With Cyber Monday around the corner, there’s no limit to the excitement of the shoppers. As this is a once-in-a-year opportunity to shop, some may get over-excited and make shopping-related blunders. For many, the shopping spree extends through the weekend. During the process, customers often slip up on their road to savings, leading to impulse purchases and financial debt. To prevent that, here are five Cyber Monday mistakes to avoid this holiday season:

Not preparing a shopping list
During the sale period, one can get overwhelmed and yield worse results. Before heading out to shop, it is advisable to make a purchase list as per the priority. This is the time when online retailers turn aggressive in terms of their messaging to gain maximum traffic. Consumers may get excited looking at those massive offers and deals and make unnecessary purchases.

To avoid such a situation, make a list of necessary items and the potential recipients of gifts. Chalk out a budget, and with every click on “Place Order,” tick off the corresponding recipients or things from the list.

Not exploring the pre-sale prices
As with any other sale, retailers during Cyber Monday come with high and lofty offers like 90 percent off, or 75 percent off, and the like. However, such fancy offers cannot be trusted unless their actual impact on the prices of the concerned products is explored. Customers are required to do some research on the regular or non-sale costs of such products before they decide whether a deal is worth taking or not.

Not availing of cashback
Sales are supposed to be about saving big and not spending more. One of the varied techniques to do that is to use a cash back store or credit card for Cyber Monday shopping. The best credit cards are those that do not charge the cardholder any annual fee. Besides that, they are supposed to save at least 1 to 2 percent on every purchase made by the cardholder. It mainly serves as free money when the customers pay off the balance straightaway.

Overlooking the return policies
Despite making a shopping list and researching on the pricing, there might be some items that may require to be returned due to many reasons. Usually, the return policy of a retailer tends to be the same on Cyber Monday as it is throughout the year. However, there may be some deviations as well. So, it would be best if the customers thoroughly review the return policy before they decide to purchase the item.

Not availing of free shipping
Cyber Monday is just one of the many sales events that take place throughout the year. Besides that, there are sales that grace the markets before the year ends. All these events imply that the customers are saved from the perils of shipping costs.

The primary objective of such sales events is to boost online retailers’ businesses, and that is done by offering free shipping besides lofty discounts. If an online store does not offer free shipping, move to another.

Consumers are bombarded with a range of tempting offers and discounts during the Cyber Monday sale. It is not surprising for some to slip up and face shopping pitfalls in the process. Therefore, it is important to be aware of such hiccups during the sale to have a smooth and fun shopping experience. Also, do not click on any wrong link as it may be a part of a malicious cyber activity.

So, be calm and adopt a methodological approach while shopping on Cyber Monday. This will help save hard-earned money and enjoy mental peace.