The Free Shipping Defense

Three habits protect you long after checkout.

• Price the shipping in. A $30 item with $7 shipping is a $37 item — judge it that way, even when a rival site hides the same cost inside a higher sticker price.
• Compare the all-in total. Put the same product on two retailers and add up item plus shipping plus tax. "Free shipping" often just means the fee is buried in the price.
• Watch the threshold creep. The bar for free shipping tends to rise over time. If yesterday's $35 minimum is now $50, the store is nudging you toward a bigger order, not a better deal.