10 top-rated Amazon items under $5 so you can get free shipping
Keep these in your 'saved for later' cart for the next time you're a few bucks shy of free shipping.
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You’ve been there. I was just there this weekend. It’s the moment you’re ready to checkout on Amazon and you realize you’re a few dollars short of the $25 free shipping minimum. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, this isn’t a worry for you. But for us folks who aren’t willing or able to pay $119 for the yearly membership (or $12.99/month) just to get free two-day shipping, it can be a struggle.
That’s where the glorious "Amazon Add-On Items" come into play. Amazon describes these specially marked listings as “low-priced items that would be cost-prohibitive to ship on their own,” so they’re the perfect things to add to an order when you’re trying to hit that free shipping threshold. Instead of just buying random stuff, stick to the best of the best.
We found 10 top rated add-on items* that can help you hit that free shipping minimum and actually be useful to have.
*Note: Some of these may no longer be marked as add-on items, but are still under $5 and will contribute to the order minimum all the same.
1. The best heavy duty tape for any job
Duct tape is more durable than most tapes in general, and Gorilla's is the most impressive option.
Reviews: 493 Star rating: 4.7
Described as “duct tape on steroids,” the Gorilla adhesive works on surfaces that range from wood to brick to stucco. While we can’t validate the steroid claims, we have tested all the best duct tapes and found this to be far superior in everything we put it through. And according to the near-perfect five star rating, lots of people feel the same way.
Get the Gorilla Black Duct Tape for $4.97
2. The miracle cleaning scrubber you didn’t know you needed
For stubborn stains on virtually any surface, a Magic Eraser will do the trick.
Reviews: 248 Star rating: 4.1
Whip this bad boy out for heavy-duty greasy and grimy messes. While you can find packs of generic melamine sponges for low prices as well, the cheaper ones tend to fall apart quickly, while the Mr. Clean version lasts longer. This particular eraser includes Durafoam to make cleaning even easier.
Get the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Cleaning Pads with Durafoam for $4.97
3. Replacements for your mysteriously vanishing hair essentials
The included case makes this perfect to stash in your purse or gym bag.
Reviews: 293 Star rating: 4.3
Even if you just bought a ton of them, bobby pins always go missing. This best-selling 75-pack comes with a plastic container, which hopefully will keep you from losing the pins. At least it’ll help you lose them more slowly for once.
Get the Conair Color Match Bobby Pins for $2.19
4. A teether to ease your baby’s growing pains
It can never hurt to have more teethers handy when your baby is crying for comfort.
Reviews: 3,162 Star rating: 4.3
It can never hurt to have another teether on standby when your baby’s teeth start coming in. The Nuby Ice Gel Teether Key set, a No. 1 best-seller on Amazon, has a comment section filled with parents singing its praises. The cooling technology that soothes a baby’s incoming teeth is the most-lauded feature that it’s under $4.
Get the Nuby Ice Gel Teether Keys for $3.54
5. This mascara that's cheapest on Amazon
Try a new mascara without breaking the bank.
Reviews: 627 Star rating: 4.0
Lash extensions can be expensive, so fake it ‘til you can afford them. Covergirl’s Clump Crusher is actually cheaper as an add-on product at Amazon compared to what you’d pay at CVS or Walmart. Reviewers claim it lives up to its name and doesn’t clump. For this low of a price, don’t expect this mascara to blow your mind, but it’s a great choice if you’re not super picky about your makeup.
Get the Covergirl Clump Crusher Extensions LashBlast Mascara for $4.27
6. Big, convenient sticky notes to be better organized
These are like traditional sticky notes, but designed for passionate note takers and list makers.
Reviews: 2,175 Star rating: 4.5
Do you like to jot down notes on Post-Its? With this awesome add-on item (a No. 1 best-seller) you won’t have to suffer hand cramps just to cram notes on a tiny sticky pad. These 4x6” sticky notes are large enough for any to-do list, lined for neater note-taking, and have tabs that make organizing your notes a breeze.
Get the Redi-Tag Divider Sticky Notes for $3.71
7. A single-purpose kitchen gadget you won’t mind having around
Stop getting your hands dirty transferring your food when you cook.
Reviews: 493 Star rating: 4.7
This stainless steel scraper makes transferring chopped food from your cooking board to the pan an absolute breeze. Sure, you could use your hands, or do the hand-to-knife balancing act, but with this tool in hand, the process is easier and faster. While it is available in five colors, only three of the smaller scrapers (blue, purple, and red) are add-on items that cost less than $5.
Get the Rachael Ray Stainless Steel Bench Scraper for $4.95
8. A pack of microfiber towels you can use on almost anything
It's never a bad idea to have a few microfiber towels around the house.
Reviews: 1,086 Star rating: 4.5
These microfiber cloths are soft enough to use on all surfaces, from the hood of your car to the lenses in your glasses, from the kitchen to the bathroom. Reviewers laud the larger than average size that makes these towels even more useful around the house. We love that they can be washed and reused hundreds of times, but if you're looking for the best kitchen towels note that microfiber isn't always the most absorbent when it comes to drying dishes and sopping up spills.
Get the AmazonBasics Thick Microfiber Cleaning Cloths 3 pack for $4.79
9. A handy gadget to keep your knives like new
This little gadget can breathe new life to your old knife.
Reviews: 1,427 Star rating: 4.5
Smith’s has been around from more than a century, so it’s no surprise this add-on item has so many glowing reviews. While we didn’t get a chance to try it when we first tested the best knife sharpeners, but most reviewers praise the high quality compared to the low price and the usefulness of having both fine and coarse sharpeners in one device.
Get the Smith’s 2-Step Knife Sharpener for $3.98
10. A flash drive for those last-minute file transfer emergencies
It's never a bad idea to have a spare flash drive in your bag or at your desk.
Reviews: 4,863 Star rating: 4.4
A 16GB drive may not be big enough to save thousands of files, but it will get the job done for approximately 900 photos and 40 minutes of videos. You can even add a password to protect your files, and at $5, it’s the perfect thing to keep in your bag and not worry about losing.
Get the SanDisk 16GB Flash Cruzer USB Drive for $4.99
Prices are accurate at the time this article was published, but may change over time.
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