Now more than ever people are looking to save money any way they can. Here are some important tips on getting the most for your money when buying high-tech toys or technology.

1. First they begin with a broad search on the specific model product you are interested in. Amazon.com is a good place to start as they usually have fairly low prices on most items. If you are considering a used item be sure to check Amazon for the other sellers that are offering the used products. Another good place to get a broad idea of the prices is eBay.com. Remember that eBay.com also offers brand-new products.

2. The next thing to check is if there are any coupon or promotional codes available from the manufacturer. Do a search using the manufacturer’s name and “coupon code” or “Promo code”. Often tying manufacturers will promote their products with significant discount codes that they make available and are posted on various coupon websites.

3. You’ll often find the best prices locally through craigslist. This of course is hit and miss depending upon the popularity of your product and the size of your local city. Sometimes you’ll find a seller trying to get nearly full price or higher than what you found in your research in step number one. Sometimes, they may have bought the item locally at a much higher price than is available online and they simply don’t realize that they are asking too much for the item. I’ve often been able to get them to lower their price by e-mailing them and providing a link showing where they’re very same item is available much cheaper online.

4. Another strategy to use with local stores such as Best Buy is to ask if they have any “open box” items. These are often available at a large discount. Typically, they are items in like new condition but have been returned for whatever reason.

5. Surprisingly, sellers on eBay will often ask for prices higher than what you found anywhere else. If there are no bids on the particular item you’re looking at you can use this same strategy that was mentioned above for the Craig list sellers on eBay sellers. Namely, e-mail the seller a question and ask why they are charging more than what the product could be purchased just for on another site. This is kind of a wake-up call and sometimes the seller will drop the opening bid price to a more reasonable level.

6. If you find a product and the seller or manufacturer is offering a rebate make sure that you follow the rebate instructions entirely, completely, and exactly. It is becoming more common for rebates over $10 to be issued in the form of a debit card. I find these less convenient than a check because often you cannot charge the exact amount remaining on the card and thus are left with a small amount that isn’t used and wasted. There is a solution however. Check the terms of the rebate and call the number on the back of the debit card. You can sometimes have the debit card canceled and eight check it issued to replace it. Also make sure to note the expiration date on the debit card and be sure to use it before it expires.

Author Bio: Neal manages sites Logitech Coupon, Toshiba Coupon Codes, and Toshiba Coupons helping people save on their electronic purchases.

Category: Advice
Keywords: coupon codes, promo codes, promotional codes.