5 Top Tips for Saving Money When You Shop Online This Holiday Season

— -- 'Tis the season for cybershopping and this holiday Americans are expected to spend an estimated $105 billion online.

For all the bargain-hunters out there, consumer expert Mark Ellwood has some tip and tricks to help you save big.

Ellwood, the author of “Bargain Fever,” is a self-described super-shopper.

He shared some his tips for how you can save while shopping:

The Tips

1. Shopping cart abandonment. "All you need to do is log in to any Web store that you love, place an item in your cart and close the browser window - walk away - make a cup of tea and sit and wait,” Ellwood said.

“GMA” tried this trick as seven different retail websites. Within 24 hours, we received three reminders about the abandoned carts and two discount offers – one for $20 off and another for 20 percent off.

2. Use browser extensions such as Honey or PriceBlink. After you install the extension, they automatically scan the Web for coupons before you check out, potentially saving you money in just seconds.

3. Install a price comparison tool, such as ShopGenius or InvisibleHand. They run it the background and will alert you if you’re not getting the lowest possible price.

4. Some sites, especially travel websites, like to lure new online shopper by offering them lower prices. Before your next visit, clear the cookies on your browser so the website where you intend to shop won’t recognize you. You may just be offered a new shopper discount.

5. Sometimes all you have to do is ask. Open up a live chat window and ask about discounts. “GMA” tried it and got 10 percent off an item.

"The key is to be nice, not naughty ...,” Ellwood said. “You want to stack those discounts; free shipping, comparison shop, use a coupon. You can end up at half off with a little bit of patience and a lot of politeness."