5 Ways You’re Wasting Money on Electronics Purchases

Addicted to electronics, gadgets, and new tech? If you’re not using these tips when you shop for electronics, you’re probably wasting a lot of money:

1. Email alerts from Slickdeals, Fat Wallet, and Wirecutter

Slickdeals and FatWallet host daily electronics deals, while Wirecutter blogs about the best gadgets and how to buy them affordably. Slickdeals and Fatwallet used to rotate as my homepage, but I found myself buying too many things I didn’t truly need. I’ve started using their email alerts as a way to only find better prices on the products I care about.

2. Save some purchases for November, December, and February

If you’ve been shopping electronics for years, you know that prices are very seasonal. Back in January, Lifehacker published “The Best Time to Buy Anything Year Round”, which highlighted November, December, and February as the best months to buy electronics. I cross referenced this information with items I’ve been tracking on Camel Camel Camel and they were right! Consider saving your “nice-to-haves” for those months.

3. Refunds on TV price drops from Amazon

Ever bought a TV on Amazon? They run great deals on Samsung and VIZIO 4k TVs. A year ago I purchased a Samsung UN55KU6300 (before I was using Wikibuy, damn lol) and later noticed a better price on that model at Walmart. After contacting Amazon about the better deal, I was sent an Amazon gift card for the difference. Amazon used to support price drop refunds for tons of products, but now only offers it on TVs.

4. Ever heard of ABT, Adorama, and B&H?

I’m always surprised by how few of my fellow gadget geeks know about these awesome retailers. ABT offers MAP pricing on most every product and is rated as a Consumer Reports top retailer, Adorama only charges tax in New Jersey and New York, and B&H only charges tax in New York. Take advantage of these tax savings if you’re not in one of the aforementioned states.

5. Abandon carts and wait

Most major retailers spend thousands of dollars on cart-abandonment campaigns. This is how they work: You view a product, you visit checkout, you leave, and then you are sent a coupon 3–5 days later. To the retailer, the margin they make on your purchase far surpasses the discount you receive in the retargeting campaign. That being said, retailers don’t run these retargeting campaigns on low-margin products.

Don’t let your love for gadgets keep your wallet empty. Make sure you’re taking advantage these great tricks and features from Amazon, Slickdeals, and Fat Wallet.