How to Find the Best Price: LCD TV Shopping TIps

How to Find the Best Price: LCD TV Shopping TIps
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Have an idea of what you’re looking for

Before we learn tips, tricks, and things to be aware of when finding the best price, LCD TV shoppers first must know what type of LCD TV they are looking for.

LCD televisions range in size, screen resolution, refresh rate, and a number of other factors. If you’re not up to snuff on much of the lingo, first scan over this article. If you’re still not sure what you are looking for, allow me to make a suggestion. If you are placing this in a smaller room, and will only be eight or so feet from the TV, then something like 32” on up to 42” will be large without being excessive. In this size range you will probably be fine going with a 720p TV, which is a fairly standard resolution in this size range. If the room is a little larger, or you just like big TV’s, something around 50” is going to be great, and is a pretty standard large TV size. Manufacturers will still try to sneak in a 720p television at this size range, and that may be fine to save a few dollars, but if you are going to watch a lot of Blu-ray media on this TV, then you may be losing noticeable detail from the image when compared to the higher end 1080p television.

Finding the best price

There is a lot that goes into getting the best price on a TV. If saving a few (sometimes a few hundred) dollars is important to you, then you have to be flexible in when you buy the TV. You could be waiting a month or two for a deal to come up — all the while being very vigilant. If this isn’t your cup of tea, then follow the “Conventional Way.” If you’re a hardcore deal hunter, follow “My Way” starting at the top of page two.

Conventional Way

Don’t just walk into Best Buy and buy a TV — that is how you will over-pay 90% of the time. Instead, pick up a Sunday paper and look through the ads. Note which stores have the best prices on the TV you are looking for. It may be a Sony, an LG or a Samsung; it may be 32” or 37” — be flexible. Once you narrow down your choices, you may want to get online and look up reviews. This may help you decide that one TV is worth a little more to you over another, or that one is not worth buying at all.

Once you have your final selection, you may be able to find that TV at a competitor’s store. Stores sometimes will beat a competitor’s price, so that is something to keep in mind. If you can get the TV at Sears, they usually have an incentive for you buying the TV on a Sears card; this can be upwards of 10% cash back. In that case, I would take the ad from the competitor’s store to Sears and have them do a price match. Some stores give you things like Best Buy’s reward points. A single TV purchase may end up being a $40 gift card. So remember the different incentives that different stores offer, and then, if possible, price match at the most favorable store.

Also, if you don’t mind buying a TV online, you may want to check out Amazon or Ebay. Shipping can often be very reasonable, if not free, and include carrying the TV into your home and removing the packaging. Ergo, it isn’t a bad idea to run a search at these online only stores to see what you can find. Make sure the TV is being sold as new and not refurbished, as those usually come with a limited warranty — which is fine if you buy an extended warranty through Square Trade.

My Way

The path to the best deal takes time and patience. While this deal may end up taking you the same path as the conventional way, it may involve stacking multiple promotions or other things you wouldn’t ordinarily think of. This path also may mean waiting for the right time of the year, or waking up early for some early bird special.

I Start at slickdeals.net, and check out the first two or three pages of their Hot Deals forum a few times a day. Every once in a while a very good deal will come up on a TV, and you have to simply be ready to jump on the deal. If the deal is good, there will be very detailed instructions on what is required of you to replicate that deal.

Again, this way can be more time consuming, but ultimately will get you the best deal on an LCD TV.

The Add On

One thing to watch out for when buying a new TV is the add on(s). These can quickly turn into hundreds of dollars. Whether it is some fancy cable, extended warranty, in home calibration, you name it, they will provide it, but at a huge mark up. Buy your cables online through Amazon. Most TV’s have a built in calibration guide. It may not be as extensive as what the store is offering, but probably good enough. Warrantees are more extensive and better priced through SquareTrade.com — just buy the TV, unless they are giving you some combo deal on a Blu-ray player, and you have already researched it out to be a good deal.

Final Thought

Don’t become too attached to a brand. Every brand has its good TV’s and bad TV’s. While Sony and Samsung may have the best reputation for image quality, you may find yourself paying more money for a name than anything else.