kept online shopping secret to scoring big discounts at 40, 50, even 80% off already marked down prices.

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Can I tell you a little secret? One that I probably haven’t mentioned before? Something that, if you met me face-to-face, you would never ever guess I have a weakness for?

I’m a bonafide rollercoaster junkie. There, I said it.

On any normal day, I’m a play-it-safe and follow-the-rules kind of girl, but until the other day, riding high speed rollercoasters 10 times in a row was the only time I ever really craved living on the edge.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

Until I discovered… “as is” online shopping. (And maybe I’m being melodramatic calling shopping “living on the edge”, but just work with me here, kay?)

If you’ve never heard of shopping “as is” but are pulled to store clearance aisles like a magnet, this one will blow. your. mind! And unlike a lot of other high discount online shopping, this one isn’t gimmicky.

I’ve only recently discovered this trick, and I’ve only found it so far on Overstock, but I’m sure there are similar searches out there on other retail sites.

All you have to do is type “as is” (without quotes) in the search bar, and hundreds of items show up that are marked down at a discount- 40, 50, even 80% off the already discounted stuff.

I found all of this that I would buy in a heartbeat. Ya know…if I didn’t have bills to pay or anything:

An industrial metal and wood barstool for $67.50.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

A Nautica comforter set for $51.09.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

These metal counter stools for $12 each!

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

And even though this pendant light would still be a splurge for me, it’s gorgeous and marked at over 50% off.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

All of the “as is” items are things that people bought from the site and returned for whatever reason- it could have just been opened and turned out to be the wrong color; the item could be fraying; it could be scratched…whatever the case might be. Just ask yourself if you’re feeling lucky. (Wink wink.)

But Overstock does explain the “as is” reason in the product details, so you’re not totally flying blind. The downside is the sales are final, so it can’t be returned- a bit of a gamble. But chances are the flaws are fixable.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

I’d already mentioned back in the final stages of Olivia’s bedroom makeover that Overstock is my top source to buying area rugs at a discount.

For so long, I wanted an area rug for our living room because it just didn’t seem quite finished without it. Then, ta da! I found this 8×10 jute rug that I’d had my eye on for a year in the “as is” search marked down to $128 from $239.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

The “as is” reason listed on the site said the rug had a smell. Honestly, I was nervous hitting that buy button. And the whole 4 days it took to arrive, I kept wondering if I’d made a huge mistake to end up with a janky smelling rug.

When it showed up at my doorstep, I ripped that plastic open, and took a huge whiff. And I probably looked like the craziest woman alive, sniffing her new rug on her front porch.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

But y’all! It didn’t smell AT ALL! Maybe I just got really really lucky, but I was dancing, literally dancing.

I’ll definitely be checking in on the “as is” search a lot… ya know along with my regular Craigslist and thrift store browsing.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

And I figure, if I ever buy a rug that is fraying at the corner, I can always sew it back up or tuck it under a piece of furniture.

If a piece has a scratch, I can most likely polish it out and touch it up.

Best Kept Online Shopping Secret (2 of 3)

Regardless, our living room is feeling a wee bit cozier!

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

And now I want one of these rugs everywhere. It feels like a foot massage every time I step on it.

The Best Kept Online Shopping Secret | blesserhouse.com

Are you a rollercoaster loving, live-on-the-edge kinda gal too? Have you ever shopped “as is” before? Or know of any other retail sites where you can shop returned items? Maybe you shouldn’t tell me because that might be bad for our bank account.

You can check out more budget shopping tips from these posts too:

Where to Buy Affordable Industrial Farmhouse Decor 

where to buy industrial farmhouse decor

18 Tips for Better Craigslisting: How to Score on Furniture

craigslist

12 Goodwill Shopping Secrets Revealed

12 Goodwill Shopping Secrets Revealed

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121 Comments

  1. That is amazing!!! I have wanted a jute rug for forever too…they just add so much warmth and texture to a room! I know your daughter is older and isn’t crawling around anymore, but would you say it is soft enough for a crawling baby? That’s the one concern I have since I have a little one and just haven’t found anyone to ask! 🙂

    1. I agree! I love the texture they add. Okay, so you’re going to laugh. But I just rolled my pant legs up and crawled around on my rug for a minute to check. Haha! It is surprisingly comfortable. I would have been nervous about that when my daughter was a baby too, but now that I’m feeling it in person, I think it’s soft enough for a baby. We’ll probably have another little one one day, and I plan on still having this rug.

  2. Great advice! I’m a clearance rack shopper myself, and am currently trying to decorate our new house on a budget. The rug is fantastic, and your room is beautiful!

        1. II have been crushing on that coffee table since I first saw it. I don’t see anything that great on Craigslist but I will not stop looking! It is exactly what I need. I need to hide all my “stuff” but I need it handy.

        2. Question for ya….did that coffee table have ANY info whatsoever on it underneath or inside? Cuz I am tellin ya it is PERFECT for what I wanna have in my house and if I had a clue to the maker I could look for one similar to it.

    1. Thanks, friend! I just discovered this one recently. Someone else just informed me there’s a similar one called Warehouse Deals on Amazon for returned items that you can buy at a discount too. I’m checking that one out next. 😉

      1. I found out about Amazon Warehouse Deals by accident. I was buying Marcal recycled chlorine free toilet paper. And there was one listed under USED. I laughed…USED toilet paper?! That is how they list their stuff with damaged packaging. WOOO HOOO for me! It was so much cheaper. I just ordered a paint sprayer tip and extension (for doing the ceiling) For my Graco sprayer from Warehouse Deals yesterday. I saved $15.07 and $10.50 I LOVE IT!

        I was at Goodwill today after church…my Sunday DOLLAR shopping. I don’t miss a Sunday! If I had time I would like to hit TWO Goodwill’s on Sunday, but I try to do most of my food shopping Sunday since I go to many stores near my church (I live 25 mins from my church), so I don’t usually have time…the other Goodwill is 20 mins from my house in the other direction. I’m usually rushing to get home and let the dog out and make dinner. LOL But ONE day I am going to do a TWO-FER. LOL

        1. I just went on Overstock and bought 2 AS IS 26″ pillow forms and a “knee” pillow for sleeping and spent $31.51 and that included the $4.95 shipping! Thank you for sharing!!!

        2. Haha! I just died over the “used toilet paper” bit. Hahaha! No, Amazon, you can keep your toilet paper. Thanks. But yes! I’ve tried out Amazon Warehouse Deals too and they’re awesome!! Wish my Goodwill had dollar shopping. I’m so jealous!

        3. I’ve purchased “As Is” items from QVC online. Their “As Is” items are stated to be items that have been returned for any # of various reasons or possibly an item that was used in an On Air presentation/demonstration &/or not in its original packaging. Their “As Is” items ARE returnable if you’re not satisfied. I’ve never been disappointed with any “As Is” purchases I’ve made from QVC.

    2. Love your site, Lauren. Since I have an in-home business that keeps me busy, I order as much as I can online. I mean everything! It’s amazing what you begin to learn the longer you’re at it, too. The news keeps reporting big stores like Macy’s and Kohls are reducing the number of stores like Barnes & Noble did years ago. Their customers are online now. Free shipping and ease of shopping are two big reasons.

      Regarding area rugs, I was in the process of moving into a new house and began looking at rugs about a year ago. There are many so-called discount rug sites online. But it pays to look at the high end retailers online, too. They have great sales. In the fall, they all began having sales. Black Friday. Online Monday. All the retail holidays, they’re having huge sales, as well. They clean out their inventory for new stock.

      I found many of the rugs I’d wanted but were over $500 to $1,000 each, dropped to below $300. Some to $150! Be patient and look around. Get to know the brands and the rug style name and google it. The online retailers are very competitive. And always look for free shipping. I rarely buy anything without it! This system works for virtually everything.