How To Get The Best Price On Electronics During The Holidays

I received a great question a few days ago on Facebook, and I’m betting many of you can relate!  Here’s Harmony’s question . . .

 

“Laurie, do you know of any sites that post where the best deals on TV’s/electronics are each week? I am shopping for a TV for Christmas wondered if there was any help out there to sort through the 800 places to buy electronics.”

I’ll be honest, while I can get you free toothpaste, free potatoes or even free croutons just about any day of the week, finding a deal on electronics isn’t quite as easy.  And, since I know next to nothing about technological gadgets, hunting down a bargain can be that much harder for me!  But, last year I purchased a large-screened television for my husband for Christmas, and learned a few tips along the way.  Here are just a few suggestions to get you started . . .

1)  Do your research. Decide what you’re looking for, learn the product specific information, and determine which brand you’d like to purchase.

2)  Cautiously read through the reviews, but always use discernment.  This one is so important, especially if you’re planning to make a purchase online.  You’ll want to see what other folks say about an item, however remember that what matters to them may not be all that important to you.  Last year when I was purchasing our television, several of the reviews stated that the audio component to the TV was not as good as they’d hoped. However, as I read further I realized that these reviewers were eons ahead of me when it came to technology, and that the audio issue that was so important to them probably wasn’t all that big a deal to me.  Sure enough, the sound on our television sounds great, and we haven’t noticed any issues at all.

Also remember that the people who leave comments on any review are just that . . . people, typically without any regulation.  While some of their reviews may be right on, some of the opinions shared may be from someone who has vastly different goals with their purchase than you do.  So, don’t buy an item that has a 2 star rating because that really is pretty low, but also don’t nix an idea for a 4 1/2 star purchase simply because it didn’t get 5 complete stars.

3) If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In grocery deal hunting, there really are tons of “too-good-to-be-true” deals that pop up every week.  However, it’s pretty unlikely that you’re going to find a deal on a television that includes 90% savings.  While you’ll want to get a great deal, use discernment when watching the deals, and if something sounds not-quite right, skip on past that bargani.

4)  Check out good price matching websites.  This one is huge!  I use two to three websites almost every day to verify the best deals available online.  Here are my favorite sites to check:

• PriceGrabber.com ~  Price Grabber allows you to enter the name of the item that you’re looking for and find the best price on that specific item.
• Slickdeals.net ~ Slickdeals is a great resource of constant top deals, but usually they include lots of deals on technology.  I check them a few times a day just to see what their new offers are!
• DealNews.com ~ Deal News is another deal site that updates regularly with very specific technology offers.  They also rate each deal in terms of “hotness”, so you’ll know if a deal is worth looking more at!

6) Stalk Amazon.  Seriously guys, if you’re not using Amazon for purchases like these, you should be!  Last Christmas I hauled three kiddos around to at least twelve stores looking for a good deal on our television, and even purchased a television at Best Buy.  When I got home, I looked over what I’d purchased and the Amazon price was still significantly lower than Best Buy,and they shipped free to my home. (Ummm . . . meaning no wanding around twelve stores while trying to prevent my children from breaking anything. . . )   So, I made an extra trip to return the over-priced television that I’d just purchased, and popped into my jammies to place my order.  Amazon typically tries to stay very competitive with your local Walmart or Best Buy prices, and 9 times out of 10 I’ve found that they beat anyone else’s prices on like items.