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Community Newsletter: Q&A: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics?
- 11/21/08 4:30 PM
Buy it when the price has dropped in half.
by jtg61 - 11/15/08 4:35 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The old theory used to be you bought the most technologically advanced piece of consumer electronics you could afford so it didn't go obsolete on you as quickly. With technology advancing and prices falling faster than ever, this theory no longer makes sense. For example, if you bought the most technologically advanced flat panel television for $2,000 last year, it is now $1,000 this year. Better to wait that extra year and get last year's still adequate features at this year's lower price. Then you wait until this year's most advanced flat panel TV that you passed on drops to $1,000 next year. Now you have two flat panel TV's for the price you would have paid for one to get the most advanced version. Put the second one in another room or donate it to another family member. Electronics companies hate this but it makes the most sense for comsumers.
Same as always
by Coop1988 - 11/15/08 5:31 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Although we are in an economic downturn, the best time to buy will still be black friday for retail stores, and mega monday for internet stores. During these times, retailers will be making desperate attempts to increase their 4th quarter sales in light of months of poor sales. The prices will be lowest during these sales because retailers will sell some products at or below cost, in hopes that you'll buy other things while you're there. For example, if walmart or bestbuy sells a laptop at cost, they're hoping you'll buy extra software, accessories, a printer, and maybe a protection plan. A lot of people will tell you to look for stores that are going out of business, however, when stores have going out of business sales, often times, a third party company will buy their stock and sell it off, trying to make what profit they can. A final note- see if a store is willing to sell you the floor model- a lot of stores will have openbox or floormodel discounts, all you'll have to deal with is a little bit of wear.
Hope this helps, happy shopping!
Unfortunately...
by Dr. Planarian - 11/15/08 6:05 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Alas, the best time to buy any kind of consumer electronics is always tomorrow. Tomorrow, everything will be faster, more efficient, more capable, cleaner and cheaper than it is today. 'Twas ever thus.
HOWEVER, if you're looking for something soon and you can forfeit some sleep and throw an elbow or two, get up REAL early on the day after Thanksgiving and stand outside your local big box retailer so you can be the first in the door when they open. If you're lucky, you will get something at a truly abnormally low price that will not be matched again until the following Black Friday.
More normally, search out internet retailers using a service like NexTag and/or Pricegrabber. You can do this anytime, of course, but if you do it daily you will eventually find a real bargain, and be ready to strike when you do. In this way I got a 52" Sony XBR4 at less than half the retail price with no sales tax and no delivery charge, and the guy who delivered it even helped me set it up!
When to Buy Big Ticket Electronics
by BRUCEMJ - 11/15/08 7:37 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
For the question of timing between now and end January keep in mind that retailers have become more skilled at managing their inventories over the last decade. The combination of more careful attention to "just-in-time" ordering from distributors and a keen awareness that inventory often has to be financed with scarce and expensive capital has pushed businesses to quickly adjust orders and deliveries at the first sign of trouble. Thus you may find availability and selection for the more popular, mainstream items tightening over the next two months with prices not coming down much further except in cases of serious business distress or liquidation.
Next step is to decide exactly what make, model and features you want BEFORE shopping. Then be prepared to track several sources for a few weeks to see if you can catch a sale cycle. Keep in mind taxes and shipping costs, as they can make a big difference.
Note that local, smaller retailers are increasingly willing to match or even beat "Big Box" stores and are often better with delivery, set-up, etc. If you buy something from a truly distressed seller, use a credit card - not cash or check - so you can dispute the charges if there is no shipment.
Good luck!
Next Week
by JPKeeley - 11/15/08 7:39 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
With the progress of technology, it always seems seems wise to buy it next week because they are obsolete by then. Then again, if you buy the best on the market next week, it'll have a huge price drop over the the next couple of months.
Thankfully, great computers (and ancillary's) are inexpensive these days. But shop hard using Shopzilla, Bizrate, etc. For example, I spent $4,300 on an IBM PC in the mid-80's, 30 Mb HD, 2 Mb RAM, no modem, no monitor, no mouse or keyboard - these days I can buy a rocket ship for a couple of hundred bucks.
Next week?
by rbsjrx - 11/15/08 8:03 AM In reply to: Next Week by JPKeeley"With the progress of technology, it always seems seems wise to buy it next week because they are obsolete by then. Then again, if you buy the best on the market next week, it'll have a huge price drop over the the next couple of months."
Which is a strong argument against buying "the best on the market". Let the price settle. Too many people, fueled by advertisers, fail to appreciate there's difference between obsolete, obsolescent, and mature. Mature products will have stabilized prices without significantly shorter useful lives, e.g. an Athlon 64x2 CPU vs. the latest quad core. Obsolescent products will be less expensive still, but with a reduced useful lifespan, e.g. a 1GB MP3 player vs. the latest iPod. Truly obsolete products are things like floppy disks which are essentially useless for most tasks. It takes years, not weeks, for tech products to become obsolete.
OTOH, if you demand to have the latest & greatest, then expect to pay dearly for the privilege. Advertisers love people like that, but it's not very wise use of your money.
When you...
by kbenko - 11/15/08 7:52 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
When you can afford it without putting it on your credit card.
When is a good time to purchase consumer electronics?
by Dougcbum - 11/15/08 8:15 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I hope this doesn't come off like I'm on a soapbox or anything but; because of the state of the economy, I don't plan on 'up-grading' anything that I don't have the cash to buy. By up-grading I mean buying a new flat screen while the TV I have now still works.
Replacing, on the other hand, is a different story; and if my present TV dies and I don't have the cash I would still replace it.
"They" say that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better. That it will be another year before any changes can really take any effect. So, for the foreseeable future, I am in paying down my plastic mode and using it for emegencies only!
Best time to buy LCVD TVs
by pottersmarkltd - 11/15/08 9:01 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm going to wait a bit before I purchase my new LCD TV. Now that the largest LCD panel manufacturers were charged with price fixing, I suspect that we will see some more significant drops in LCD prices.
When to buy?
by Roani52 - 11/15/08 11:03 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If you want the best quality / speed computers and other consumer electronics, for really cheap (yea, that's what we all want, isn't it?), it's simple: make up you mind. What do you think is most important, money or quality. Electronics are getting cheaper constantly, because of newer (better) products finding their way to the consumers.
I personally like to buy just a little above average stuff, they aren't abnormally expensive, but you're able to use them for a longer time as very cheap electronics. Just after a producent lowered it's prices it is the right moment, I think, to buy your electronics. Mostly it is because a newer product is released, but that one is still expensive. You don't have the latest technology in your home. But you probably won't die if you don't have it, will you?
Anyways, if you buy something, don't be suprised if that product is a month later in sale, or lowered in price. All that stuff happens all the time. In example, I bought my nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS for €200 (currently about 250 US$), two weeks later it was €190, and now it isn't even worth €90. It happens all the time. Just keep this in your mind: you can spend your money only once, but it isn't worth it to wait till something is really the 'cheapest', because it never will. Get something with a good price/quality ratio. If something has a good one, it will be advertised with that. Companies are proud of having the best price/quality ratio.
One last advise: Don't buy something if you don't need it. If your old TV is still working fine, don't buy a new one (unless it is an old CRT TV, which uses like 400 Watts of power, get an LCD of 70, saves a lot on the energy bill). Same with computers, if your old one still works with the most important programs to you, don't get a new one.
I hope I informed you well by this.
Regards,
~*Roani52*~
Buying Consumer Electronics
by rzlf402003 - 11/15/08 12:26 PM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Usually the best time to buy is right after Christmas but in this economy prices are already reasonable. Look on the internet as well.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday
by GduP1 - 11/15/08 12:34 PM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Your best bet would be to subscribe to the better online electronics websites. Techbargains.com is likely to have huge Black Friday and Cyber Monday events, especially for those who subscribe to their email notifications. The deals may even start rolling through a day or two before black Friday, so watch closely.
Best time to buy electronics...
by cteddybear - 11/15/08 1:30 PM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
What I'm about to say is probably not going to make my answer popular with the "Gotta have it now!" crowd or the "Gotta have the latest techology!" crowd, but at this time I would recommend that you hang on to your money if you don't truly NEED that new electronic item. Try to be happy with what you have, because the financial woes we're in right now are only the tip of the iceburg! The government's financial bailout isn't going to work, so, if you have any credit card debt or any debt of any kind I would recommend getting it paid off or paid down. In other words, hang on to your money! There's going to be many more jobs lost and one of them could be yours!
Otherwise if you really feel that you've just got to have that item, watch the internet, checking at discount electronic websites and wait about 6 to 7 months, you're going to see some drastic changes!
BEST TIME TO BUY
by Aulfin - 11/16/08 10:20 AM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well it seems it's like gasoline now that the price is under 2$ a gallon here in Florida. Prices online with some companies are and have gone down. So just keep an eye on what you are wanting to buy and the price may go down especially with site's like Tiger Direct and Fry's.
Provided you aren't picky probably after Christmas
by BigGuns149 - 11/16/08 2:09 PM In reply to: When do you think is the best time to buy consumer electronics? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Quite, honestly like several other people have noted the best time to buy ANY consumer electronics is usually when you actually need to buy it. The general trend for most consumer electronics is the more time passes by the lower the best price you can find will be. There will occasionally be a few blips where some retailer does a crazy sale, but generally if you come back a month later and you will find the typical price is lower.
I worked for Fry's for a while and I can say that quite honestly that while many retailers have good prices on Black Friday that many of the amazing deals aren't worth the wait. Most stores selling a <$300 laptop or a $100 desktop are only going to have 10-20 units available at that price. Furthermore, some of the Black Friday "deals" with the exception of the highly limited quantity door busters aren't so amazing really.
I remember Fry's and other retailers selling clearance laptops at various non-holiday sales throughout the year at the same price point as on Black Friday or day after Christmas, etc. I remember have a $300 laptop on sale in May where nobody asked me about it from Friday through Sunday. Then we would sell that exact same unit for Fry's coveted Anniversary sale and you would have people waiting at the door for the store to open. Ditto with Black Friday. Almost everything in the Black Friday ad had been at that price point at some point in the previous 9 months. A consumer who careful watches the ads could have purchased most of the items at virtually the same price without the long Black Friday lines. Bottom line, a lot of people believe that something is a good deal, not because they did any comparison shopping to figure out what type of sales are typical for said item, but because they buy into the hype.
Unless you are into cutting edge technology the best time to buy products is when the product goes onto clearance. Most products designed to be sold for Christmas hit stores in October so at least for computers most of the stuff designed to be sold for about 3 months before being replaced by something better. Therefore anything selling for Christmas this year should go onto clearance in January. CES will kick off a lot of the new models that will be in stores by February. Considering that most technology is evolutionary rather than revolutionary I think most people would prefer to get a great deal on last generation's stuff than to be the first person to buy the latest generation.
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