Finding cheap audio technology - UK

Well if you don't know already I loves me a bargain, I mean who doesn't love a bargain. So I thought because I love bargains I would do a mini blog post to some of the ways I shop to find those bargains.
Hope you enjoy and hopefully you will save yourself a pretty penny.

Tip 1 - eBay, Amazon and Gumtree

Again quite an obvious one but it is always worth a look at buying second hand, yes I know there are many dangers of buying second but there are always great and safe bargains to be had.
Amazon is not really known for offering second hand products but if you look hard enough you can find a great used bargain. Try looking at the product page and clicking the used option. Make sure to check out the sellers feedback first and ensure they are good sellers with positive feedback, if they haven't I would generally not bother.

Also check out Amazons "Today's Deals" because you might just net yourself a bargain. They don't always have electronics on sale but its worth checking if your after a real bargain. I mean sometimes you can get up to 50% off retail and you can't really argue with that. A prime example is the V Moda Crossfade LP I bought from a daily deal, I saved a massive 65% off retail.

The last one of Amazons services to check out is the Warehouse deals. http://www.amazon.co.uk/warehousedeals is the place to find great bargains on used items. The image below is what your looking for. 

However like with the used option above the items are used, so make sure you check the quality of the item before purchase. Its kind of like the used on the normal site but all the orders are fulfilled by Amazon. This is very simple to do, all you do is click on the item like usual and go to the product.  The image below is what your looking for.

Next up is eBay, now eBay did have a reputation for selling knock off goods or items not quite as described. Now eBay is a much safer place to shop, thanks to stricter policies and PayPal it is now safer than it used to be. However when you buy from eBay there is still some care to be taken, make sure you look into the sellers history before a purchase. If its bad then walk away but if its good you still have to be a bit cautious and d your research.
The next eBay service is "Daily Deals" its pretty much the same as Amazons but usually you get an even greater reduction on this one. See the image below on where to find the link.

The discounts can be quite good and the stuff is all new as well. This is just another good way to maybe get the stuff your are after for a lot less money. 

Finally is Gumtree (http://www.gumtree.com/) the link to the left is Gumtrees homepage and you can check to see if its available in your town or city. Gumtree is a bit hit and miss, sometimes its full of great stuff and other times there is nothing. So if your looking for a bargain I would check regularly. One bad thing about Gumtree is the blatant fakes so be very careful when buying from it. Also make sure you meet in person if possible and never give people money without getting your stuff. 
Gumtree can be great and I sell a lot of stuff on there but I tend not to buy, I usually stick to eBay and Amazon but I thought it was worth a mention. 

I know this is not really improving your audio but, it could save you money and get you a good deal and in my opinion is does improve your experience because you may just find that bargain you couldn't quite afford and get the stuff you've always wanted.

Tip 2 - Clearance, Open Box or Ex-Service

If your looking for a bargain and still want up to a 1 year guarantee on your purchase then this could be ideal for you. Essentially you are getting a Ex-display, Ex-service, open box, returned or just clearance products, now I know that sounds bad but you would be amazed at what you can find. Also some stores like Richersounds will still even give you a 1 year guarantee on any purchase made from the clearance.

Richersounds isn't the only one, another example is Superfi. They offer great items at reduced costs and they are pretty much available all the time, so you don't have to wait for the mad sales rush to grab a bargain. Other companies do offer this so check their websites, its just these are the first two that come to mind when thinking of this type of service. 

There is a few downsides to doing this. One; if its returned you can't be sure has its been treated by the previous owner but on the upside your usually covered by a one year guarantee.
Two; if its ex-service or repaired then that means its obviously broke in some way. But luckily these types of products usually get fixed by the manufacturer so you have a bit of peace of mind there.
Now taking all this on-board, I mean it is a bit of a risk but sometimes you have take a risk to grab a bargain.

Tip 3 - Shop around

You would be surprised at how many people buy in one store because its convenient. My advice would be to shop around your local stores and online to find the best price. Sometimes stores or online shops have different prices and you may just find yourself the thing you wanted for less. Also try going into the stores because sometimes they don't always share store promotions, sales or offers online. So if you're close to your local town centre have a browse around first and then buy where it's cheapest. Yes it is more hassle but if you have the time it's well worth it to save a few quid.

Tip 4 - Price match or price beat

Not all stores do this but it can harm in asking. If you've seen a bit of tech your after and you have seen it fairly cheap ask another store if they do a price match or even beat the price. Some stores can beat this by quite a fair amount. Just make sure the shop or sometimes website you have seen the price on is reputable or otherwise the store isn't obliged to provide this service.

Tip 5 - Don't buy at Christmas

Yeah, I'm not trying to sound like Ebenezer Scrooge, but if you can avoid buying at Christmas. I know that sounds bad, but if you shop smart you can net yourself a bargain. I mean we all know how crafty shops can be a putting prices up a few months before Christmas, so buy before, hide your pressies and save yourself some money.

Tip 6 - Buy after Christmas

I know again it's an obvious one but January sales can be a great way to net a bargain after the Christmas rush. Shops and online stores usually cut their prices to make way for the new products coming out later in the year. So if like me and your not too fussed about having the latest stuff, then its a great time to shop.

Tip 7 - Black Friday Sales

A fairly new phenomenon to the UK but one (if you play it clever) to thank our American cousins for. You've probably seen the videos of how mad people can get during this time of year. So my advice is to stay indoors and shop online instead. It's way warmer, a lot safer and you can have a nice cuppa whilst browsing for your desired purchase.

Tip 8 - Loan or trade-in stores

Places like Cash Convertors, CEX etc... can be good places to find a bargain. Most or pretty all of the stuff is used, so make sure you check to see if it works and that it is good condition before you buy. Also ask if the store offers any warranty in case the purchase breaks.

Tip 9 - Charity shops

Not an obvious one but sometimes people do donate audio stuff to charity, so make sure you have a look, because sometimes you just never know when you could net a bargain. For example a while back (before my Blogging and YouTube days) I found a really nice JBL creature PC speaker system at a charity shop and I only paid £15 for it. It was in great condition and all the right part where there to make it work. However be careful and I know its for a good cause but sometimes people donate stuff with bits missing, so be sure to check the item first to make sure it's all there. And it's for a good cause to. 

Tip 10 - Email alerts

Signing up to stores email alerts is a great way to catch a bargain as soon as its announced. Companies send you these emails to your inbox and basically share their latest offers direct to you. This is really great as usually these promotions are not announced on the main website and these emails are your first notification of any offers. Make sure you save the email on your phone or print it out so you can show the store what offer you would like.
The only downside is the tonnes of emails you get flooding your inbox. My advice would be to set up a dedicated email address to handle all these alerts and that way your main inbox stays clean.


Tip 11 - Warehouse deals

If you're a lucky bugger then you may live close to a electronics warehouse, a great tip would be to see if they have a website or information as sometimes these places need to shift a lot of stock very quickly and sometimes at very reduced prices. Not all warehouses do this so you have to be extremely lucky to be close to one.

Well thats just a few of my money savings tips for you guys. Thanks for reading and I hope you find these tips useful and grab yourself a well deserved bargain.