Are you looking for an electronics gift for that special someone this year?
Then you may want to check out www.DealNews.com before hitting the stores. I wish I'd known about this site over the years! Fortunately I came across it this holiday shopping season by just browsing the web.
The site is a spin-off from www.deal-mac.com, started in 1997 by two friends who wanted to create a central place on the web for listing Macintosh bargains. In 1999 it grew into a site for all things Mac, PC, DVD's, TV's, gadgets and anything else "techie".
How do they get their deals? According to their site, each tip comes from readers, merchants themselves, or staff research. From there it is investigated and verified. Subjective evaluation determines whether or not "the deal" makes the grade: Is the price reasonable? Is the seller reputable? If all looks good, the deal is posted.
How do you find out about the deals? Obviously, you can bookmark and visit the website on a regular basis, or you can sign up for e-mail alerts and RSS feeds. Both can be customized for your (or your special someone's) interests.
Besides listing the latest deals on specific items, the site also offers links to money-saving web coupons for shipping deals, add-ons or sales.
The layout of the site is clean and easy-to-follow. This isn't surprising, since the site itself claims its readership is primarily comprised of men ages 18-35 who are known "techie geeks".
I found the right side of the home page especially helpful, with links to specific product categories and popular retail stores or electronics websites. Close to the bottom of the page on the right side is a list of "Top Reader Picks", which I found especially helpful in figuring out what all of my husband's fellow "techie" friends and coworkers will be putting on their gift lists this year.
Be aware that DealNews.com doesn't sell the items it links to; the individual stores are responsible for all transactions and returns. "Buyer beware" is always the best internet shopping policy. Nor does it guarantee a good experience, although it does perform due diligence to make sure deals are accurate at the time of post.
DealNews.com should save you money on the electronics purchases you're planning to make. But like any "good thing", there are a few caveats.
The internet these days moves at the speed of light, so you may find an occasional deal that has expired or been taken down. There may also be broken links or pages overwhelmed by traffic.
How does DealNews.com earn their paycheck? They sell advertising, of course, so be aware when it comes to some of the links you're clicking on. "Top Stores" in the upper left corner of pages is simply an alphabetical listing of stores, versus any kind of ranking. There are "Holiday Gift Ideas" and other links that encourage sales regardless of deals.
I wasn't able to verify through their site whether DealNews.com also earns revenue from affiliate income, but I suspect that may be the case. Affiliate income is earned when website owners put up links to stores or products that contain a special affiliate code. They then earn a commission on any resulting sales (usually a percentage of shipped goods). This is a win-win-win e-commerce situation; merchants have "virtual" salesforces, website owners earn enough to maintain their sites, and consumers are much more aware of terrific stores and deals and products they can purchase online.
You may want to look elsewhere to measure item popularity or seek objective reviews. Accept DealNews.com for what it is: a great way to find current deals on electronics, fast and easy.
So before you make that list for your "techie" (and check it twice), you should also check DealNews.com for prices that are hopefully always nice!
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