KEY POINTS:
Retailers are entering the most important sales period of the year and if the junk mail that's piling up in my mailbox is anything to go by, the pre-Christmas "discount" deals on electronics are everywhere you look.
Actually, there are some decent deals on offer, definitely better than last year, if my memory serves me well.
Flat-screen TVs have dropped sharply in price this year which will make them one of the more attractive big ticket items on Christmas lists this year.
Digital still and video cameras seem to be getting a big push, and for once there's some decent alternatives to the iPod in the area of music players - from Philips, LG and Samsung in particular.
There are advantages to buying early for Christmas - the freebie extras that often make a deal that much sweeter tend to run out the closer we get to Christmas day. There are a few things to remember when buying gadgets:
The store assistants often won't know much about the product you're interested in so you'll need to do your own research. Most of the devices on offer will already be on sale overseas so check out the reviews on the big tech websites like CNet and PC Magazine).
Be wary of deferred payment deals ie: "No interest and no repayments until 2009!". Some of these deals have catches in the form of 'establishment fees', insurance costs and penalties if you default on the agreement. Read the fine print.
Also, don't saddle yourself with debt, you still have to pay for your gadgets eventually, and who knows where interest rates will be in 2009!
- Check out the returns policy - if you break the seal on the box, will they take it back if its not compatible with your computer/mobile network/relative's gadget tastes?
- Ask for freebies - the retailers know you can go across the road to get the same thing so push for extras - if you're buying a digital camera, demand a 1GB memory card. If it's a TV you're going for, haggle on price, there's someone in every store with the authority to shave the dollars off.
Having said all of that, here are some of the junk mail deals that have caught my eye in the last couple of days.
- Absolute Audio and Vision (Wellington) - Half price deals on a number of products, most impressively the Denon and Polk Audio 525 watt 5.1 home theatre system ($1447). 32 inch Hitachi LCD is also pretty good value at $1199 - it has an HDMI input and is ready for high-definition feeds.
- Bond & Bond - has the 26 inch Samsung LCD on sale at $995 which is a pretty good price. Also, the 400D, Canon's superb digital SLR camera is selling for $1599, a standard price but includes a 2GB Compact Flash card, backpack and laser card reader.
Nikon Coolpix L11 6 mega pixel digital still camera is selling for $168 which is a decent price for a camera with the features it has - a 1GB SD card is included. I like the fact that Bond & Bond has a "Santa Complaints Line" if you're annoyed about something.
- Noel Leeming (noelleeming.co.nz) - $1999 for a 42 inch Panasonic plasma. Who says plasma is dead? I'd happily have one of these sitting in my lounge. Not too shabby a price either if you want the extra screen real estate.
- Harvey Norman - If you're willing to dig deep - you can get the full 1080p Samsung 46 inch LCD TV for $4995 with Samsung Blu-ray player included. Not a bad package - three HDMI inputs on this screen.
Sony high definition, hard disk drive (40GB) video camera isn't a bad buy at $1695 - I paid a similar price in Duty Free for it and it's a great, easy to use camera.
