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While you may be an avid online shopper, buy regularly on eBay, have a PayPal account and aren't scared of buying online, contact lenses are different.

For many people, their online shopping starts with Google and ends wherever Google leads them. When buying contact lenses, that same search engine can provide you with savings on your contact lenses, if you know how to search.

Most people would open up their browser, type Google.com and then "Contact Lenses" or "Buy Contact Lenses" and while that might find places that sell contact lenses, that won't necessarily find the best deals.

The reason is that when you search with a general term like "buy contact lenses" you're going to find Acuvue's website, Bausch & Lomb and other manufacturers. What you find won't are the hidden gems we're talking about.

The hidden gems are those contact lens comparison sites. These sites take prices from all over the internet and compile the prices from a lot of sites. So essentially they are doing a lot of the shopping for you. This is just the first step.

Step one is just changing what you already do, search the internet. Instead of your generic "contact lenses" search, try something like "contact lens comparison price" or "comparison shopping contact lens". Those searches should give a much better set of results that include a few sites that will allow you to view prices from different websites.

The second step shouldn't take too long. Once you find this site, find the contact lens that you wear and check out the price. Now write down the website and price. Next, go back to Google and check another comparison site. Since not all of these sites are the same, some update prices in real-time, others update daily or weekly. To get the best price you'll want to make sure that you're comparing the comparison sites. That sounds confusing but you'll get used to it. Essentially you're comparing two different stores that are selling the same product.

There are a few things that you'll want to watch out for. Some sites will try to trick you by selling smaller packages. So if you're used to paying $30 per box of contact lenses and you find a site selling a "box" for $10, you might want to check the quantity of the box. You might find that it is a sample pack and only has a few contacts.

Step three is an easy one. Once you've found the correct contact lens at a few different comparison sites, see what site they're linking too. Most of these sites don't sell directly, but they'll send you to bigger sites. The third step in saving money online when buying contact lenses is to now check site that actually sells the contact lenses. There are times where you'll find the best deal directly. Sometimes the price will be the same, but it's worth the effort to take the extra step and check directly.

The fourth and final step in your contact lens shopping experience is to check directly with the manufacturer. Some manufacturers don't sell directly to the public, but others do. If the manufacturer sells a considerable amount online, they'll probably offer prices that are similar or better than other websites.

Just as a bonus, here is a fifth and final step. Many manufacturers want people to switch to their brand of lens that they'll do almost anything to get you to switch. Many times this means a coupon just for you. Other times you might be able to get a free sample of their specific brand of contact lens. Some manufacturers won't be able to offer anything, but as my mom always said, "It never hurts to ask!"