Fortunately, several tips can help you get your electronics a lot cheaper. After reading the following ten tips, you will never buy electronics for the total price again.
Choose the Proper Sales Dates
Choosing a suitable sales period is probably one of the easiest ways to get cheap electronics because the prices for electronics differ enormously during the year. Every type of electronics also has a best period to buy them. It often involves launching new products, so shops discount the old stuff. Below, you can see which periods you can buy certain electronics.
Buy Older Model
Buying an older model almost always pays off. Products can never keep the same price as when they are launched. Each new product would become more expensive than the previous one, causing electronics prices to skyrocket. Sometimes, buying an older model or seeing when new models are launched can also pay off. By waiting a few months, you can sometimes save tens of percentages.
Auctions
Do you not mind buying a product whose packaging has already been opened? Then you can go to consumer auctions of, for example, BVA Auctions. Thousands of products are returned to the store yearly because customers are unsatisfied.
The packaging has been opened, the protective film has been removed, and some parts you can easily replace may be missing. Even though these products are still in excellent condition, you can sometimes buy them for a 40-70% discount compared to the retail price. So, a simple saving.
Compare on the Web
Searching the internet for an hour can save you more than $100. To test that, we looked for a television ourselves, offered on various websites.
We opted for a new television in 2019, the Philips 50PUS8804/12. To compare prices, we used the website kieskeurig.nl. After we searched for the type and number of televisions, we found more than ten websites where you bought the TV. In this case, the cheapest provider was Mediamarkt, with a price of $904. The most expensive provider was Expert, who sold the TV for $1,131. A difference of no less than $227. And that after only 3 minutes of searching.
Visit the Environmental Park
This tip is only for the natural tinkerers who want to get electronics as cheaply as possible. In some municipalities, you can recycle electronics at the environmental park. All electronics are then placed in a large container and removed when complete. You will mainly find desktop computers, laptops, or other (usually) expensive electronics in those containers.
Buy on Foreign Web Stores
Electronics are not equally expensive everywhere. For example, Germany is known as one of the cheapest electronics suppliers in Europe. Then it is convenient that they are our neighbors because the shipping costs are not that high. On websites such as Amazon.de, but also in the shops of local providers, you will find more than enough electronics for prices that are sometimes 30% lower than in the Netherlands. Especially for stuff like expensive TVs, the savings are probably worth the extra shipping costs.
Don’t Take an Extended Warranty
Extended Warranty. It is often offered when buying more expensive electronics such as TVs or cameras. And although a warranty is excellent, the standard two years is usually enough. Of course, a television or camera can still break after that, but often, it is no longer due to a manufacturing defect.
Never Buy Electronics on Installation
It’s a straightforward way not to spend too much money on your new electronics. But it is very tempting to choose this option anyway. Often, you do not have the money to pay a thousand dollars for a new television. You can also pay $31 per month for 48 months. That sounds nice because it means you can buy the TV and pay over time, but you must also calculate the final amount.
Save on Unnecessary Accessories
You probably know it. You will buy electronics, but there are still some accessories to consider. Take, for example, a digital camera. You must store the photos somewhere, so that will probably be an SD card. The store often recommends an Ultra SD card with a super-fast write speed from the camera to your computer. That is, of course, very nice, but you pay a lot more for it.