My 4 Tips for Finding The Best Items On Amazon

In this post, I’m sharing my best tips + tricks to shopping on Amazon. Find exactly what you’re looking for, without the feeling of overwhelm!

I really enjoy pulling together mood boards and round-ups of beautiful home items, and based on your feedback, you all seem to enjoy it, too! I think that when you surround yourself with only things that you love, you can more easily carve out the space you need for family, creativity and relaxation. It’s because of this that we are very mindful of every item that comes through our door, and it’s why we spend an extra beat choosing items that we find to be both beautiful and purposeful.

Over the years, I’ve found ways to quickly fine-tune my online searches. Sometimes, it feels like half the battle is weeding through the ‘nopes’, right? But there are a few tricks I use to cut through the clutter, and when I received the question below, I realized that – okay! – maybe they might be helpful for you!

Would you be able to post any tips on how to shop for home accessories and furnishings on Amazon? It’s easy to search for something specific when you know exactly what you’re looking for, but I have a hard time doing general shopping – like light fixtures – because so many are a no. What are your tips on how to sift through all the options?

— Amy

So today, I’m sharing my tips and tricks for shopping on Amazon! There’s a mix of 4 things I do when I’m on the hunt for something very specific. Lucy’s nursery is a good example of using tips #1 and #4 for her small rope baskets (which hide everything from toys to seasonal clothing) and kids’ hangers.

And I ultimately found the perfect blackout curtains – extra tall, extra wide and blackout! – for our moody bedroom refresh using tips #1, #2 and #4.

Amazon Shopping Tips + Tricks

Tip #1| Take advantage of Amazon storefronts

Did you know we have an Amazon storefront that we update all the time? Chances are, you know or follow several people that have an Amazon shop! Everyone curates their shop a little differently, but we’ve created ours in a way that showcases everything from our favorite tools, lighting options, rugs and even the things that ‘Lucy Loves.’ By clicking on any of the categories, you’ll find our hand-selected Amazon picks.

Tip: You can also access ours at any time through ‘Shop Our House’ in our blog menu bar.

Amazon also makes it easy to find other small businesses’ storefronts! In the top left corner of your Amazon home page, expand the hamburger menu icon and scroll down. Towards the bottom, click on the menu item: Small & Medium Businesses.

From there, you can select women-owned businesses, artisans and innovators (among others!). These storefronts are a little different. Rather than being a curated list of items from across Amazon, think of them as the landing page to each individual shop. In these storefronts, you’ll find only items from that brand.

I’ve had a lot of fun poking around through others’ curated shops, and it’s where I’ve found many of the items that make it to our Best of Amazon round-ups!

Tip #2| Bookmark the landing page of your favorite category

One of the bookmarks in my browser’s toolbar is for Amazon Home. These landing pages make it easier to find the most popular items and best sellers, which is much easier than throwing a random search term in the box and crossing your fingers! For example, if I’m looking for, say, a cute kiddie craft table (we love ours!), I would go to:

Furniture > Kids Furniture > Table & Chairs

Tip #3| Start with a brand you know and love

Amazon has a handful of house brands that have wonderfully curated collections of home goods! One of my favorites is Stone & Beam (seen below), but try hopping through some of these shops as a starting point:

• Stone & Beam products are casual and cool, with mostly neutral finishes. (My heart!)
• If you’re a lover of Mid-Century clean lines, Rivet might be for you.
• Ravenna leans classic and traditional, never fussy.
• And Now House by Jonathan Adler is full of the quirk + playfulness you’ve come to know and love!

Tip #4| Skim similar items + ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ for instant curating

You know that feeling of finding the perfect-thing-but-not-quite? I rarely purchase an Amazon find without first skimming through the similar items (if nothing else, I may find a better price from a different brand!), and I’ve also been using the ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ option, too! This feature isn’t available on all items, but you’ll typically find it halfway down a product page. By giving a product a thumbs up or down, Amazon will populate like-items that might be exactly what you were looking for!

I hope this post was helpful for you! Amazon can feel overwhelming if you’re casually browsing, but these 4 steps have yet to fail me when searching for Just the Thing. Do you have other tips + tricks that you can recommend?

PS: You can see more from our Best of Amazon series right here, and here’s a guide to finding functional home items that look good, too.