Tech Shopping with Jim Hopkinson,
Sr Website Marketing Manager at Wired.com.
Some people love talking about history. Or geography. Or sports. But if there’s one thing you can’t get me to shut up about, it’s getting the best deals on gadgets. If you’re looking for the latest digital camera, HDTV, laptop, or phone, I’m the guy for advice. So 
I'm sharing my ways to get the best deals online, below.
In his book The Paradox of Choice, Why More is Less, author Barry Schwartz criticizes the abundance of products in our culture, arguing that it robs us of satisfaction in the buying process. On a trip to the grocery store, he counted 95 options for chips… nacho or potato, ridged or flat, salted or unsalted, high fat, low fat, no fat. (Calling Dr. Seuss…) If you’re shopping for a new phone, mp3 player or a TV, you’ll find the same: There are currently more than 166 HDTV options out there, alone.
How Do You Narrow Your Choices and Still Get a Deal?
Have a Budget and Stick To It. Setting a budget will eliminate 50 to 80 percent of the options. My usual rule of thumb is not to pay a premium for top of the line items. I buy one to two levels below, avoiding the lowest priced items because they usually have inferior technology.
Research to Know Your Needs.
Ok, each new gadget is cool, and may induce gadget lust. But what do you need? Do you want a digital camera that can also shoot video? Do you want HDTV with enough tricked out acronyms to make Chef Boyardee happy, but not sure what all those letters mean? Below are the sites I use to translate needs into Tech-ese, making it easier to match what I’m looking for with the product descriptions:
Wired – Full disclosure, I work for Wired. It’s a great site, a great resource and a great employer.
If you’re looking to decode all the jargon, here at Wired we’ve got two great resources for that:
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Geekipedia a list of terms that breaks down why you need to know. Think Wikipedia without that, huh that’s nice wonder what they meant aspect.
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Jargon Watch - Tech is an industry, and just like any industry, there are marketers involved. Which leads to Jargon. Wired breaks it down for you.
Consumer Reports – This is a paid site, but it has some content in front of the gate and it provides a good basic understanding of the products.
Two newspaper columnists who break down tech and gadgets well are David Pogue of The New York Times and Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal. Both Mossberg and Pogue have shows on CNBC, and you can watch video recaps.
And Amazon, it’s pretty much my shopping bible, but there’s more on that below. Never underestimate the power of Amazon.
Recognize the role of emotion and run with it. Some people love shoes, and spending $600 on Manolo Blahniks is worth it to them. Others are foodies, and don’t mind splurging on a $45 burger. You’re going to want options you don’t necessarily need. It’s human. Go ahead, if you can, and budget enough so that you can give in to the few that are important to you besides your basic needs.
Use Amazon.com as a reference point for pricing and features. You could spend hours online googling niche retailers for product information and pricing, but why should you when there’s Amazon.com. Here you can enter the type of product, such as HDTV, and choose the option to search for “bestselling.” The best products do rise to the top. Read the reviews ranked by “most helpful” rather than the “most recent.” And search diligently for negative reviews. The key is not IF there are any, but WHY. All products have defects and drawbacks; this will clue you into which you can live with.
With free shipping, Amazon is a great place to order, too. Their customer service department will credit you for any price reductions. I bought an HDTV from them and over several weeks the price dropped $250, which they credited to my card.
I’d like to emphasize that I don't work for Amazon. Like I said, I'm the bargain guy, and I know every trick to get a good price.
Get thee to the store. This step is optional, but useful if you can’t make a big ticket decision without testing the product. And, for those lacking patience, slapping down a credit card at your local retailer has its advantages: instant gratification and a resource if there are problems (Just ask Laura about her relationship with the guys at Best Buy). Many retailers will also match the best price you’ve seen online.
These steps apply to most big tick purchases, whether it’s a small gadget, or a large appliance. For appliances, I also recommend haunting sears.com and homedepot.com for the best prices. Take it from me, these steps are guaranteed to help you get the best bang for your buck.
