Finding the Best Deals on Gadgets and Computers

With the state of the economy - high fuel prices, increase in unemployment, and record-breaking foreclosures - most Americans are finding new ways to save a buck. Hardware enthusiasts and gadget-geeks most especially. Most of us just can't help ourselves when the latest and greatest graphics card or sleek laptop arrive to market; we've got to have it. Online shopping is rapidly increasing, thanks to comparative shopping and bargains along with convenient and expedient shipping. According to Forrester Research, online retail sales will reach $316 billion by 2010 which indicates a growth of 7% up from 2004 total. Recession? Maybe, but the Internet isn't feeling it.

So then, why the increase? Most likely, the cause is due to consumer shopping behaviors becoming more 'intelligent'. Researching prices online (like the PriceGrabber tool we feature) combined with retailer sites adding attractive incentives (free shipping, coupons, rebates) are fueling this rapid growth. Then there's deal websites that serve as a consumer advocate in saving money. Unlike price comparison sites such as PriceGrabber and the like, deal sites specialize in publishing bargains and deals on computer hardware, consumer electronics, video games and fashion sold by numerous E-commerce and online-only merchants like NewEgg.com, Buy.com, Amazon.com. Think weekly circulars, but on a daily basis. These deal sites, such as LogicBUY.com, aim to offer shoppers the best possible deal or in other words, to save the most money.

What makes deal sites like LogicBUY unique is they track every aspect of a bargain: special sales, coupons, free shipping, tax information and price drops from numerous online retailers and products; essentially doing all of the leg work for you. LogicBUY for example has a strong focus on computer hardware & electronics with a digg-like platform... which happens to relate to Benchmark Reviews at its computer hardware enthusaist and gadget-geek core.

The site leverages its editorial staff and user community to list new bargains every 30 minutes to an hour throughout the day. Website visitors can vote on each listing if they feel a 'bargain find' offers the best value, which therefore ranks the highest and helps shoppers easily sort the best deals.

Take for example, on the front page I noticed a Maxtor 1TB External Hard Drive for a the incredibly affordable price of $135, a Sony Digital Camera that already slashes its best online price with an additional $130 off coupon code, and a substantial 30% coupon code for HP Pavilion Laptops. These are only a small fraction of technology products you'll see on the site listed on a daily basis. LogicBUY goes above and beyond the tools I've used in the past at other deal sites because they enable users like me to submit the deals I find, plus the ability to write my own product reviews and opinion to help guide the rest of the community. These two elements offer a more educated shopping experience, and reinforces the 'intelligent' shopping behavior required to save money on the web.

If you're a smart shopper, doing your research will pay off in saving you money. I proved this in my Guide: How to shop for your first HDTV by saving over $1000 because I shopped for my new HDTV online and didn't give in to an in-store purchase at the local BestBuy. This is also another way to see what's on sale. Check it out, because you can't really go wrong with saving a few bucks (or a thousand).