I get quite a few emails about where the best places online to buy tech "stuff" are. For instance, portable hard drives, thumb drives, and memory sticks seem to be some of the most popular right now. I always suggest shopping in your local "brick and mortar" shops. It really does help the local economy more than buying things from other states or foreign countries. However, some people do not want to do that, so I do have a couple of suggestions for those folks.
I do not recommend eBay.com. I have tried to purchase two computer peripherals there in the past several years and both times I had bad outcomes. It’s too much to write about here but ask me if you see me around town.
The two online computer "parts" retailers I trust and prefer are TigerDirect.com and NewEgg.com. I have used them a couple of times and I have friends who use them regularly. A couple of times I have heard of people having problems with the items they purchased, but both of these companies were quick to respond and correct the issues. Their prices are usually in line with the local market too, once you consider shipping.
I also receive questions about discounts online. I have spoken before about "1 Sale a Day", on the monthly call-in talk show with Jim Britt on WSVA radio. (Yes, that was merciless self-promotion.) You can "sometimes" find deals there on items they title, "Wireless", "Watch", "Family" and "Jewelry". Again, compare all costs, i.e., shipping and handling before buying…local stores may have a better deal, as is the case on all of these sites.
There are also coupon sites. I have only used the first one mentioned below. The other one I have heard about from friends who have had successful dealings with them.
"Tech Bargains", has a linking system. This allows you to go to the site that actually has the deal. Once there you may be given a code to enter at checkout which gets you the discount. I just looked for a 16GB thumb drive and found two for $21.95.
The other site is, "Deal Dump", which amazingly does not have a search engine built into the site. You basically need to scroll down the page and look for what you want which is not what you would expect. Of course, you can always use the "Ctrl + F" keys to search the text on the page. (F = find) Here I also looked for the same type of thumb drive and found a different one from the other site, but at the same price.
I know there are many others you can use but these are just a couple I have knowledge of. For all of these sites please read all of the details carefully since sometimes you get a rebate then, or a rebate to mail in that you must print, or an automatic discount, etc. They change from time-to-time so proceed carefully.
Always remember when buying online…caveat emptor.
