Buy Electronics On Discount At These Shopping Sites

Buying a computer? Then check out these online shopping sites for the best deals!

Even though I’d love to go out and grab all the latest electronic gadgets out there, I don’t want to pay full price for them. Over the last few months, I’ve become better acquainted with some resources for deals on some of our favorite electronics. Here’s my list!

Buy Electronics On Discount At These Shopping Sites

1. Buy.com

I went to a big box electronics store with a relative, where my shopping companion decided that a laptop would suit his needs for web surfing, word processing, and working on spreadsheets. So after that window shopping trip, we checked several websites for the next few weeks and ended up ordering a netbook from Buy.com because of the decent discount and the selections the site offered.

Buy.com provides Weekly Specials, Today’s Deals, and a What’s Shakin’ section that show me specials and discounts on a wide range of items. The deals can bring up anything from TVs , MP3 players, portable GPS units, cell phones, and more.

I’ve enjoyed the low prices on MicroSD cards and memory sticks here, too. One card that cost me $20 at Walmart ended up being a quarter of that when Buy.com had a deal. Another way to score discounted goods: buy refurbished items. My budget can’t handle brand new cameras for every family member, but a refurbished camera might work for all of us. I’d look for warranty details before buying, though.

When I can’t figure out if one brand or model is better than another, I check out the customer reviews. Another plus for the site: many items come with free shipping.

2. Dell

I like going to the Dell site to look at the bargains on desktop PCs, laptops, and accessories. If you’re interested in a netbook with Linux, the Inspiron Mini 12 comes with the Ubuntu operating system. If you’re more comfortable with Windows XP, you can order it instead.

You can also customize your pick by color, processor size, length of the warranty; you can also add accessories like storage, printers, and more. If you think you’ll need more RAM, you might be able to order it through Dell. However, it just might be cheaper to find RAM elsewhere via dealram and install it yourself.

The Deals section lets you browse for discounts on laptops, desktop PCs, electronics, and gaming. I’ve seen tempting deals on XBOXes and PC games, too.

Don’t forget to drop by the outlet. I’ve seen jaw-dropping prices on PCs and laptops here because the inventory features items that are refurbished, previously ordered new, or scratch and dent merchandise. I’m still a little haunted that I didn’t grab the $177 Inspiron Mini 9 when Gizmodo shouted out about it, but I’ll live to seek out other rock bottom prices here.

3. Newegg.com

When someone I know cleaned out his garage by giving me a hard drive he hadn’t installed, I went to Newegg.com to order a hard drive enclosure for it. Despite my happy visions of a new-to-me portable hard drive, I ended up ordering the wrong type of enclosure. Happily, the site made the return process quite easy and my refund came within a reasonable amount of time.

I also enjoy the Daily Deals here. Typically, I can find discounts on items to upgrade my computer, routers, cameras, cell phones, and more. The new Nintendo DSi can be found here, along with plenty of software for PCs and Macs.

If I can’t figure out which cell phone or service is the best for my needs, I can stop by the Cell Phone Shop to sort things out. Here, I can inspect offerings from AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Alltell, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

And if I ever feel up to the challenge of putting together my own PC, I can search for the components here. The user reviews have been informative to me in the past. When I read the reviews for the hard drive enclosures, the reviewers’ comments showed me where I’d gone wrong. I also would’ve saved some aggravation if I’d read the product specifications — they’re rather detailed for many items.

4. Sony

Sometimes, part of getting the most out of a gadget means making it do more than one trick. For instance, the last time I watched a movie at home, I let my PC stream it to my PlayStation 3. On occasion, Sony offers deals on the PS3 and the other products it sells (I like the looks of the PS3: Uncharted Bundle).

I also enjoy how my PSP (aka PlayStation Portable) interacts with the PS3. I can start certain games on the PS3, then use the Remote Play function to play it on my PSP. That proved useful when I wanted to play Bejeweled 2 for far longer than reasonable!

If you’ve never picked up a PlayStation 2, you may want to now: the price is definitely at rock bottom now. The LEGO Batman bundle costs less than the Nintendo DSi, for example. Also, used games are easy to find at retailers — I picked up a copy of an action RPG I’d never played for the grand total of $17.

Elsewhere on the Sony site, I can find cameras, TVs, Blu-ray DVD players, computers, and other electronics. For those times when I need help, I can seek out assistance from Sony eSupport.

When a gadget calls my name, I’ll start looking for it at Buy.com, Dell, Newegg.com, or Sony. What about you? Where would you shop for electronics?