Do you want to save some cash on your favourite tech gadget?
Let us show you how.
As a tech blog, we understand how the tech industry operates, and trust us to lead you to how you can save a few cedis when buying your tech gadgets.
We understand most people are driven by taste when buying their gadgets and would stick to a particular brand, albeit they originally intended to be in a specific budget.
Follow the list below to unlock amazing hacks to save money when buying your favourite gadget.
1. Buy after big launches
To save money on tech gadgets, you must understand that new models tend to come out every year, but that doesn’t mean you should be an early adopter.
Wait a few months after the initial product launch before buying to make sure there aren’t any easily fixable bugs. The average consumer is unlikely to greatly benefit from new product features like a faster processor or more RAM. They usually don’t justify the higher price tag of a newly released product anyway.
This advice goes for TVs, cell phones, and cameras, too. But how long exactly should you wait?
We recommend six months for phones and tablets and at least 12 months for laptops because their industry cycles are shorter than other types of devices.
2. Follow favourite brands on social media
Follow your favourite brands on social media. Get notifications of new products and sales, coupons, factory-to-customer deals, trade-ins, discount programs, and more.
This kinda gives you early access to any promotions. Talk about preparing for an opportunity.
3. Shop refurbished
Save money on gadgets with this great tip: shop refurbished.
Before you shudder at the thought of buying a used, beat-up gadget, let’s explore what it means to buy something that’s been “refurbished” and how you can be sure it works well. A refurbished item is one that has been previously owned by someone else but is in good condition and working order.
You can still find some items in their original packaging, but others may be repackaged for resale. All refurbished items should come with any needed accessories or manuals and a warranty or guarantee (which should also be included in the description).
If a particular listing or store doesn’t make all these things clear, steer clear! You may want to think about buying some of these items refurbished: Laptops, tablets, video game consoles, smart TVs, and phones.
4. Time your purchases
Time your purchases.
Only buy gadgets when you need them or if you have the cash to burn on an impulse purchase. If you can wait for a holiday or seasonal sale, do it. Otherwise, buy it. If you know something like a new iPhone will be coming out soon and are willing to wait for that price to drop, then, by all means, hold on until then!
5. Check the manufacturer’s website first
Surprisingly, the best place to find tech deals and sales isn’t through a third-party retailer like Amazon or Jumia. Rather, it’s often better to go directly to the manufacturer’s site.
The main reason is that you can be sure you’re getting the right model number and accessories for the model you want—and that they’ll work with any device you already own from that company. Plus, if rebates or coupons are available (particularly free shipping offers or free trials), they’ll also show up on the manufacturer’s website.
6. Don’t be brand loyal
The first thing to remember is that you don’t have to be loyal to one tech brand. All the brands compete with each other, so it’s in their best interest to release the best product possible. One way they’ve found to get people hooked on their products is by releasing gadgets and electronics in a series (like iPhones or Kindles) that only work with others in the same series.
It’s all just marketing. If you’re open to trying other brands, there is usually a comparable product out there at a lower price point. And often, we find that the product we discover works just as well as our usual brand choice–and sometimes even better!
7. Use a shopping portal
One of the easiest ways to save on your online shopping is by signing up for a cashback or rewards site. Many banks, credit cards, and other online shopping sites offer rebates that you can earn simply by clicking through their site to do your shopping. Be sure to check those out at any given opportunity.
8. Keep an eye on prices and buy when they’re the lowest
Learn to monitor costs; use CamelCamelCamel.com to monitor Amazon prices. Here’s the thing—Amazon’s prices constantly fluctuate at a breakneck pace. One way to stay on top is to use a tool like CamelCamelCamel.com that tracks product prices for you and can send you an alert when they drop to your desired level.
Use Google Shopping to compare prices across multiple stores. It never hurts to shop around, especially if what you’re looking for isn’t sold exclusively by one retailer who has the option of setting whatever price they want (think Apple).
Google Shopping allows you to look at products from different retailers side-by-side, ensuring you’re not overpaying anywhere or determining which store has a better shipping or return policy that may sweeten the deal in their favour.
Use browser extensions like Honey to monitor your prices without any work automatically. If tracking dozens of websites and remembering when their deals start and end is too much hassle, then using tools like Honey will help automate the process.
This browser extension keeps track of all kinds of coupons and sales on many major retail sites, including Amazon; it’ll even add them as soon as it detects them available so that all you have to do when shopping online is checkout seamlessly with your savings already in place!
We always have you in mind, so anything to make your tech life easier and worthwhile is our priority, and we believe this article has done just that.
We hope this article helped you learn 8 super smart ways to save money on tech gadgets. You might want to check out our feature on how to buy a phone at Franko trading and the various price list for phones. You can also find out about phone swapping at Franko trading.
