The holiday season is in full swing, with just 12 days left before the gift-giving is a memory and we all look ahead to ushering in 2012. Of course, for many of us, gift-giving goes hand-in-hand with bargain hunting, especially when it comes to Apple products, which rarely get discounted in the first place. Here are some tips for saving a few bucks this holiday season.
Longtime Apple fans are generally used to paying a premium for the products they love, especially in recent years when retailers have been forced to match a minimum advertised price, which often translates to little discount at the cash register. But there are always exceptions, and deals can often be found on the company’s products -- assuming you’re willing to shop around, compare and go off the beaten path a bit.
One of the most sure-fire ways to nab yourself a deal on Apple products is to start with a gift card. Even though Cupertino issues store-specific cards for iTunes, iBookstore and the App Stores (iOS and Mac), once you redeem them with your Apple ID, you can spend the dough just about anywhere you’d like.
The only exception is that an iTunes gift card can’t be used for Apple Store purchases -- you’ll need the more appropriate Apple Gift Card for those. Likewise, Apple gift cards can’t be used for iTunes purchases. The main difference is that iTunes gift cards are sold in preset amounts, starting at $15 and maxing out at $100; the Apple Gift Card can be purchased in any amount from $25 up to the “super Santa” amount of $5,000. (You won’t have any trouble making friends by handing those out this year!)
During last month’s Black Friday mania, Best Buy’s website offered iTunes gift cards at a pretty steep discount -- for example, you could nab a $100 gift card for only $80, available as either a digital code via email or as a physical plastic gift card with free shipping. Deals can usually be found on smaller amounts, and with warehouse clubs such as Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s offering everyday discounts on these items -- perfect for gift-giving, but also your own day-to-day app and media purchases. After all, buying four $25 gift cards for even $95 is like getting $5 worth of product free -- and it helps control spending at the same time. Buy the gift cards with a credit card that earns points and you’ll be saving even more!
Once you’ve found a great deal, nothing stifles a good mood quicker than seeing the grand total after the taxman comes calling and that dreaded “shipping and handling” charge has been applied. Many get around this by shopping e-tailers like Amazon.com, who doesn’t collect sales tax in most states (at least for now!) and offers free “Super Saver” shipping when buying $25 or more in qualifying merchandise. Amazon has even extended its free Super Saver shipping cutoffs for the Christmas season, and Amazon Prime members get an even better deal: Free two-day shipping on almost everything for only $79 per year (plus thousands of free, streaming movies and TV shows as a bonus).
Of course, Amazon doesn’t sell everything -- for rare or “gotta have it” kind of items, sometimes shipping fees are unavoidable. Thankfully, many retailers (including Apple.com) offer free shipping if you buy a certain amount of product ($50, in Apple’s case). However, this year Cupertino has dropped even that minimum requirement -- everything ships free through December 22, which certainly helps for buying the small gifts many of us count on for stocking stuffers. Apple is also removing any buyer’s remorse potential with free returns for products purchased between October 29 and December 25, as long as you initiate the return by the January 9, 2012 cutoff. Be sure to check the company’s order cut-off chart to make sure you’ll have it in time while you’re there, which promises two to three day shipping for most items.
Also good news this year is that more than 2,000 merchants are participating in “Free Shipping Day,” a promotion starting at 12am EST on Friday, December 16. Among the tech-related companies participating are HP, Griffin Technology, RadioShack, Best Buy, Dell, Microsoft, Overstock.com, Skullcandy and many others. If you’ve still got a lot of items that haven’t been crossed off your gift list, this Friday would be a great time to save a few bucks on shipping.
The best deals can often be found in unlikely -- or rather, lesser-known -- places. If your gift-giving includes cables, adapters or cases for an Apple product, skip the often pricey stuff offered by Apple, Best Buy and others and go straight for Monoprice.com. The company even offers a dedicated section for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, chock full of all the stuff an iOS device owner could ever want at prices that will make even your wallet smile.
NewEgg.com is another outlet where deals can be had year-round for Mac and iOS device owners. Although many of their deepest bargains tend to lean toward Windows users, there are plenty of bargains just a few clicks away. The company also offers free apps for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad to make ordering mobile and more convenient.
So you’ve found some stuff for your loved ones and it sounds like a good deal. But how do you know, really? Thankfully, the internet has created many opportunities for consumers clever enough to know where to look.
Pricegrabber.com is a good place to start. Type in what you’re thinking of buying and within moments you’ll have a list of prices from around the web, all compared with each other, complete with shipping so you can find the “BottomLinePrice.” (Free iOS apps are also available.) Amazon’s free Price Check app lets you do the same, with the ability to scan retail UPC barcodes while in the store to see if it’s available cheaper on their website, then buy right on the spot while leaving the store empty-handed.
Because consumer electronics prices are a fickle beast, the folks at Decide, Inc. created a website that attempts to accurately predict the best time to buy that new Apple gadget, digital camera, HDTV or other item. The company even has a free iOS app for checking prices on the go by scanning UPC barcodes, then offering “Buy” or “Wait” advice based on how the price of an item has fluctuated in the past. The company claims customers are saving an average of $54 per product, which is certainly nothing to sneeze at in today’s economy.
Now that you’ve nabbed a few deals by shopping online and the packages are en route, how to keep track of them all and make sure they arrive safely? Our recommendation always goes to Delivery Status touch, a $4.99 universal package tracking for iOS that makes it convenient and fun to know exactly when your purchases will arrive. Once you’ve received a shipping confirmation email, simply forward it to developer Junecloud and it will be added to to your account and synced across to both the iOS app and free Mac Dashboard widget. Now you’ll be able to see at a glance where everything is at -- and to customize your listings, simply edit the email Subject header to whatever you’d like.
One of the new kids on the block is Slice, a startup backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. The free iOS app (web client also available) works with a Gmail or Yahoo email account, scanning your inbox for receipts and tracking numbers in an effort to keep tabs on the things you buy. This holiday season, Slice is also offering a new “Track with Friends” feature that sends customized emails to anyone you’ve bought a gift for online, giving them a heads up that a package is on the way and even when it’s scheduled to arrive.
Last but not least, be sure to tune in frequently to sites such as DealNews.com (or better yet, join their Twitter feed), so you’ll get a heads up when products drop in price. The website also maintains DealMac.com, a Mac-centric edition which posts frequent price drops for Apple computers, iOS devices, accessories and even apps.
Happy holiday shopping and let’s be careful out there!
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
(Some images courtesy BoostLifestyle.com, KPLU.org, VanSunder.com)
