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Buying Tips: How to find great deals, and protect yourself from

© Michael Christopher Brinton

Finding a Good Price

When you buy a product that is new and unused the safest way is to purchase it at a local shop. Depending on where you live, there may be the opportunity for you to save some money, but often you can find a cheaper price. The shipping and sales tax are two other factors to consider. The best place to find a bargain is through online databases. The databases maintain a listing of several mail order companies and their prices. For each product it checks all the offered prices and produces a list of the lowest prices. The two main price databases are:

• Pricewatch
• Computer Esp

By checking the two databases, you usually can find a good price. There are also two other smaller databases which don't usually have as many items listed, but occasionally return a lower price. They are:

• PC Today
• Computer Bargain Hunters

Buying From a Mail Order Company

When buying from a company that isn't local, it is best to check them out first. One very useful way to do this is by going to Zoo's Mail Order Survey. It is a great resource which compiles users responses about their dealings with mail order companies. It has many mail order companies listed, and you should be able to find the company you're looking for there. If not, you might want to check with the Better Business Bureau. This takes a little more time because you have to find out where the company is located and then call the Better Business Bureau. Another option is to post a message on a newsgroup asking if anyone has had any dealings with the company, (Make sure your message is polite) such as one of the misc.forsale.computers. newsgroups) Also, pay with a credit card because most credit card companies will refund your money if you get cheated. (You may want to check with your individual credit card company policy first.) The important things to do when buying from a unknown company is:

• Look for complaints about company at Zoo's Mail Order Survey (There is also a similar listing at the Mail Order Survey page from System Optimization
• Check out information about the company, to get the address and phone number. Both of these should be easy to get, and if they aren't on the company's website, call and you shouldn't have a problem getting it. (If you do have trouble on the phone, it might indicate a scam, or at least poor customer service.)

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