7 Surefire Ways to Find Great Online Deals on Tech
Have your eye on some new tech? With record levels of inflation, consumers are feeling price increases everywhere from the grocery store to the gas pump and even among favorite tech brands. But with back-to-school season coming up and ongoing demands for working from home, you need to figure out how to get your hands on some new tech, without the sky-high prices.
Here are seven surefire ways to find the best tech sales:
1 - Check Price Comparison Sites
One of the easiest ways to unlock the best tech deals online is by heading to price comparison sites. These sites are all about helping you shop around so you can see which stores are carrying the new smartphone or laptop you’re looking for—and who’s offering the best price.
For example, Google Shopping is a popular option. When you search, for example, for gaming desktops, it will list some of the best options for you at the lowest price. Be on the lookout, though, for shipping charges, as the seemingly cheaper seller can later surprise you with hefty delivery fees.
2- Install Price Comparison Extensions
Besides checking out price comparison sites, you can also take your bargain-hunting one step further and install a price comparison extension. These nifty extensions help you compare prices when you shop online—directly from the retailers’ shop pages.
One example is the Chrome extension Shoptimate. As you browse different sites, it will pop up and show you additional pricing options in real time. InvisibleHand works similarly.
Honey is another great option. As you shop, this extension automatically finds and applies coupons and discount codes so you don’t miss out on any big tech deals.
3 - Sign Up for Newsletters
What’s one way to make sure you always get the inside scoop on upcoming tech deals? Make sure you’re signed up for newsletters.
Oftentimes, retailers will give their loyal email subscribers a heads-up on special sales. Sometimes, they even offer sales exclusively to their subscribers. Of course, no one wants their inbox to be inundated with dozens of marketing emails. But if there’s a specific brand you love or if you know you’re going to be in the market soon for a big-ticket item, then signing up for a few newsletters can help you make sure you don’t miss out on any big sales.
4 - Track Keywords on Twitter
To make the most of e-commerce, you can also turn to social media to help you find great online deals on tech. One way to do this is by tracking keywords on Twitter.
For example, when you log on to Twitter, you can head to the search bar and type in terms like “Best Buy deals.” This way, you can spread your eyes and ears across the web, getting a peek at who’s talking about what upcoming sales—and when.
Of course, you can track keywords manually, but you can also enlist the help of a few Twitter monitoring tools. Warble, for instance, emails you tweets based on certain search criteria that you set. So if you want to stay up-to-date with Best Buy deals, you can set up a search with Warble or another Twitter monitoring tool to make sure you’re always tuned in to the Twitter talk about Best Buy’s latest sales.
5 - Pay Attention to Seasons
Even if you can’t find a coupon code or a specific sale, there are still ways you can save big online when shopping for tech.
Sometimes it doesn’t matter so much where you shop as much as when you shop.
We all know retailers tend to push big sales at rather predictable times: back-to-school season, the holidays, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and now in the summer to compete with Amazon’s Prime Day. But outside of these tried-and-true sales seasons, you can also shop smartly by paying attention to tech brands’ release cycles.
Suppose you’re shopping for a new Galaxy smartphone. Keep your ears open for the word on the street that a new model is about to drop. With hot tech items, usually, sellers will offer sales on their current stock before a new model is released. If having the latest and the greatest tech isn’t a priority for you, then this is a great opportunity to save on some high-sticker items.
6 - Consider Shopping for Refurbs
Another way to save on tech when there are no sales to be had is to shop for refurbished tech.
True, refurbished tech can be a bit of a mixed bag, so you need to make sure you shop carefully. But with a little bit of research, you can safely shop for refurbished tech and snag like-new PCs, laptops, smartphones, and more—without their brand-new price tags.
Not sure where to start looking for refurbished devices?
For most devices, your best bet is to go straight to the manufacturer. Apple, for example, is often considered the gold standard for refurbished tech, as their refurb devices are well known for being in like-new condition—with excellent warranties to boot.
You can also turn to other sellers, like Amazon and Best Buy, who offer their own certified programs of refurbished devices.
7 - Shop Insider Sites
Finally, to score big deals on the latest tech toys, it pays to know where to look.
While big-name retailers do offer sales throughout the year and you can try to find the lowest price using comparison sites or comparison extensions, there are a few lesser-known tech sites that specialize in finding the best tech deals.
SlickDeals, for example, uses its front page to showcase the top discounts of the day. If something catches your eye, they'll send you directly to the retailer's website so you can make the purchase. DealsPlus operates on a similar model, whereby the site’s users scour the web every day to find the best tech deals and then post them on DealsPlus.
Other bargain-hunting sites that are worth a look include DealNews, Woot, and FatWallet.
About Dan VanPatten: Dan is a full-time technology writer with interests in gaming, gadgetry, and all things PC tech related. He writes about a variety of topics including technology news, product reviews, and software. His experience stems from years of experience writing & producing content for technology newsletters & publications.
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