Remember junior high, when the highlight of your weekend was
going to the mall and hanging out for five hours straight?
Wasn't shopping fun? Now that you've started your own
business, don't you still love to spend days and days shopping
for the right hardware prices? No? OK, we don't blame you.
Nothing is duller than wasting an afternoon hopping from Buy.com to Outpost.com to
Egghead.com,
searching for the lowest price on that HP OfficeJet you've got
to have.
All it takes to speed up the buying process nowadays is you and
your trusty sidekick Internet connection. Visiting all the online
price-comparison services could be just as time-consuming as
visiting all the e-tailers, so we'll help narrow the playing
field to get you on your way.
If you're still in the "Compaq or Dell?" stage of
things, then Deja.com is a decent starting place. The "We help
you decide what products to buy and where to buy them" slogan
is certainly promising. Their product wizard involves a few
multiple-choice questions and generates a list of hardware products
along with user ratings for each and links to retailers that sell
them.
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When it really comes down to the nitty-gritty of
bargain-hunting, nothing beats a good price guide. PriceSCAN offers an
exhaustive amount of hardware that you can narrow down by brand
and/or features to get a list of retailers and prices. Their slogan
is "We want to save you money and help take the hassle out of
shopping." It helps. You can even compare outdoor grills as
you price laser printers. Similar sites include Shopper.com and
StreetPrices.com.
We decided to look for the best price we could find on the Epson
Perfection 636 flatbed scanner. At PriceSCAN, we found $265 at the
low end and $307 on the high. Over at Shopper.com, we got $280 on
the low end and $300 on the high. We couldn't find that
particular model at StreetPrices.com.
While you're online, you might as well take advantage of all
the other people who are trying to ferret out deals. For Mac
shoppers, check out dealmac for reports on low prices and coupon codes. PC
buyers can visit the sister site dealnews, a particularly good location for
e-tailer coupon codes that net you a discount on a minimum
purchase.
Not that shopping online is all Web and roses. There are some
things to be wary of. That low, low price you found for a 19-inch
monitor may not be so low after you figure in tax and shipping
costs. And if it's refurbished equipment, you can save lots of
cash upfront, but sometimes manuals and software aren't
included, and the regular warranty is usually cut short. You might
have to dig around the order page a bit, but don't say yes
until you know what the real total is—and what you're
paying for.
Internet auctions can be tempting, but it's strictly
"buyer beware." Auctions at person-to-person sites like
eBay and Yahoo! Auctions are the iffiest. You may get a great deal,
or you may get royally ripped off. If you must bid, investigate the
seller's ratings and ask lots of questions. Established B2C
auction sites like Egghead.com's auctions or uBid are the safest
harbor for the auction-hungry.
And remember: We can buy in cyberspace, but we have to use the
purchases in the real world. Scheduling a field trip to your local
CompUSA, OfficeMax, Circuit City or Office Depot affords you a
chance to meet and greet your potential hardware. Prices generally
won't be as low as on the Internet, but the convenience might
make up for it. Plus, you can always hop back online at home if you
want to. And don't neglect the occasional small independent
store; you just might find a good deal and good customer
service.