The Sun's Financial Diary » Shopping

Best Buy Offers $50 Gift Card for Your HD DVD Player

Sun — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:55:36 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Best Buy Offers $50 Gift Card for Your HD DVD Player

Did you buy any HD DVD player from Best Buy before February 23, 2008? If you did, then you can get a $50 Best Buy complementary gift card from Best Buy for each HD DVD player you purchase. Since Blue Ray has won the battle between HD DVD to the standard format for high-definition DVD, your HD DVD player will soon become obsolete. Though you won’t get back the hundreds of dollars you already spent on HD DVD, the $50 gift card can offset a little bit on your next Blue Ray purchase, if you decide to switch

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CompUSA to Shut Down All Stores

Sun — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 02:08:18 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

CompUSA to Shut Down All Stores

According to Wall Street Journal (as well as USA Today), CompUSA will shut its door at more than 100 stores at the end of the year. Be careful when purchasing any products that carry CompUSA rebates from now on because nobody knows if it will continue to process rebate requests after closing the stores. Even if there’s a buyer for their online unit CompUSA.com, it’s up to the new owner to decide whether to honor the rebates. So it’s better not to take chances.

I bought a laptop backpack last week before this news come out and only submitted my rebate, $17 value, yesterday. Since it will take up to 6 to 8 weeks to process the rebate, well after the year-end deadline, I may never see the rebate check

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Random News: UPromise & ShareBuilder $25 Bonus and Holiday Promotions

Sun — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:58:20 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Random News: UPromise & ShareBuilder $25 Bonus and Holiday Promotions

Received a message from UPromise today that they are currently running a promotion program which will give new members who join the program before the end $25 bonus after making an online purchase through their online shopping center.

I have been using UPromise and the UPromise credit card from Citi since 2004 and have earned about $500 rebate. Not an very exciting number in nearly 3 years, but since the money is invested in my daughter’s 529 plan, we can make good use of it when it’s needed. Actually, rebates earned through the UPromise program can also be used to pay student loan. To open an account and get the bonus, use this link.

ShareBuilder also offers $25 bonus for opening a custodial account before January 15, 2008.

Simply create an Automatic Investment Plan by January 15, 2008 and use it to invest at least $25 for three consecutive months. Just use the promotion code STOCKGIFT07 when you open the account.

As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, there are lots of promotions these days to help save money when shopping. Early this week, Paypal started a 20% off campaign at selected merchants when using Paypal to check out. However, shortly after the promotion started, several merchants, including NewEgg, ToysRUs, and Dell, were removed from the list. There are still some left (Barnes & Noble, eBags, eToys, etc) if you can use them.

At the same time, Google is competing with Paypal with its own CheckOut service with a much wider selection of merchants with savings in the 10% range. In addition, Google also offer Frequent Flyer Miles for using their CheckOut till December 31, 2007. For every dollar spent, shoppers can earn two miles with a maximum of 10,000 throughout the promotional period.

*Affiliate link.

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The Art of Retail Pricing

Sun — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:02:57 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

The Art of Retail Pricing

I found this article, 7 Retail Pricing Secrets Revealed, on CNNMoney.com. While not all the secrets are new, the article is interesting to read. For example, it’s the first time I know that a product’s list price, which is displayed side-by-side with the sale price at some stores, is actually the highest price suggested by the manufacturer instead of the lowest price as I always thought. We probably won’t be able to change the way how retailers price merchandises and can’t stop them from playing little tricks to lure shoppers to their stores and open their wallets. But at least knowing the secrets behind retail pricing can help us become smart shoppers.

The following is a summary from the article. For details, use the above link to read the full story.

Secret 1: List price is just the opening offer

Don’t let the “listed price” fool you. That’s not a fair price or the lowest price. In fact, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price is the maximum makers expect a retailer to charge. The fair price is called the minimum advertised price (MAP), which is also the lowest ticket the manufacturers’d like to see to sell the items. But retailers will never tell you the MAP. To find a product’s MAP, price the same item at three large, reputable retailers. If they all hover around the same price, you’re probably looking at the MAP.

Secret 2: As things age, they get cheaper …

Nearly every product has a life cycle. As products move through this cycle, manufacturers reduce MAPs. However, knowing exactly when a product is close to the cycle isn’t easy and patience is usually required. What you can do is getting the price when the product is first launched and checking back periodically to figure out how the prices change.

Secret 3: … and then they get really cheap

Exploit end-of-life-cycle pricing by shopping for a product when its new version has launched. Also shopping at discount retailers such as dollar stores and outlets can help you capitalize on life-cycle price decline.

Secret 4: Sometimes a ’sale’ isn’t a sale

Everybody has seen an ad like “Was $175, is $100!” It sure sound like you are getting a deal. But do you actually save money? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. However, this advertising tactic, called reference-price advertising, at least succeeds in giving people the impression that they are getting a deal, according to a study published in the Journal of Marketing last year.

Secret 5: Price-matching ‘guarantees’ may cost you money

A 2005 study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology shows that people generally perceive stores with price guarantees as being less expensive. Before you buy, always log on to one or multiple price comparison sites, such as Shopzilla, BizRate or Froogle, to get a comprehensive view on the how the item is priced as different places.

Secret 6: High prices can hide in bundles

Retailers often group items together to sell as a package. But there are times these bundles, packed with extra goodies that you don’t really need, hide prices of the main item above MAP or even MSRP. What’s your strategy? Always identify the components of the package and see what others charge for them, then subtract that from the total to reveal the price of the main item, the one you want to buy.

Secret 7: That 99 cent trick really is tricky

What’s the big secret about ending prices in 99 cents? It’s simple because we always pay more attention to the number on the left than on the right and the “1″ in $19.99 is more appealing than the “2″ in $20. You may not be able to stop that “1″ from attracting your eye. But you can avoid pulling out your wallet until you’ve reminded yourself that you’ll be parting with a Jackson.

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$10 Staples Coupon. Can You Use It?

Sun — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:10:00 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

$10 Staples Coupon. Can You Use It?

I received this coupon in the email yesterday. It’s a $10 discount for a purchase of $100 or more, for either shopping online or in-store. The coupon will expire on April 6, 2007. If there’s anyone can use the discount, please leave a comment with a valid email address so I can send the coupon code to you.

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A Small Slim Check from Ebates, But still Good

Sun — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:08:22 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

A Small Slim Check from Ebates, But still Good

The last big fat check (that’s what they call it) I received from Ebates [referral link, $5 for you for signing up and $5 for me] was August 2006 in an amount of $44.98 after I used their ShareBuilder incentives ($20 for each account opened) to open two ShareBuilder accounts and got $40 cashbacks (now you can only use the cashback once). Another check of $8.68 was delivered via PayPal today as a reward for shopping through their website in the past half a year. A small amount, but with no extra effort.

While it feels good to get something back for the shoppings I have to do anyway, dealing with Ebates for the cashbacks isn’t always straightforward and their reward policy changes from time to time. For instance, I made a lot of purchases at Buy.com in the last two months of 2006 through Ebates and was hoping to get the cashbacks for all my shoppings. However, when I contacted them in January about the cashbacks, I was told that since I used Google Checkout, which offered some discounts at that time, all my purchases were disqualified because, as they responded to my email inquiry, “our merchants do not give us commission for these orders.” When I asked them when was this policy enacted, they told me November. After I checked their FAQs, I found the following:

Also, we cannot ensure that cash-back will be earned if Google Checkout is used as the method of payment for your purchase.

Who’s gonna check the policy every time when making a purchase? So I didn’t get any cashback for those hundreds of dollars I spent via their website in November and December 2006. Also, sometimes the cashbacks weren’t credited in time and I had to contact them to get the credits. Another problem is they only keep three months of shopping histroy (tracking tickets), current month plus two previous months. If I don’t check the cashback status very often, it’s difficult to find out exactly which cashback I deserved was credited after three months. Last month, after I noticed my tracking tickets of October 2006 were no longer in my account, I emailed them asking if they can help me find my October tracking tickets. The replied email says I need to state “which tracking ticket you are referring to and for what date so we can look into this matter further.”

If I knew which tracking ticket, why did I bother to ask you? According to their policy, it can take up to 30 days after the purchase for the cashback to be rewarded, yet they only two previous months of history in my account.

Of course, there are other alternatives to get a little back for the dollars I spend online. One is UPromise and another one I use is FatWallet. If you do a comparison (here are some between Ebates and FatWallet), you will find that the cashback percentages from these websites are almost identical. Which one to use depends on which one you feel comfortable with.

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Teach Your Kids to Save Money with an Electronic Money Jar

Sun — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:46:01 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Teach Your Kids to Save Money with an Electronic Money Jar

This may be a great tool to teach your kids to save money and watch their savings grow.

Kohl's now has YOUniverse Electronic Money Jar on sale for $3.99 [Expired]. From the product description:

This money jar will keep track of whatever dough you can save. Featuring an electronic design that counts the money for you and displays how much you've saved, so you never have to wonder. Every time a coin is dropped into the jar, a digital readout automatically adds it to the total. Records up to $999.99.

Amazon.com also listed this product, but out of stock. The reviews, however, are quite positive (4 out of 5 stars).

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Consumer Reports Recall Own Article

Sun — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 02:41:00 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Consumer Reports Recall Own Article

Early this month, Consumer Reports issued safety alert on infant car seats in its February issue of the Consumer Reports Magazine. The article claims that 2 out of 12 infant car seats passed the high-speed front and side crash tests. Today, Consumer Reports, which usually advice consumers on product recalls, is recalling its own article. According to the website,

We withdrew the report immediately upon discovering a substantive issue that may have affected the original test results. The issue came to light based on new information received Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concerning the speed at which our side-impact tests were conducted.

From what I heard on WCBS radio tonight on my home, it seems that the tests, which were conducted by a third party, were not under 35 or 38 mph speed, but rather 70 mph speed. New York Times online edition [registration required] says that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "tried to duplicate the magazine’s results at a government laboratory last weekend. The agency does not have a standard for side impacts but said that at 38 m.p.h., the seats all appeared to do well."

Well, everybody makes mistakes, even the authoritative sources like Consumer Reports.

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Infant Car Seats: The More Expensive, the Less Safe

Sun — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:40:08 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Infant Car Seats: The More Expensive, the Less Safe

Consumer Reports yesterday issued safety alert on infant car seats and released its latest rating on them (part of the rating can be found at their website for free). When I looked at the rating, my first reaction is that contrary to what we usually believe that we get higher quality (in this case, safety) by paying more, the safest infant car seats cost much less than the expensive ones.

Only 2 of the 12 infant seats performed well in high speed crash tests (above 35 mph frontal crash and 38-mph side crash): the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS, though all passed in standard 30 mph crash tests:

Seven car seats failed in 35-mph front-impact test
Eight models failed in 38 mph side-impact tests
The Evenflo Discovery, the Graco SafeSeat, and the Britax Companion failed in all tough tests

In addition, the tests also discovered problems with the LATCH system, which is mandated by federal law to attach child car seats. Problems include that the system is not very easy to use, does not fit with cars, and most cars don't have LATCH anchors in the center rear, the safest seat in the car. What's more troublesome is that most car seats performed worse with LATCH than with vehicle safety belts!

For now, the Consumer Reports have the following recommendations for parents who want to keep their babies safe during traveling:

If you’re shopping for an infant car seat, buy one of the two we recommend: Baby Trend Flex-Loc and Graco SnugRide with EPS.
If you already own a Chicco KeyFit, Compass I410, Evenflo Embrace, or Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP, use it with vehicle safety belts, which passed our tests, not with LATCH, which didn’t. If you can’t get a tight fit with the safety belt, buy one of the two seats we recommend.
If you own a different infant seat, consider replacing it with the Baby Trend Flex-Loc or the Graco SnugRide with EPS.
Secure your child in the center-rear seat if the car seat can be tightly fastened there. Go to www.nhtsa.gov to find a free car-seat inspection station near you.
Send in the registration card that comes with new car seats, so that the manufacturer can contact you if the seat is recalled.
Remember that any child car seat is better than no seat at all.

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Staples $10 Coupon

Sun — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:19:48 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Staples $10 Coupon

I received a $10 Staples coupon this morning that I don't think I am going to use it. If anybody wants it, please leave a comment with your email address so I can send you the link. The coupon is good for in-store purchase only with a minimum of $50. It will expire on January 6, 2007.

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Holiday Spendings This Year

Sun — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 17:59:16 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Holiday Spendings This Year

We usually didn't spend much money in holidays like Christmas and New Year, mainly because there were only two of us and we don't have the tradition of giving gifts in Christmas. In fact, we don't celebrate Christmas. To us, it's just a day off with nowhere to go (pretty much everywhere is closed at this time). The lunar Chinese New Year is much more traditional, the sad part is we don't get any break for that. This year, however, things changed a little bit: we bought our first ever Christmas tree (an artificial tree so we don't have to buy one every year and it looks much better than the natural tree). This is all for our daughter. She's almost two and this is probably the first Christmas that she has a feeling of what it is (the tree and the lights). We want to make her happy and make this holiday a memorable one (if she can) as well.

So far this year, we spent on the following holiday items:

Christmas tree: $172
Decoration: $50.03
Greeting cards: $12.06
For our daughter:

TMX Elmo: $39.99

Tricycle: $32.99

Gifts for my nephews:

Books: $29.95
Clothes: $38.50
TMX Elmo:$39.99

Gift for baby sitter: $100
Gift for friend: $39.99

The total amount is $555.50, with the Christmas tree and related decorating items count for nearly half of the spendings. We didn't have a budget for holiday gifts, so I don't know where we are. Since the tree and decorations are reusable, they won't be part of the holiday spendings next year.

*Photo from ChristmasTreeLand.

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Still Don’t Have a TMX Elmo for Your Kids? Here’s Your (Last) Chance to Get One

Sun — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 04:11:52 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Still Don’t Have a TMX Elmo for Your Kids? Here’s Your (Last) Chance to Get One

Received the message in my email tonight.

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$20 off $50 Purchase with Paypal

Sun — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 21:45:23 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

$20 off $50 Purchase with Paypal

Paypal has a promotion of $20 off with a purchase of $50 or more between November 23rd and December 31st. Some purchases may be also good for free shipping. To qualify for the cash rebate, registration must be made before November 22nd. Here's the fine print from Paypal website

Receive a $20 USD Cash Rebate by registering for this Cash Rebate offer on http://paypal.promotionexpert.com/holiday and purchasing items in a single online payment of $50 USD or more using your PayPal account. … The Cash Rebate will be deposited into the participants' PayPal accounts within 6 to 8 weeks after 12/31/06. Limit one registration and one $20 rebate per person and/or PayPal Account.

To sign up, click here.

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$20 Staples Coupon Code

Sun — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:22:07 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

$20 Staples Coupon Code

I got this email from Staples this morning with a $20 off $200 or more purchase, in store, online, or by phone. The coupon will expire tomorrow, November 21st. I don't think I'm gonna make any purchase till then. If anybody needs this coupon, leave a comment so I can email the link and coupon code to you.

Note: This code is already given out. Since I am not sure if you can use it more than once, I turn off the comment of this post. Email me if you want to try.

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20+ Sites for Coupons and Bargains

Sun — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 18:44:20 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

20+ Sites for Coupons and Bargains

Some you may have already known and used, some may be new, but here's a list of 20 websits where you can find online coupons and bargains (including Black Friday 2006 sales) from Kiplinger. I am a regular visitor at SleakDeals.net, FatWallet.com, Dealsea.com, Ableshoppers.com, and DealUniversity.com.

Bargain sites

Price comparison sites

PriceGrabber.com (I also like BizRate.com)
Shopping.com
Shopzilla.com
Froogle
Dealio.com

Black Friday 2006 sites

Cashback sites

FatWallet.com
Ebates.com (I use Upromise.com a lot)

Coupon sites

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11 Million Bottles of Store Brand Pain Reliever Recalled

Sun — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 15:04:03 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

11 Million Bottles of Store Brand Pain Reliever Recalled

This is what I heard on WCBS radio this morning:

Perrigo Co., a major manufacturer of store-brand acetaminophen, recalled 11 million bottles of the pain-relieving pills Thursday after discovering some were contaminated with metal fragments. The recall affects bottles containing various amounts of 500-milligram caplets. Perrigo bills itself as the world's largest manufacturer of store-brand nonprescription drugs. However, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., CVS Corp., Walgreen Co. and Costco Wholesale Corp. are among the companies it supplies with health care products.

If you have purchased any pain relief medicine from these stores recently, you may want to check with them see your product has been recalled. So far, however, there's no injuries or illness reported due to the contamination.

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Fight Odometer Roll-back Scams: What You Need to Do When Buying a Used Car

Sun — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 22:06:39 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Fight Odometer Roll-back Scams: What You Need to Do When Buying a Used Car

When you buy a used car with 65,000 miles on it, make sure that you are indeed buying a car with 65,000 miles odometer reading, not 85,000 miles.

The Department of Justice has some tips to help you identify odometer roll-back scams.

Look for loose screws or scratch marks around the dashboard. (Also look for fingerprints on the inside of the instrument panel's clear cover, advises Sanchez of Kelley Blue Book.)
If the vehicle has an analog odometer, as opposed to newer digital readouts, check that the numbers are lined up straight. Pay special attention the 10,0000 digit.
When test driving the car, notice if the speedometer sticks.
Look for service stickers inside the door or under the hood that may give the actual mileage.
Look in the owner's manual to see if there is a maintenance record there. Or see if pages that may have contained a maintenance record have been removed.
If you are buying the car from a dealer, ask if a computer check has been done to look for warranty records.
Ask to see the official title document. Look at it carefully to see if the mileage on the document has been altered.
Look at the date the title was issued. Be suspicious if the vehicle is being sold shortly after the title was issued. A new title could have been issued simply to hide a mileage alteration.
Look for signs of wear in "high touch" areas like the steering wheel, arm rests and pedals. Also, if any of these items looks brand new, as if it had been recently replaced, that may indicate an attempt to hide the vehicle's real age.
Have a mechanic of your choosing inspect the vehicle. As part of that inspection, he should look for signs of tampering.

Click here to read the full story on CNNMoney.

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Amazon.com Platinum Visa Double Points in November and December

Sun — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 02:17:21 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Amazon.com Platinum Visa Double Points in November and December

Got an Amazon Platinum Visa card? Now you can earn double points on your daily purchases at restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and department stores.

According to the notice I received in the mail tonight, Amazon.com will reward you double points for every dollar you spend above $100 from November 1st to December 31st. Eligible categories include:

Dining
Gas
Groceries
Department stores

And purchases made at the following places are not good for the bonus points:

Discount stores
Specialty stores
Superstores
Warehouse clubs

In the fine print, I also noticed the following

This bonus points offer is non-transferable and applies only to the account ending in the last 4 digits referenced.

So I am not sure if this is a selective offer or a general one. You may want to contact Amazon.com to make sure your account is eligible for the bonus if you didn't receive same notice.

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Ooops ……

Sun — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 18:01:58 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Ooops ……

I think I missed a couple of pages of that Kiplinger's 2006 Best list. Somehow I didn't turn the page when I saw an author's name. Anyway, here's the rest that were missing from the original post:

Best Energy Saving Gizmo: Smart Strip Power Stirp
Best E-Books: Audible
Best Chef's Knife: Misono UX10 Gyuto
Best Last-Minute Travel Site: Site59
Best Airfare Site: Kayak.com
Best Luxury Hotel Site: Priceline.com
Best Train Experience: The Rocky Mountaineer
Best Stemware: Schott Zwiesel Tritan
Best Tennis Racquet: Flexpoint Radical
Best Dark Chocolate: Felchlin's Cru Sauvage
Best Steak: Lobel's
Best Flowers: Flowerbud.com
Best Wrinkle-Free Shirts: Brooks Brothers
Best Walking Sneakers: New Balance 843
Best Crab Cakes: The Crab Place

Now that's a complete list!

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How Do You Shop Online?

Sun — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:31:14 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

How Do You Shop Online?

Do you go straight to the site or through a middle man?

If the former is your choice, you probably missed some big cashbacks you could have earned on top of what your credit cards offer. There tons of sites offer cashback programs by shopping through them. You already spend the money, why not get some back?

I have joined both Upromise and BabyMint, two sites that aim at saving for college while shopping. Every time I shop online, I will go to these two sites and check their respective cashback offerings. All the major retailers are listed on both sites, but the cashback percentages are different. Of course, I always go with the higher one.

If I can’t find the merchant on either Upromise or BabyMint, I will then go to Ebates, which has a larger selection. For some sites, Ebates offers very attractive cashback, more than 10%. But those sites are not considered as big player, in my opinion.

It seems that small stores tend to offer big cashbacks. However, cashback offers shouldn’t be the only factor when you consider which store to go. If a big name offers a competitive price for the same item, I will go with the big name, even with a lower cashback rate. I need to feel comfortable with the site before placing any order.

If, on the other hand, you wants to donate the cashbacks that you could earn to charity instead of collecting them, iGive is a good place to start. When I first regirstered at iGive, I didn't find the organization, March of Dimes, I wan to donate, but the site let me add it to their list and make it the recipient of my donation.

One exception. Amazon is not affliated with any site I mentioned.

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What is it with OfficeDepot?

Sun — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 14:07:25 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

What is it with OfficeDepot?

This isn't my first time, but I am quite sure it will be the last.

Yesterday, I saw a cordless phone deal on Dealsea.com. Though I am not in any need for a new phone, the price was very attractive. So I followed the link and was directed to OfficeDepot. At that time, the item was still shown as In Stock. When I attempted to put one in my shopping cart, I was asked to provide my zip code. Ok, fine. After I typed in my zip code, however, I got the following screen:

The deal has no location restriction, and I had no intention to pick it up in store. Why was I asked for the zip code before check out? Actually, I didn't even get to the part to choose delivery method yet (I don't know if I have that choice). I really can't understand why they are so concerned about if the product is available in their stores in my area. Does it mean they are only going to ship products to local customers? If you are from across the country, they simply don't want your business!

As one shopper commented:

Same thing here, THIS ITEM IS NOT AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCATION , found it using a Miami zip code (33056) but would not let me check out. Called their 800 number and they said you can't order it if i's not in the same area as your delivery address. I asked why they can't ship it from Miami to NY and the rep (located in a different country) said I can stop by the store and pick it up. Time to give up……..

Maybe it's time.

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How Do You Shop Online?

Sun — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:46:00 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

How Do You Shop Online?

Do you go straight to the site or through a middle man? If the former is your choice, you probably missed some big cashbacks you could have earned on top of what your credit cards offer. There tons of sites offer cashback programs by shopping through them. You already spend the money, why not get some back?

It seems that small stores tend to offer high cashbacks. However, cashback offers shouldn’t be the only factor when you consider which store to go. If a big name offers a competitive price for the same item, I will go with the big name, even with a lower cashback rate. I need to feel comfortable with the site before placing any order.

One exception. Amazon is not affiliated with any of the site I mentioned!

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Why Buy Used?

Sun — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 19:56:00 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Why Buy Used?

I got another item sold on Amazon today. This time, it was a cable kit, which I got for $1.00 AR, and the price I asked for was $5.35.

While my sale on Amazon has been going great so far, I can’t help thinking why people want to buy used stuff, especially computer hardware and electronics. Aren’t there also very cheap, brand new ones on the market?

For example, the cable kit I just sold was on Buy.com early this month, with a listing price of $29.00 and a rebate of $28. I saw the potential of selling it on Amazon and making a profit. Even if I can’t sell it, one dollar won’t be a waste of money. So after checking the availability and prices on Amazon, I bought it. And only a couple of weeks later, I made several bucks from it.

This only reason I can think of people buying used stuff is that they buy it in a hurry. They have to use it right away, so can’t wait a good deal to come up. However, for the cable kit, it’s hard for me to see what the rush is. Another possibility, people hate rebates. Sure some rebates cause troubles and seem taking forever to get the check, but a good rebate from a reputed retailer shouldn’t prevent you from getting the product you want at a favorable price. Otherwise, you may end up paying much more.

If there is anything I want, I will take the wait-and-search approach. There are plenty of places where you can find good deals. My favorites include Ableshoppers.com, Dealsea.com, and Dealuniversity.com. Of course, Fatwallet.com and Slickdeals.net are always full of bargains.

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