I’m an I.T. technician by trade, but it’s hard to say whether I spend more time working on these often misunderstood devices or shopping for them. Clients turn to me to purchase whatever is needed, so I get a lot of practice shopping around for the best products at the best prices. In my experience, visiting online retailers is always the most convenient way for me to make a purchase. Today, I’ll lift the veil and help you speed up your shopping experiences.
Last week was “a thousand dollar week”. All told, I spent around one thousand dollars on products for my clients. We bought software, doorbells, security cameras, and computer hardware, and 100% of that was done online. While some of the products were sold locally, the brick and mortar stores didn’t offer the options that their online counterparts did, making it a no brainer to let my fingers do the walking. The software purchases I made were instant downloads, so there was no waiting for discs to arrive, or paying for shipping. It doesn’t get more convenient than that!
If you aren’t sure where to start on the World Wide Web, head to Amazon. Just about anything you could ever want can be found on Amazon.com. And, here’s a tip: if you ever forget to buy a present for someone, you can purchase a gift card and print it at home. Never go to a party empty handed again! Amazon is usually my first stop, because they do have everything, and their prices are excellent. After Amazon, I’ll hit Newegg. Newegg is often slightly cheaper than Amazon, and they don’t charge sales tax. It’s up to you to report something that you’ve purchased, but I won’t turn you in if you don’t. Amazon has pretty much everything, but Newegg specializes in electronics. Best Buy is usually third on my list. Again, Best Buy is skewed toward the technological end of things. The security cameras I referenced in the last paragraph were actually out of stock at Amazon until the end of the month, but Best Buy had them. That shows how important it is to shop around. Another perk of Best Buy is that you can often order and pay online and pick the items up at your local store. If you need something in a hurry, your purchase is typically ready in an hour. Bring your receipt and a photo I.D. and you’re on your way.
While Amazon, Newegg, and Best Buy are my big three, regularly you’ll find some surprises. I like to enter whatever I’m looking for in a search engine (Google, Bing, etc.) and see what comes up. B&H Photo had Windows 10 Home for less than Newegg did which was shocking. I normally wouldn’t think to shop there, but you bet I did for that. If a hard drive fails, for instance, I’ll search the Internet for the specific part number so I can buy a direct replacement. Nine times out of ten I’ll have several to choose from. Another thing I like to do is head to a manufacturer’s website to see what they’re offering. If I’m looking for an HP computer, I’ll go to hp.com and go through their product line. If I find a computer I like, I’ll then search online for that computer, and will almost always find it cheaper somewhere else than it was listed for at HP. It’s not a matter of being cheap, it’s about getting the most for my client’s money. One more tip: do yourself a favor and go to Ebates.com. I’ve discussed Ebates in the past, but in case you missed it, you can sign up with Ebates for free, and you’ll receive cash back if you go to their website first, and click through to the store of your choice (if Ebates is partnered with that store). For example, if you want to buy something from Office Depot, simply sign in at Ebates, then type “Office Depot” in the search box at the top of the page and click on the first result that comes up. On the next screen, click on the orange “Shop Now”, and you’ll get 6% of the money you spend at Office Depot back. There’s no catch. I’ve been a member for years, and have received around $800 back just from shopping through their site. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
Don’t be afraid to shop online. If you see https in the address bar, the word “Secure”, a green address bar, and/or a padlock on the screen, your money is safe and you can shop with confidence. All of the household name stores can’t afford to do anything underhanded to hurt their brand, and they won’t be associated with fly-by-night outfits. Give it a try. Sit down, grab your keyboard, and “Shop Like You Mean It”!