Most people know how to buy an inkjet cartridge. It’s as simple as knowing the brand and type of your printer and walking into an office supply store or purchasing one online. Few of us, however, know how to buy inkjet cartridges smartly, meaning inexpensively. Online stores and auction sites consistently have the best deals, but some of us may reason the shipping and handling costs make it not worth the trouble. That’s not true in many cases. Many inkjet cartridges are as much as 40 percent cheaper when purchased online, they get shipped out the next day, and because of their small stature, their shipping and handling cost is very low, sometimes free. Here are some tips on getting the best prices when buying an inkjet cartridge.
Step 1
Visit an inkjet price comparison site, such as comparecartridges.com, that outlines which online shops have the cheapest ink cartridges for your specific printer. Often, they will do a side-by-side comparison of up to 15 different outlets.
Step 2
Type in the name and/or model number of the inkjet cartridge you need at amazon.com, making sure to check out the retailer’s customer approval rating and the customer reviews for that specific inkjet cartridge. The retailer cannot edit or remove their customer ratings, which means the ratings are generally honest. If many are complaining of poor quality, shipping that takes weeks or inkjet cartridges that don’t work, don’t order from that retailer.
Step 3
Find a website that only offers recycled inkjet cartridges, such as atlanticincjet.com. Technically, these are used, but they can be up to 50 percent cheaper than a new cartridge.
Step 4
Opt for a non-brand name inkjet cartridge. Sometimes these aren’t made for any one specific printer, but rather a number of similar inkjet printers. Once again, read any customer reviews the site may have to make sure you’re ordering a cartridge that will work.
Step 5
Buy the inkjet cartridges in bulk. The initial cost may seem expensive, but the cost of five or ten cartridges together will always be cheaper than each one individually. It’s not unusual to see cartridges sold in bulk at places like Costco or Sam’s Club.
Tip
- Some recycled inkjet cartridges may have some initial problems being registered by your printer. If this happens to you, visit the website’s troubleshooting page to find out how best to make your printer accept the cartridge.
Warning
- Never purchase anything from an unreliable website that seems unprofessional or untrustworthy.
