what to i need to know when going to one of those big computer sales

[audiophan]

this weekend there is a big computer sale coming to the conference center in my town. anything i should know that'll prevent me from getting ripped off?

 

[royaldank]

You should know internet prices from places like newegg and monarch before you go. Make sure you know what you are looking for and how much those items are elsewhere. Plenty of times, things look like a good deal, but when you check after getting home, it's not so great. Sometimes seeing the product and the price and knowing you could have it that evening makes things look better than they are.

 

[vi edit]

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
2. See if there is a warranty
2.a If there is a warranty, see if it is honored by the manufacturer

I've been to a couple of them, and there really aren't any decent deals on hardware that I couldn't find from a reputable dealer that would back their product. That said there are some really decent deals there on software, books, and oddball stuff.

For example - I walked out of the last computer show with about $250 in books for under $70. Not one of them was more than a year and a half old. I also nabbed a couple powered antennas for my TV's for $5.00 a piece. The same exact ones at best buy go for $30. I more than paid for my admission on the savings with those.

The age old phrase stands true: Buyer Beware.

 

[Captain4]

I've only been to one of these, but my only advice would be not to expect much. From what I saw, most of the stuff there was junk. They didn't even seem to have most of the stuff that was touted in the commercial. Haven't been to one since the phone I bought there turned out to be crap.

 

[BillGates]

Do you happen to be in Madison, Audiophon?? We're having one of those sales this weekend and I was thinking the same thing...

Still can't decide if the $8 admission is worth it - that's 2 meals at McDonalds!

 

[audiophan]

yeesh, not im not sure whether to be enthused or afraid

edit:

lafayette, indiana near purdue u

since purdue is an engineering campus, i wondered it it was worth battling all the studenst and paying admission to this thing

 

[Bulk Beef]

I went to one of these a few weeks ago. It sucked. There were a few good deals to be had, but for the most part, it was just a flea market of worthless garbage (old scsi cards, crappy used monitors, etc). So yeah, don't expect too much.

 

[Linflas]

The ones they have in the DC metro area are done by Marketpro. If you attend them regularly you get to know which dealers are trustworthy and which ones to avoid. I generally only buy from the shops that are located in the area so I can return stuff if there are any problems. There are some people selling used junk but the majority of vendors are small custom build shops that sell at these shows on weekends.

 

[Gunther]

The computer shows use to be good and a lot of good deals use to be had, but now it sucks. I think what happened was that before not so many people went so they were willing to haggle the price more, but now its like no we are not moving even one dollar. The prices are not that great, they are better then retail but not by that much. The only reason to go there is if you need a specific cpu like a 1 gig axia, but good luck in getting one of those. And if you don't buy anything then you lose like $12+ for admissions and parking. But it sometimes is fun to go with friends and just have a look around. Like I tell my friends its like disneyland for nerds