[RYCeT]

Interesting article from PC World

It reminds me of my own experience when I was in NYC, I was going to one of these kinds of shop in Manhattan and I found many of the laptops were sold under the street price, or even at ebay's price. Fortunately I wasn't in the market for buying a laptop that day but anyway I was checking the price and see the goods, and I'm really interested. However it's ended when I was told that I have to buy the battery and charger separately

 

[chadbang]

Hey, wrong link. That's to a photo of a woman, asking for comments.

 

[fractus2]

IMO, she would not have made the babe thread...

 

[Uncledan]

buyer beware?!?!?!?

 

[chadbang]

Anyway, Manhattan is both a blessing and a curse. It is THE cheapest place in the world to buy electronics -- that's the blessing. You can get amazing bargains. The curse is that there are a lot of sharks there and you have to be careful. Any number of dealers will pillage products and remove the "extras" to sell to you at extra cost. That's a classic scam. Then you have "grey market" goodies without US warranties (although I'm frequently willing to sacrifice that for a better price, especially with a crappy 3 mo warranty) And, of course, the old bait and switch. But the simple fact is that you need to go armed with the knowledge of what you want and what comes with it before you buy and get everything settled up front. Be prepared to have to visit more than one store! The best thing is to try and be the first customer of the day. Many dealers stick to the old superstition that making the first sale of the day, will bring a prosperous day. I've had dealers bend over backwards and offer fantastic prices after I've started walking out the door a couple times (my 'trick'). It really works!

Buying out of NYC on the web, well that's an entirely different story. I'd be afraid to, frankly. Unless it's a big firm like J&R, B&H Photo, or other reputable places. If an item seems REALLY cheap, best beware!

 

[RYCeT]

Oooops sorry guys

, links has been fixed, or you can try it here

 

[fractus2]

Thanks for the heads up rycet. I've always wondered about some of the best price search results and the dime a dozen online vendors. Maybe it's best to go with what you know and spend a few bucks more.

 

[Mr.PD]

Thanks for that article.
I was just looking a car cd player on Ebay that is from one of the dealers mentioned. I need to double check which one.
This cd player is selling for about 100 bucks less than Crutchfield's $299 price. I will now look into this "deal" more closely.
Thanks again, rycet.