Where do you guys like to shop for cheap electronics? I know that they have open box deals, which can help save you a lot of money. The problem is I want an Apple laptop which is super expensive. They never have deals on them either which stinks. I don't like the new Windows that they have for the PC, so I want to change to the Mac. I would love to be able to find a good deal on them. So, where do you guys like to look for deals when it comes to electronics?
If you're looking for a cheap Mac you could just try going directly to their site and purchasing one of their officially refurbished products which often is at a significantly discounted price especially if the model is n older one. If you're really looking to save then I would suggest looking into just getting a Mac Mini as it is one of their cheapest products and I have one myself and I have no complaints about it.
Nothing that implies Apple is cheap, haha. The best you can get at this sort of thing would be to buy Chinese replicas, else you won't come off pretty well. Jokes aside, refurbished products are great if you want to save a few dollars, but it isn't that worth it since I got burned once with them. The product I ordered was faulty. Even though they fully refunded me, it's really a shame because I lost my time when I could've simply paid $5 more.
I agree with this, I had a refurbished MacBook Pro for something like eight years before it finally gave out on me. Considering how heavily I used it, I was impressed. I wasn’t able to get a refurbished model to replace it because I needed something fast, but I would do it again if I needed to.
Wow, thank you for that! I will have to look into that because I know that they sell refurbished ones, but I didn't know you can get them on the site. I also didn't know that they had a Mac Mini. I'm actually surprised that they sell the refurbished ones just because they are always looking for money.
Refurbished or gently used is probably the best way to go for something as expensive as Mac. You might want to look around for a gently used one. Sometimes companies replace all their computers regularly so they can have updated models to look impressive and all, so you might be able to score a good deal on something like that. Look on craigslist too and see if someone is selling one that isn't too old.
@DancingLady I have been looking at the open box ones. I saw one that was close to me at a BestBuy. At the time, I thought about getting it, but I'm sure that I'm going to wait some more time. My parents just paid to clean out my laptop that I have now, so I don't just want to basically have had them waste a ton of money on that. I'm sure that in a year I'll be able to get a new laptop. Right now I just want to know some places that I should keep an eye on. And also the best places that you can look to get them.
Apple has an entire online storefront dedicated to its own refurbished electronics, which includes just about every product the company sells. The prices vary from day to day as does the selection, but you could stand to save a decent amount of money on Apple's products. Since Apple's items are priced at a premium, so to are their refurbished items. I don't have a problem with that myself, but a lot of people do. Still, if you're looking for deals on Apple products, then look no further than Apple itself.
I have purchased refurbished electronic but never thought about getting a refurbished MAC. I would like one so will also be looking into this tip. I have alsways used a PC and have not had one last longer than 3 years.
I agree, refurbished might be the way to go. If you buy an open box, make sure it's got a warranty and hopefully you can extend the warranty. There are plenty of used electronics online, and you could also try a local college, their computer lab might be selling used equipment, and they usually also have listing boards where students post items for sale. If they're hard up enough, they might sell their electronics, and mommy or daddy will replace for them for the next semester.
As you are a student you can get student discount. Sometimes it may work out to be the same as a refurbished model. Also sign up to the BestBuy student program;Log In You get send vouchers you can use and they send you deals too. These can be used with Ebates if you order online as well to save more money. Usually just before term starts, everywhere does special offers and they match each others prices.
Yeah, I think that I'll probably try to find one that has been refurbished because that seems like it would be the way to go. That's a good thing to think about though. Making sure that the open box ones have a long enough warranty on them. It seems like they could just break at anytime, so you want to make sure that you have one that is going to hold up. I'll also have to check out my college though, I'm changing schools so they might do something like this.
My friends bought an open box television several years back, and had problems with it. It would cut out every so often, shutting itself off, as well as on. They'd be watching TV and it would turn off, then another time, they'd be sleeping, and it would suddenly turn on. Whichever one you go with, just make sure there's some sort of warranty or guarantee by the seller, so you don't get stuck with a lemon, without any recourse.
@Diane Lane Yeah, I will make sure that I don't get stuck with something like that. It looks like I might have to buy something sooner than I thought because my laptop isn't working right now. Staples is supposed to fix it because I have a one year warranty, but we shall see what happens with that. I am hoping they will be able to fix it because I don't have the money to buy something like that right now.
Personally I would stick with Windows - you get more bang for your buck vs. Apple. The last time I priced out some Lenovo desktop systems vs. Apple desktop systems, the Apple's cost $750+ or more for a computer with the exact same specs but with Windows on it instead. A good portion of that extra cost is just due to their "brand" - they just jack the prices up on all their systems because they can, and people will continue to buy them. So not only can you save by simply going with Windows, but you can save even further by opting for a refurbished Windows machine too - many of the big manufacturers also sell refurbished computers too. Just make sure you fully understand the warranty because if you're one of those people who routinely needs to call in for support, there's probably little to no warranty on the refurbished items. If you're prone to computer repairs it might be best to stick with a new system, since they typically come with at least a year or so of coverage.
It won't do anything, even turn on? Mine's been acting up all day. I can't have issues with this, because my laptop's already a mess. Hopefully Staples will get it all fixed up for you. I'm going to be messing with mine this week, then once it's stable, I'll move on and deal with the laptop again . Hopefully we'll both have them working better soon.
@Diane Lane Yeah, we brought it to them while it was under it's warranty today and then told me that there was nothing they could do for it. I'm actually really upset about that because the laptop should have had more life in it than what it had. The man who fixed it told me that I should get it fixed, because it was still so young, and then basically tricked me. So, I've been trying to call Staples and get my money back, because he was obviously trying to just make some money from me. And my mother also said that he was harassing me because he would call me everyday to make sure that I will still bringing in the laptop, so that obviously should have shown some red flags.
Yes, and that's how we gain life experience, unfortunately. So did you buy it at Staples, but had an independent person work on it, and is that why Staples won't fix it now? Regardless, that would turn me off from purchasing from them again. The least they could do is offer you a really good deal on a replacement. IF you decide to junk it, you could wipe your information from it and sell it as Non Working, For Parts, on eBay. I sold one on there like that and made $70. It's definitely better than tossing it, and you could put that money towards a new or newer one. If you do decide to sell it on eBay, make sure you do an advanced search first, to see what similar items have SOLD for, not have just been listed for, so you will know how much to ask for it.
I'm not sure where it was bougth because my parents got it for me. I'm sure that they got it at Best Buy though becuase that is where they normally buy all our electronics. Then we brought it to Staples so that they would fix it. We talked to a man there that said it was worth fixing because it was a very good laptop, so we did. Because otherwise we would haev bought me a new laptop. Yes, and they said that now since it's a problem with the motherboard that they won't fix it. Yeah, I don't plan on buying from them ever again.
