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.
We've seen a lot of strange things go up for auction on eBay - a town, a life, a video game collection, even another auction website. Yet we were still shocked when a man attempted to sell his wife via the auction service, and this morning were utterly horrified when we read an article about a German woman who attempted to sell her child on eBay.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jackie said 6:35PM on 5-27-2008
I read this article on an AP news feed a few days ago and it is so obviously a joke that I feel sorry for the poor woman. The wording of the ad (as reported by the AP) is:
"Offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud. It is a male baby, nearly 28 inches (70 cm) long and can be used either in a baby carrier or a stroller."
Whether your think it's funny or not is one thing, but how could anyone take that ad seriously?
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zari said 3:15PM on 5-28-2008
Well, as a joke, it is still a bit much--- to post it on the INTERNET??
I mean, if for some reason you feel you must joke like that, do it around your friends or something, not on the freakin' internet.
tina said 1:04AM on 5-28-2008
I have 3 kids...i myself would never list my children on Ebay...but people do joke and from the add it sounds like a joke...i'm sure if she really wanted to get rid of her baby,she would have found other ways of doing so...
Maybe she has alot of people that know her on Ebay and wanted to make them laugh...this world is SO screwed up from the people that really do these things.that we can not joke.when u can't joke anymore and things are taken to such extremes we might as well be in prison...this poor lady...i'm sure she will never joke agian...
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Carrie said 11:00AM on 5-28-2008
Well joke or not, people know we are coming to a world were things like this can't go on. I don't feel sorry for her, she's an adult and should have know better. I'm sure alot of woman who can't have their own, would find this very insulting for a joke.
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Mary said 12:03PM on 5-28-2008
I saw an ad for a child on Craigslist and alerted the police here in Tucson Az. and they refused to do anything about it. Thank goodness Canada and Germany take these things seriously. I feel sorry for the poor children who are listed because this kind of thing is never a joke. Maybe more people should be outraged and report sucj things.
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David Lapp said 6:56PM on 5-28-2008
That is just simply SAD.
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DVH said 8:40PM on 5-28-2008
I agree. If was a joke does not have to be listed on the internet on E-bay. How would friends even know where to go and find? I think she tried to play off as a joke to cover herself. Obviously, did not work. I say put her on the internet under incompetent moms with picture. Next time try sending an email to your friends.
shernavaz said 1:48PM on 5-30-2008
I don't think it was a joke.
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nora said 9:11PM on 5-28-2008
I FEEL SORRY FOR ANY CHILD THAT HAS A MAMA OR DADDY WHO JUST DON'T CARE.CHILDREN SHOULD BE LOVED AND CARED FOR, NOT HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THIS OR ANYTHING BAD HAPPEN TO THEM. I FEEL SORRY FOR THEM MOM, SHE SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE WITHOUT A HEART.
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Bruce said 10:18PM on 5-28-2008
That is just WRONG. How could somebody actually BID on a baby? It SHOULD have been listed just as a "Buy It Now", instead.
Either way it's a bad idea.... EBay doesn't even have a catagory for it, so you'd just be wasting your money on the listing.
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Pat Raunick said 10:35PM on 5-28-2008
This is just a disgrace to think that anyone, especially a new Mother could even joke about this. Is this what we have come too, that things are so disperate. There is simply no excuse. What utter disregard for
for another human being.
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Evelyn said 12:15AM on 5-29-2008
It seems unlikely that this was a joke. It certainly isn't funny, even if the wording is meant to be. The police are right to take the baby away until she has a psychological examination. They'll really catch h*ll if it turns out she was serious and something happens to the poor little guy. This family needs prayer.
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