10 Tips to Save Cash When Purchasing Electronics Online 

  Are you planning on buying some type of electronics soon? If so, you will probably want to check out your online options. Consumers are increasingly purchasing electronics online, due to wider selections and better prices. If you want to get the best price possible on your new purchase, consider the following tips.

1. Research—the first thing you need to do is to decide exactly what you want. Narrow down your choices to 1 or 2 brands or models. It can be overwhelming to search for something as broad as “digital cameras” when you have to wade through thousands of choices. Talk to friends, family, consult consumer reviews on sites such as Epinions, Cnet and Amazon to decide which product is right for you..
2. Compare, compare, compare. This is the essential step in online shopping and it has been made much easier by price comparison sites such as ProductSoc, Shop.com, MySimon and others. Once you know the item you want, check it out on these sites and find the best price. You may want to make a list of merchants and prices.
3. Add shipping costs---don’t forget to add shipping costs (and handling fees, if applicable) to the price from each merchant to obtain the true total price. In some cases, high shipping charges can make an attractive deal not so attractive. On the other hand, some merchants offer free shipping on certain items or above a certain dollar amount.
4. Check online for coupons or promos (promotional codes). Just type in the merchant’s name and “coupons”. There are several coupon sites such as Ebates and Ultimate coupons that will display any available coupons for the merchant. In some cases, the coupon may give you an additional percentage off or provide free shipping.
5. Check auction sites like eBay and uBid. Not everything on eBay is used merchandise; quite a few eBay stores handle new merchandise and can save you money. When dealing with eBay be sure to check the merchant’s rating and read customer reviews.
6. You may want to consider subscribing to a merchant’s newsletter or registering with them. In many cases, once you register or subscribe, store newsletters or special offers may be emailed to you that are not generally available. These may include special sales, additional “internet-only” savings or coupons.
7. If you will be purchasing more than one item in the near future, “bundling” options may save you even more money. Some electronics and computer manufacturers will bundle items such as a digital camera and photo printer together for substantially less than you would pay separately.  
   

8. Check wholesale electronics sites. They can save you up to 25% or more off retail prices. While many wholesalers sell only to businesses, there are some that sell directly to the public. This should be listed on the home page or if not, it will be mentioned in the “About us” section.
9. You may want to consider refurbished or remanufactured electronics available online. These are products that have been in retail stores and then returned to the manufacturer. In some cases, they are customer returns for whatever reason, even if the customer just changed his mind. Even if the product has never been sold, if the box has been opened in the store, frequently it cannot be sold as new and is returned to the manufacturer. The manufacturer checks the product, run tests, repairs any defects found, and sells as refurbished for a substantial discount. In some cases, there is a warranty equal to the original warranty available.
10. While you are looking to save money, shopping safely online is still a very important consideration. If you buy a $300 item for $50 from a non-reputable merchant and it lasts 3 weeks, you haven’t saved money.

• If you see a price that is too good to be true and you’ve never heard of the seller, pass on it.
• Always check the merchant’s physical address and phone number. It should be listed on the website. If there is no phone number or address, move on. If there is a phone number, it can be a good idea to call customer service just to check that it’s valid and in service.
• Choose a reputable merchant. You can check if they are a member of the Better Business Bureau through BBB online or check their merchant rating at Bizrate.
• Verify that the merchant has a secure site, displaying a logo for SSL, Thawte, or a lock symbol. If you are planning on using a credit card online, you want to be sure the merchant uses a secure encrypted technology.
• Print out records of any transaction you make online. If you should encounter any problems with the transaction, you will have the information to refer to.

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