Whenever I walk into my local Best Buy with money in my pocket I’m officially at the fifth stage in my tech shopping experience. Personally, I must follow a certain process. The process means I don’t throw all of my money at one thing that later on I find out I don’t need or use that often, or worse find for a better price two days after my purchase! Here are the five tips that I use whenever buying tech:
What I look like during tech research…don’t judge.
Research
This is the longest and most important stage whenever buying any piece of tech. Take your time with this stage as it will help you later. You are the person who is going to use and buy the tech (unless your parents are awesome and buy it for you). Find the positives and negatives and determine which is worth more of your attention, and then narrow down your choices to a top three. Make sure they fill most or all of your needs, it would be beneficial to make a list. This step could take months so be patient and keep your eyes open to newer products that could either work better than or be a lower price than one of your original choices. Your three choices should range from the cheapest or lowest quality to the best quality with the middle being your favorite.
Start Saving Up
This could be another long stage especially if the product is very expensive. Once you have determined your top three – start saving up for the MOST expensive of the group. Always save for the true retail price released by the actual company, this will be a good backup if your final product cannot be found at a lower price. Also determine the sales tax of your product, this can be figured by multiplying the product’s cost by your states tax percentage. Each state is different and some don’t have sales tax. A quick google search can determine both. If you buy online you may not have to pay sales tax at all.
Get Hands On
Find a local store that sells tech exclusively like Best Buy. They usually allow people to get a feel for most products so don’t be shy to ask someone there about the product. Always go back and check their statements on your own and verify. You are responsible for whatever you buy so make sure it fits you. Remember to try all of your top three and then make the decision on your favorite.
Final Research
Double check all of your research when you get all of your money saved up and make a final choice from your top three. This stage of research should focus on the customer service of the company that you have chosen. A good reason to wait till now is because you want to know how well their CURRENT service is for their customers. Some companies are open about their service and its always good to turn to these companies first. Also make a decision to buy your product in store or online. When shopping online or in store always watch out for fakes and find out the companies list of authorized resellers.
Double check each companies authorized resale list if they have one.
Always try to find companies with multiple ways for you to contact them.
Go Get It!
After finding the best product from your research and making sure it fits your needs there’s nothing else to do but buy it! What are you waiting for? GO!
Always look for the best and good buy!
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