Eight Web Sites That Will Save You Cash

1 comment | 2I like it!
March 2, 2009, 11:14 AM —  PC World — 

Regular Internet shoppers know the advantages of e-tailing: lower prices, larger selection, and the chance to shop in their skivvies. But there are some categories where savings are really pronounced, and if you're not signed up for deal newsletters, or checking for coupons before authorizing a transaction, you might be missing out on even more savings. (Note: Most quoted prices are rounded to the nearest dollar.)

Buy a refurbished laptop or other piece of hardware: In the market for a new laptop? Maybe one of those spiffy Dell XPS M1530 systems tricked out for entertainment? They start at around $949, but if you're willing to go the refurbished route, you can pick one up for as little as $729. That's the price I found in Dell's Outlet Store (shown below), which is home to all of Dell's desktop and laptop refurbs.

Refurbished items are those that didn't pass a manufacturer's initial quality checks or that were returned for some reason. In both cases the hardware gets rechecked (and, if necessary, repaired) and restocked, though it can't be sold as new. Hence the often-hefty discounts.

What's the downside? The gear may have dents, scratches, and/or other physical flaws, though nothing that will impact its operation. Also, it usually comes with a shorter-than-average warranty (90 days is typical). Apple is an exception: Refurbished iPods, iMacs, and the like come with the same one-year warranty as new items. Same goes for Dell.

For more advice about refurbished laptops, check out the advice from our mobile computing guru, Jim Martin. Interested in a used phone? Here's the scoop.

Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world

I like it!
Close

On Twitter now

ecommerce

Powered by Twitter
You are logged in | Sign out
Sign in and post to Twitter

What are you thinking?

Cancel Tweet sent

On Twitter now

Comments

Heres another site

I've found some good online deals on using this web site:

http://www.zingsale.com

It's a free service that tracks prices of products from online stores (like amazon) and sends you an email when the price drops. Over the holidays it helped me save on a new GPS and an LCD TV
| reply
peer-to-peer

Esther Schindler
If the comments are ugly, the code is ugly

claird
SVG a graphics format for 21st century

pasmith
Take Chrome OS for a test spin

Sandra Henry-Stocker
Solaris Tip: Have Your Files Changed Since Installation?

sjvn
64-bits of protection?

jfruh
Android fragments vs. the iPhone monolith

mikelgan
What Gizmodo missed about the Pro WX Wireless USB disk drive

 

Where Google Chrome security fails: the password
I heard mention that the Chrome OS will have some sort of encryption available a la bitlocker. If it's possible to encrypt personal data using another password or key, then it may have potential for very secure data.... And Ubuntu has an 'encrypt home directory' option, perhaps google should follow suit.
- Dann

Join the conversation here

The Daily Tip

The Daily TipQuick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.

Hot tips:

Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.

Newsletters

Subscribe to ITWORLD TODAY and receive the latest IT news and analysis.

I would like to receive offers via email from ITworld partners.
By clicking submit you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in ITworld's privacy policy.
Featured Sponsor

AISO founders envisioned a Web hosting company that was environmentally friendly. While the company employed energy-efficient innovations like solar panels, its infrastructure produced unacceptable power and cooling requirements. Find out how AISO leveraged AMD technology to overcome their challenge in this case study white paper.

In this whitepaper, Scalar explores the opportunity to change the landscape with respect to mission critical databases built around Oracle. Leveraging technologies such as Linux, high-end commodity processing power and Oracle RAC technology to architect, design, build and maintain database infrastructure that delivers maximum availability, reliability and performance at a fraction of traditional cost.

On a typical day, weather.com, the Web site for The Weather Channel in Atlanta, serves up between 15 million and 20 million page views. But in September 2004, when back-to-back hurricanes ransacked Florida, the peak traffic on one day more than tripled: over 70 million page views by more than 7 million unique visitors. Read the full success story now.

Marketplace