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.
If you're looking to sell something online, chances are you go to one of two places: eBay.com or craigslist.org. Ebayis a good choice if you don't mind spending a few bucks to gain access to the teeming masses that flock to the auction site in search of deals. The latter site is handy if you don't want to ship whatever you're selling or are offering an intangible service like dog walking. Now, eBay is hoping to capture that second group with the U.S. launch of its new and bizarrely named classified ads site, kijiji.com.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gail said 11:37AM on 7-09-2007
I personally feel ebay's charges are excessive.
I perfer to use Craigslist and hope ethey don't change to a paying site.
Gail Casseus
http://www.andgift.com
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DQ said 11:43AM on 7-09-2007
Ebay has really become FeeBay over the past few years. I used to buy and sell lots of stuff on eBay until I realized how great Craigslist is. Ebay gets fees from the buyers for listing and then more from the seller once it sells. Then, if you decide to pay using Paypal, the seller gets more fees taken from their sale and Ebay owns Paypal! You'd think that if they own both, they'd only charge fees to people using Paypal for services outside eBay and free for eBay users, but nope...they take in fees on both ends. Keep up the great work Craig! I love your list!
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hisholypresense said 1:09PM on 7-09-2007
I agree. We use to use Ebay ALOT, But since the fees can get pretty high,Craigslist has become the place to go.. Go Craig,Your site is the best.
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diane said 12:30PM on 7-09-2007
I have never been an ebay fan simply because of the fees associated with buying or selling on the site. I will forever recommend craig's list to anyone buying or selling anything. but a word of caution craig's list can be addicting and if you aren't actually looking for something you NEED you will find yourself buying simply because it was a good deal and with time your days will be consumed with looking on craig's list for things you DONT need but buy because it was a good deal...the driveway and yard fills up quick with those good deals that need a bit of work....i know the men in my world have craigitis and an endless supply of projects waiting to be completed..but still the buying and endless hours of searching continues. thanks craig.
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Ziggyzuu said 9:50AM on 7-10-2007
I have used both sites in the past, don't use ebay much at all anymore because I also didn't like the fees (and hate the shipping)...and besides that, it's so cluttered up with stuff now it's information overload. Once in a while I buy something that is hard to find anywhere else. As for craig's, it's free but it's overloaded with spam too. But can be very effective when you're giving something away, though I've had a tough time occasionally getting people to show up when they say they want something. Gotta love the "Best of Craigs" though, that is hilarious!
I actually found another site that has a different twist--they pay YOU to list your classified ads. You only get 25 cents per ad, but if you have a lot of stuff (and I do right now) it can add up nicely. I think I've gotten about $30.00 already.
It's www.listasaurus.com. I think it's fairly new but it seems like things are starting to pick up on the site, and I've actually been able to sell and giveaway a couple of things.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months between ebay and craigs...very, very interesting!
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Darius Cordell said 5:53PM on 7-11-2007
I think we all feel ebay's fees are very excessive.
They are much like the credit card industry where they charge fees for the person taking card and charge the person giving the card interest.
In both cases the fees should be on one side or the other.
In any event, Craigslist (and Backpage) are both good sites but you just have to be even more careful about who you take money from.
Atleast Ebay does try and validate buyers - though it does not always work.
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Kate said 4:36PM on 7-30-2007
We ran an eBay Store for years! The fees crept higher, higher and higher. The customer satisfaction fell to an all time low. eBay charges excessively for what they provide (auction, store, final value fees), plus eBay stores are subject to negative feed back from customers who simply want to hurt the business. PayPal takes a huge chunk of the money too. It's a rip off company. I'd recommend anyone thinking of opening an eBay Store NOT TO! It's a rip and the fees are only going to get worse. Open a regular online store and market your store through the search engines. It's far cheaper to do in the long run.
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Moses said 5:03AM on 9-06-2007
I feel the same way of feebay. I am a power seller that been paying ebay fees for a long time. They take money from selling items and getting paid. I think it's really unfair for the sellers. I love craigslist but dont like the fact that not everybody posts pictures of what they're selling thus why I have my own list moe's list.
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Moses said 5:07AM on 9-06-2007
Thats www.moeslist.com
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tommy V said 5:20PM on 11-21-2007
I think everyone should agree to declare Dec. 3 2007 free of ebay day. Do NOT post or buy any items on Monday Dec. 3rd and watch them wiggle. Imagine a day when ebay makes NO money! BOYCOTT ebay Monday Dec, 3rd. Hit em where it hurts!
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