Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Jose Lopez said 3:04PM on 2-24-2008
I had a situation when a was bidding on a item on eBay (mig welder)and the seller stated that,as proof of trust he would send the item first to my adress and i then would send him payment (after i have received it) to an address in San Jose ,Costa Rica. It sounded secure right?
Well,I did received the welder but did not send him the money (I was vacationing) In the meantime I got an e-mail from Nortern Tools thanking me for the purchase of the welder.
I got in touch with co. and was told that their records showed that I had bought a mig welder from them with a Visa credit card.I do not have a Visa credit card and obviously never order anything from Northern Tools.
So it looked like that's how the scam worked...I won his item on e-Bay,he gets my name and address,buys the item with a stolen credit card # and waits for the item to arrive at my address and then claims the payment.
By then I received a notice from eBay stating that this seller had his previleges cancelled and that i should stop any contact with him.
I made a local police report on this ,a report to de FTC . He kept calling insisting that I send the money until one day,the calls stopped.
I still have the mig welder and no one contacted me on this (it's been about 4 months now)Also put a credit alert on Equifax anda the other 2 as well. How do you like that?
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Sarenity said 3:39AM on 3-05-2008
I once opened an email that stated there were problems with my credit card information for aol, the first clue was I don't have the master screen name and aol notifies the master screen name for anything wrong with the account, the secend was before i opened the letter i noticed that the email address was from a hotmail account, and when i clicked on the link it gave and it sent me to a site that looked pretty convincing for a second however the questions that aol never asked such as date of birth, the balance on the credit card used as well as my social security number. However for an older person like my mother who has little computer skills it might fool them
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larry said 6:25AM on 6-24-2008
i get one for aol account needs updating but i dont have aol and when i reply no such recipient
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JEFF said 12:54PM on 6-23-2008
I have caught two groups trying to PHISH. One tried to do it in the guise of bankofamerica. I know never to respond to emails like this, so I signed off, and then came back on and went via my url space to bankof america and reported it.
The other one was just last week. Got a PHISH claiming to be from Wells Fargo. I just forwarded it to my wife---who works for Wells Fargo. Yes, fake.
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Galley said 6:03PM on 6-23-2008
Forward all phishing attempts as attachments to one of the following:
spoof@paypal.com
spoof@ebay.com
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RICHARD JAGAN said 10:46PM on 6-23-2008
I usually get 5-8 fraudulent emails everyday. If you are like me you should visit http://www.staysafe.org/ where you will find useful information to report and forward those Spam and Fraudulent emails.
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Sissy said 12:30PM on 7-08-2008
A possible Phish email that I have recieved repeatedly says "someone is trying to find you", sign-on and find out who. I opened it the first time to find it asking me to give my personal data so they could tell me who was looking for me. I deleted it and haven't opened another one.
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Kristi said 3:40AM on 6-24-2008
I did not see this one in the comments:
A missionary family in another country has adorable puppies/dogs (e.g., Yorkies) that they cannot keep and care for. The plea for help is to take the puppies and pay to have transported to you. The syntax and grammar is greatly improved over previously encountered scams and could really pull an animal-lover's heart strings.
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Kallie said 8:51AM on 7-16-2008
There is a new one, looks like it is from the IRS. It tells you to fill out information in order to get your rebate faster, asks for your debit card info. Looks extremely official and has link to a page that looks just like the IRS site. There is even a phone number on the bottom, when I called the number there is a recording saying they are a company that sends bulk emails for governments. I hope no one falls for this, the IRS knows how to find you without sending you an email.
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Fred said 3:28PM on 7-16-2008
hello ,
Am happy that is done , i have notifield my shipper, and my lawyer about this recent development on the proceeding of this transanction.. and i am waiting to complete it with you. honestly i am happy to read from you , i called my secretary and she told me the funds will outclear tommorrow that you should check your account status online, the amount has been credited to your account, so i need you to go to your bank tommorrow which is friday 5./07/2008 ..and take out the excess funds and send it to my shipper so she can come for pickup or saturday , or sunday evening. pls which if this this is ok for you, and what time,,, i will be awating the western union details tommorrow..here sis my shiipers info which the money will be sent to,,rememeber you gt an extar 50 dollars for running around , i do nt consider myself as being generous, bt i really apppreciate your interest in making thsi transanction succesfull..here is my shippers info , and she will be at your residence this weekend once payment is sent to her..
Name===Kelly Bridges
adress==2308a arney street
city==lincoln,
state== North Carolina
Zip code== 28092
And here is the documentation on the recipts of the payment which i will be needing from you after payment at westrn union..
1.) Money transfer Control Number [MTCN] 10 DIGITS
2.) Exact Amount Sent After Deducting Charges from the Money.
3.) Senders complete information used.
4-RECEIVERS NAME AND ADDRESS
5.AMOUNT SEND AFTER WESTERN UNION CHARGES
Pls I will need all this transfer information from you as soon as the balance is sent.Thanks and have a wonderful day.
Regard...
fred
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Barbara said 2:36PM on 11-24-2008
I just received a check for 3,599.00 I am to be a mystery shopper and this money is for.
Has anyone heard of this scam Miller Transporters out of Miss.
They pay me to buy products, train to send money grams, and funds.
What would happen if I deposited the check and wait for it to clear?
Would that be safe?
Barbara
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MoeFugger said 6:13AM on 4-26-2007
I have seen all of those and more. You would have to be really dumb or a little kid to fall for any of those. Only a moron would click the links.
Every single legit site will post that they never, never email about your password or other personal info but some people just type it in anyway then cry that they got hosed, Duhhhh.
Hey survival of the fittest I guess.
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heidi said 6:24AM on 4-26-2007
my husband gets these all the time asking for paypal or bank information. he always calls the bank and paypal to confirm that it is bogus. and it is always bogus. but you should still call to confirm because one time we called and someone across the other side of the USA was using our credit card information. also paypal has an email address you can send the bogus ones to. they are trying to cut these people out.
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j said 6:44AM on 4-26-2007
Don't forget the fake URL email scam where someone will ask you to click on a url to see if it is the same item you are selling on Ebay. That messes up your account and phishes for additional info. Avoin most URls in emails.
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Junie said 1:08PM on 4-26-2007
You also have to be wary of people on the singles sites. Being a female, I have been contacted by guys pretending to be very interested in me and then asking me to email them at their yahoo.com address. After communicating for a while and purporting to be in love with me, they say they had to travel to Africa on business, got hurt in an accident and need me to send them money for the doctor's expenses. There are other various stories these people tell to try to get over on you, but they all come back to the idea of scamming you into sending money. BEWARE!
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M Meyer said 7:17AM on 4-26-2007
How about the e mails re Craig's List when you have a rental and they write you claiming they are from Europe and need your name for the check, the address and your phone number................without even asking to see the property, filling out an application or signing a lease ...........would anybody believe they would send you a check just like that?
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Mike said 7:21AM on 4-26-2007
Amazing,
I get a hundred such phishing attempts every week, and yes, most are very authentic looking, so any time you get anything from what appears to be your bank, close it and never click on link. If you put your pointer over this link, it will usually not have any reference to bank other than an obscure reference with many other url letters and numbers which no bank would ever use. Also, no https, forget it, surely a scam.
www.Iraqi-Investments.com
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gen said 7:57AM on 4-26-2007
just wanted to say that i am currently involved in a on line scam. the oddity of this one is that not once have they yet asked me for a bank account number or any other vital personal information. they have even went so far as to send me a check for 25,669.72 on a real check. the company the check is written on is real, the account is real the only thing not real is the fact that the company is not the ones that sent me the check.a good note is that i called the co. and was able to alert them that someone out there is sending check out to people with their name and signature on it. : ) be ware of anything free. like the old saying goes if its too good to be true then it probably is : )
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Hank C. said 7:34AM on 4-26-2007
You should give solutions - names of the US Gov't fraud #'s etc.
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griff said 7:32AM on 4-26-2007
Remember folks, "Ain't nuttin' in life for free". If someone walks up to you and puts a wadd of cash in your hands and say "its yours", still, be very skeptical. There is ALWAYS a CATCH.
Also, on some of THOSE E-MAILS, if you try to REPLY to them, and I don't mean clicking on any links, but to send a reply, you normally will get a return email telling you that SENDER IS UNKNOWN or that the email cannot be delivered, or something like that.
Don't Let Your GREED get the best of You.
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