Shopping for office supplies online yields convenience and savings

It seemed like a crazy idea when it first started. During the dot.com bubble of the late '90s, there was a web-site for buying everything online. Pets.com may have been the most interesting, helping you mail order your pet food or kitty litter, as long as you didn’t mind waiting several days to get it. As one writer put it, “let’s face it, when you need kitty litter, you need kitty litter.” When the bubble popped the idea of ordering basic supplies became questionable in many people’s minds.
But a few things have changed in the last ten years. With the proliferation of the mobile internet, just-in-time inventory, and the restructuring of supply chains, consumers are learning that it is actually possible to save money by buying online. Just look at the number of brick and mortar retailers that are either struggling or have declared bankruptcy. Materials with high margins or costly storage are prime candidates for buying online.
So what about your office supplies? You might be surprised to discover that buying materials online can significantly cut your costs. Retail suppliers have to make so many varieties of paper and other materials available, that the storage and retail costs can be significant. By ordering the specific kind you need, you avoid all of those costs.
But these savings are even more pronounced when it comes to ink cartridges and printer supplies. These are high-margin items, because manufacturers and retailers recognize that you have to buy their cartridge (or replace the printer). The almost endless number of printer models available makes this worse, since buying and keeping all of the toner cartridges in stock is rather involved. If your local office supply store stocks the specific cartridge you need, expect to pay for all the time it sat in storage!
This is why internet retailers are generally the best source for printer cartridges and other office supplies. Rather than simply hoping that your local source might be supplying the right cartridge, choose exactly what you need and have it delivered to your workplace. The convenience and ease you enjoy will be matched by a real and meaningful financial savings.
The real factor that makes internet suppliers the better supplier (and the major change since the dot.com bubble) is that shipping is generally fast and costs little or nothing. Many suppliers offer free shipping on toner cartridges or other supplies.
Many people have wondered how these kinds of prices are realistic or sustainable. In actuality, internet retail is simply the next development in a truly efficient market system. Free shipping makes sense, as long as the cost of shipping is less than the cost of storing or stocking the same products on store shelves. More importantly, these products usually have to be shipped from a distributor to the retail stores where they will be sold. Internet retailers simply eliminate an unnecessary step, creating greater efficiency and passing the savings on to their customers.
As a consumer, make sure that you aren’t losing money by unnecessarily paying higher prices for the same products. It is important to take advantage of cheaper prices and better selections for office products by shopping and purchasing online.
This article is a guest contribution from Joel Arnold of Inkpal.com.