When it comes to buying larger items, retail traditionally wins. It’s difficult to compete with the customers seeing the product first-hand and not having to pay high shipping costs to receive their product.
It’s clear though, that some manufacturers of larger products are trying to find ways improve sales online. High-res images, 360 degree views and customer reviews are helping to make this happen. But shipping costs have always been one of the biggest deterring factors for online shoppers looking to purchase large or heavy items.
However, it seems that many have found a way to offer free shipping and still maintain a competitive price. Below is a list of some products we found that surprised us with their free shipping offer, considering the price was equal to, or less than retail!
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Pressure Washers
We found a few Generac pressure washer products that were part of the Amazon Prime 2-day shipping program. In each case, the price was almost identical to that of Home Depot or Lowes.
Once you own a pressure washer, you’ll wonder how you went so long without one! They make easy work of cleaning concrete, stripping paint, washing your siding and quite a bit more.
They also don’t use much gas compared to the time and energy they save you.
The Generac pressure washer listed here currently has a 4.4 star rating on Amazon.
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Table Saws
You don’t start to appreciate table saws until you try ripping a board with a circular saw or trimming 1/4″ off a piece of material with a jig saw.
Table saws are much smaller and more portable than they used to be. This makes them perfect candidates for free shipping offers.
We compared a number of table saws on Amazon against big box store prices and found that the prices were identical in almost all cases.
When shopping for a table saw online, just consider the rip capacity. If you want to be able to rip sheet wood, make sure you look for a rip capacity above 24″. If you’re happy ripping sheet material with your circular saw, then you can save a few bucks on a model with a smaller rip capacity.
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Ladders
This category might be the most surprising. Not only are ladders on the heavy side (as far as shipping goes), but their dimensions almost put them outside the limits of traditional ground shipping.
Yet, we found online deals that actually beat retails stores by up to 25% and offer free shipping!
The Little Giant is one such product. These multi-position ladders have recently become very popular for their quality and versatility. All the more reason we were surprised to see a price drop on Amazon.
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Subscribe & Save on Hardware
We’re not necessarily surprised that certain hardware items offer free shipping. But the ability to subscribe to monthly purchases and save even more money is worth noting.
Amazon’s Subscribe and Save item isn’t just for food. If you’re a builder or hobbyist of almost any kind, a monthly supply of your most-used hardware would eliminate trips to store and save you up to 15% in the process.
As an example, woodworkers that rely on pocket-hold joinery might find that a subscription to pocket holes screws is a great way to ensure you’re never short on fasteners.
And if you find you’re stocked up enough for a while, you can always skip a month in your subscription.
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20 Gallon Air Compressor
I’m not talking about those 3-gallon compressors that leave you constantly waiting while they refill with air. 20 to 30 Gallon compressors provide a higher CFM (cubic feet per minute) and still maintain a good degree of portability.
We’ve seen these priced similarly on both Amazon and retailers with online stores, such as Home Depot. Home Depot even offers free shipping on some of their compressors.
Amazon takes it one step further by providing free 2-day shipping if you’re a member of their prime program.
One of the key benefits of air compressors is that the tools are cheap (as they don’t require a motor) and last a long time with very basic maintenance. Drop a couple drops of air tool oil in them every so often and you’re good to go!