Where the Buys Are
Okay, we gave you our predictions for the new year's best buys, along with some product examples; here's where you can start your shopping spree.
Granted, we're a bit biased, but we recommend that you try our own Product Finder, a comparison shopping search engine powered by PriceGrabber. After you search for a product, you're presented with a list of merchants, prices, links to user reviews, and so on, which helps you figure out where you can get the best deal. You can also sign up for PC World's Deal Watcher, a weekly newsletter that highlights the greatest tech product buys of the week.
AOL recently introduced a service called InStore that also lets users set up e-mail price drop alerts and add up to ten items to a "remember list" without interrupting a product search (AOL keyword: inStore). InStore has it own Web site.
With a massive product selection, Amazon.com lets you buy from an aggregate of retailers, such as Circuit City, Best Buys, and Target--as well as its own monster store. Another cost-cutting option lets you buy new, used, and refurbished goods from merchants and individual sellers, all protected by Amazon's return policy.
Other comparison shopping sites include BizRate, My Simon, Shopping.com, and Yahoo Shopping. Keep in mind that each shopping service houses a different database of stores and it's likely that you'll encounter online retailers you've never heard of--including those offering the lowest price listed. Be careful with such low-ball retailers, however--occasionally, they're also the retailer with the lowest reputation, and often, what you save in upfront costs may come back to haunt you in pricier-than-expected shipping costs.
You might also want to try Dealcatcher. This site aggregates sales and coupon deals, and it has some rebate information (but it doesn't cover every single offer).
Then there's EBay. While most people think of it as a bidding auction site, it also warehouses online merchants and sellers with static Buy It Now prices. You can comparison shop, see what items previously sold for, and not worry about being outbid at the last second.
Still another way to save money is to hunt for unwanted holiday gift cards that are being sold off at discounted prices. Aside from EBay, you can find these gift cards on community sites like Craigslist or trade or sell them at Swapagift.com. Locally, check out the classified section of any newspaper, especially those distributed on college campuses.
Expect to pay about 50 to 60 cents on the dollar for a given gift card amount. Better, most sellers are willing to negotiate so you can potentially buy them for even less. The downside: It's easy to be scammed. The only way to be completely safe is meet the seller at the store and have the card scanned to verify the amount. Otherwise, call the merchant (most have a toll-free number) and verify the amount using the card number--ideally, before you commit to buying the card.
Michael Cahlin is a freelance writer based in Ventura, California. He has been writing about technology since he bought his first computer in 1983.
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