As part of our , we've rounded up some tips to help you get the most out of your gift-buying dollar this holiday season.
Use your RSS reader to keep on top of retailers' best tech deals. There are two handy categories of bargain-hunting sites you can follow: deal aggregators, which collect sales notices across the Web, and deal-a-day sites, which offer one item on sale daily, so long as supplies last.
Some of the most useful deal aggregators are:
And the deal-a-day sites you'll want to follow include:
Finally, check out the inventory on refurbishment sites. Start with Apple--under the , you'll find links to their refurbished Macs and iPods, as well as clearance items.
Alternately, you can try your luck with Craigslist or eBay. Depending on how much demand there is for the product you want, you may be able to get your gadget for a substantial discount off the retail price.
There are some things to keep in mind when dealing with individual sellers. First, there's no guarantee that you'll be getting what's listed, and it can be a struggle to get your money back. Second, it's up to you to do due diligence. If the gadget you want comes with software (for example, a digital camera or a scanner), make sure the seller provides proof that they've got installation disks and a software license number so you've got a usable gadget. If you do go the Craigslist or eBay route, don't forget to ask about packaging and documentation.
Finally, keep an eye out for gadgets that pack a bang for the buck. For example, the () is a lightweight, versatile and comparatively inexpensive portable videocamera. It's a definite best-in-class bargain. Visit your favorite tech products-review site and see which items are lauded by the reviewers as a great deal.
Finally, don't buy a gadget just for the sake of giving someone a toy to unwrap under the tree. While a photo printer may seem like the perfect gift for the grandparents, that $89 bargain you snapped up at Best Buy will end up costing a lot more in the long run owing to ink cartridges. In the case of photo-mad relatives, it might be more economical to give the gift of a Snapfish account.
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