Here's part seven of our coverage of Smart Money's piece on how to save 50% on everything. In this post they give ideas on how to save 50% on electronics. Their tips basically come down to two points -- buy near the end of the product's lifecycle (or at least when the initial "thrill" has worn off) and buy during key retailer sales times. Their thoughts:
The average shelf life of a new desktop or laptop computer these days is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it 13 weeks. Wait longer and you'll be choosing from new, full-price models.
But the art of timing extends well past product cycles. If you can, buy end-of-cycle computers and electronics during the two periods when retailers have their biggest sales promotions: the six weeks before school starts and the holiday season.
I tend not to be an early-adopter of electronics (I would be, but my wife won't let me) and we're never in a hurry to buy an item in this category, so we usually get a pretty good deal. The only thing I would add to the above is that you should buy from a company that stands behind their products -- just in case something goes wrong. Case in point: my experience with Amazon and my first iPod.
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