Who Has the Best Prices on Garmin GPS Units? Where to get the Best Prices on Garmin GPS Devices
Garmin
GPS navigational devices make travel, hiking and backpacking easier and safer. Garmin GPS devices have the latest maps and trails to make any traveler happy. The Garmin Company has been in business since 1989 producing quality GPS devices that are known for their reliability and versatility. Garmin makes GPS navigational devices for cars, airplanes, boats and hikers.
Garmin GPS units are sold in a wide variety of locations and through online merchants. Where to get the best priced Garmin GPS unit will depend on the type of GPS device. Car navigation devices may not be found in a sports store, but a trail GPS unit will be sold in sports stores.
Garmin GPS Unit Comparisons
Six GPS units were compared for pricing among 7 of the lowest priced retailers. Three handheld Garmin GPS units were compared: the Garmin eTrex Venture HC Handheld GPS, Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx Handheld GPS and the Garmin Oregon 300 Handheld GPS.
Three automobile GPS units were compared: the Garmin nuvi 465T Portable GPS, Garmin nuvi 1350T Ultra-Thin GPS and Garmin ZUMO 660 GPS for Bikers.
All of these retailers have online locations, physical locations or both. The primary area for these companies is in North America, serving Canada and the United States, but anyone with an Internet connection can buy from these merchants. For physical retail locations in South America and Europe, the Garmin International website has detailed retailer location for each country.
Garmin GPS Units
So, who has the best prices on Garmin GPS units? Many of the retailers were very close in price, varying only around $10 in price. Here is the ranking, from lowest price to highest price.
1. eBay has the lowest prices, but these are the bid prices and they can fluctuate rapidly. In the rankings, eBay has the lowest starting price, but may not be the best bet when all the bids are tallied.
2. Walmart had low prices, but they were subject to location and they did not carry the full line of Garmin GPS products.
3. Costco has the lowest prices on Garmin GPS devices, but their selection is limited and only for a limited time. Costco buys large lots of specific items and may not carry that item again. It is a good place to start shopping for a Garmin GPS. It is a good idea to do research and choose a particular GPS device before shopping.
4. Amazon comes in fourth on list of lowest priced retailers. In price comparisons across the board, Amazon consistently came in with the lowest prices. The down side to Amazon, is these items are not always available and in limited quantities. The buyer needs to check out the rating of the seller and include shipping fees in the overall cost.
5. Best Buy came in lower priced on the Garmin handheld GPS units, but not by much.
6. Target is number 6 on the list priced just $10 over Best Buy. When considering purchasing, distance from the two locations may be a determining factor. With the price of gas, if the drive to one is farther, the savings may be moot.
7. Frys Electronics was priced $20 more than Best Buy on the same units.
The price variance between Best Buy, Target and Frys Electronics is very close. Some handhelds were cheaper at one, but their road GPS units were higher. The cheapest prices were through Amazon, Costco and Walmart. The top three had the lowest prices by a large margin $20 to $100, but they did not always have the GPS unit available.
