Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
- You should make sure you’re getting the best value when you’re shopping for tech products on Amazon.
- We asked experts for their best advice when it comes to tech shopping on Amazon.
- They explained what to make of fake reviews, how to see if you’re getting the best deal, and how to unlock little-known savings.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Gone are the days when you could run down to the nearest computer superstore to make a quick purchase.
With a few exceptions — like Best Buy and some regional chains like Fry’s — such stores don’t exist anymore, staked through the heart by Amazon’s convenience and pricing.
And let’s be serious: Despite the presence of other sites, most of your tech gadget shopping is probably at Amazon.
But are you making the most of Amazon when it comes to your tech shopping? We spoke to experts who gave us their best advice for getting the most value out of Amazon’s tech section.
Here are nine tips to keep in mind when you’re shopping for tech gadgets on Amazon.
Amazon is chock full of deals if you know where to look for them
Monika Skolimowska/picture alliance via Getty Images
Amazon’s usual prices are generally pretty competitive, but you can often do better with a little homework.
Most major tech blogs advise their readers about good Amazon deals when they see them, for example, so it pays to scan those sites, especially when you are thinking about making a purchase.
"Typically, these are lightning deals and only available for a day or less, so you have to be ready to act fast," Derek Hales, editor of home product site ModernCastle.com, told Business Insider.
And don’t forget that Amazon itself curates daily deals in its Gold Box.
Keep on eye on price fluctuations
REUTERS/Fred Greaves
"Amazon prices fluctuate frequently," Rick Broida, CNET’s Cheapskate writer, told Business Insider.
And of course, any gadget that was once on sale is likely to go on sale again. You can use a service like CamelCamelCamel or Honey to view the price history of anything on Amazon. Even better, you can automate the process: Let those sites send you an alert when there’s a price drop so you can swoop in and buy just at the right moment.
Be on guard against fake reviews
George Rose/Getty Images
Fake reviews are a serious problem on Amazon. And it’s especially bad among tech products, where many different companies sometimes sell essentially the same gadget with different branding.
"Suppose you want to buy a dashcam," Broida said. "There are a zillion similar or even identical dashcams out there, and sellers try to game the system by putting up fake reviews."
Thankfully, there are tools which can help vet the reviews and detect ones that are likely fake. Fakespot and ReviewMeta will let you know the percentage of questionable reviews written for a given product, which can help you make a more informed decision.
"Just because a product has fake reviews, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad product," Broida said.
If a product has hundreds of reviews, for examples, then fake ones are less worrisome. But if a product has just a few dozen reviews, then a bunch of fakes might give you pause.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- Here are 11 stores where you should never pay full price
- Amazon is slowly growing its fleet of stores — but you can’t return all online purchases there
- These are the stories behind 24 of the most popular brand names
SEE ALSO: 8 products you should buy on Amazon — and 13 more you should skip every time
DON’T MISS: 11 mind-blowing facts about Craigslist, which makes more than $1 billion a year and employs just 50 people
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Dave Johnson)