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.
When ink cartridges run out, the actual cartridges still work fine. That's why recycling them is not only important for landfill's sake, but profitable for wallet's sake. Emptysolution.com will buy your ink, laser and toner cartridges off of you, which the company refills and then resells as "remanufactured." Save them in bulk and they'll even send you a prepaid packaging label.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Angela Brown said 11:17AM on 8-27-2008
Planet Green is the BEST company for recycling inkjet cartridges and cell phones. Some of the inkjets on their list are worth $5!
Go to www.planetgreenrecycle.com and click on their buy-back price list.
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Martin Bingham said 10:53PM on 4-19-2007
For black and color ink jet cartridges they can be refilled yourself with a refill kit.
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Virginia Thorson said 1:19PM on 4-20-2007
eCycle Group will also buy back your used inkjet and toner cartridges--check out www.ecyclegroup.com and click on "pricelist" to see what your empty cartridges are worth--You'll be surprised at how much money you can raise by turning your cartridges into cash with eCycle Group!
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DeeDee said 12:32PM on 4-21-2007
This company offers 25c for the type of ink cartridge that I have - what a ripoff! I take them back to Staples and get $3.00 per cartridge! Do yourself a favor by checking w/Staples first!
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Beryl & Marcel Brillant said 1:13AM on 9-14-2008
We sent 9 cartidges and 1 cell phone to Empty Solutions months ago and have not received payment for them yet. When I try to get into the site to check on payment I get a
"The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings." message.
It looks like maybe the site is shut down and I won't get paid for them. Good thing the shipping was paid by them so we aren't out the shipping costs.
addismom said 2:05PM on 4-20-2007
If you check with your local school or church youth group,they probably have an ink cartridge (& cell phone)recycling program. It is so easy to just drop them off and know you are helping the youth in your community.
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