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Ordering from Apple or Samsung directly, as suggested by the article, even is something to avoid, unless you like paying a premium (usually you can find their p

Ordering from Apple or Samsung directly, as suggested by the article, even is something to avoid, unless you like paying a premium (usually you can find their products about 10-30% cheaper somewhere else).

wenc 6y ago
Curious, where does one get products cheaper than Apple.com? (I believe Apple controls the prices third party resellers can set) I've seen the occasional markdown on Amazon and MacMall but Apple's prices are generally pretty standard.
- abiogenesis 6y ago
  Here in Australia, for example, you can buy grey imports (i.e. not imported by Apple, Samsung etc) for much cheaper. With some brands you only get a store warranty, but sometimes you might even get full manufacturer international warranty.
- Larrikin 6y ago
  When shopping for a new computer recently, prices were the same across the board for the most part. If you qualify for the educational discount, Apple was significantly cheaper. If you didn't there were some sites that tended to have credit card portals or gift card reseller sites that offered more of a discount. Even when a portal says certain products are excluded they tend to still come through with the automated discount. Also depending on your credit card you could get a better deal through buying your own gift cards. I currently have five percent off on grocery store purchases, so effectively any gift cards the grocery store sells are five percent discounts to the merchant. Best buy, target, Amazon are nearly always there. ITunes usually is but I don't ever recall seeing apple.
- lostapathy 6y ago
  Microcenter on most items.
- Spooky23 6y ago
  Target, B&H, and BestBuy routinely discount Apple stuff. If you have insight into Apple’s product cycle, they usually discount the price to resellers a few weeks before they release a product and they are motivated to clear stuff out. I used to pay for college by taking advantage of that in the 90s!
thanhhaimai 6y ago
Buying Apple products on Amazon significantly exposes you to counterfeit products. That's where the "discounts" happen.
- thirdsun 6y ago
  That's not true anymore. Some time ago Amazon made changes to the way they sell Apple hardware. It is my understanding that Apple gave its blessing to let Amazon sell their products directly with the requirement that third party sellers aren't allowed to do so anymore. In my opinion that's a welcome change.
Normal_gaussian 6y ago
However, if you are ordering a premium product, ring them and do an assisted sale. This works particularly well if there is something you are unsure of. For example, when buying a TV I was asking about a dumb panel with the latest and greatest display technology in a particularly small bezelless format. They couldn't do it (which I already knew) but sold me the smart and slightly larger TV for nearly half its official price with a "free" 5y rtm warranty. Pretty much the same price as I'd pay elsewhere for an "inferior" panel. And slightly more recently I purchased a new laptop. The price was the same as everywhere else (£2k) but I got a fancy tilt/rotate stylus, 3y care, expediated delivery, and a windows home -> pro upgrade code (it was weird it didn't have it as default tbh) all for free. Notably I'm not asking for the discounts and extras, I'm asking normal sales questions as though I wasn't able to read the manuals online. On the other hand, there are plenty of things I rang up about and didn't purchase because it was better elsewhere. On the whole they seem to have been more mid to bottom range items, but I don't really know the internals of these companies.
nobleach 6y ago
I just ordered a brand new Apple Macbook Air with 16 gigs for my daughter... I can't even get Apple to charge my card and ship the thing. Their estimate is mid-May... but I haven't seen any traction on it at all. It's as if I didn't even order it.

wenc 6y ago

Curious, where does one get products cheaper than Apple.com? (I believe Apple controls the prices third party resellers can set) I've seen the occasional markdown on Amazon and MacMall but Apple's prices are generally pretty standard.

abiogenesis 6y ago
Here in Australia, for example, you can buy grey imports (i.e. not imported by Apple, Samsung etc) for much cheaper. With some brands you only get a store warranty, but sometimes you might even get full manufacturer international warranty.
Larrikin 6y ago
When shopping for a new computer recently, prices were the same across the board for the most part. If you qualify for the educational discount, Apple was significantly cheaper. If you didn't there were some sites that tended to have credit card portals or gift card reseller sites that offered more of a discount. Even when a portal says certain products are excluded they tend to still come through with the automated discount. Also depending on your credit card you could get a better deal through buying your own gift cards. I currently have five percent off on grocery store purchases, so effectively any gift cards the grocery store sells are five percent discounts to the merchant. Best buy, target, Amazon are nearly always there. ITunes usually is but I don't ever recall seeing apple.
lostapathy 6y ago
Microcenter on most items.
Spooky23 6y ago
Target, B&H, and BestBuy routinely discount Apple stuff. If you have insight into Apple’s product cycle, they usually discount the price to resellers a few weeks before they release a product and they are motivated to clear stuff out. I used to pay for college by taking advantage of that in the 90s!

thanhhaimai 6y ago

Buying Apple products on Amazon significantly exposes you to counterfeit products. That's where the "discounts" happen.

thirdsun 6y ago
That's not true anymore. Some time ago Amazon made changes to the way they sell Apple hardware. It is my understanding that Apple gave its blessing to let Amazon sell their products directly with the requirement that third party sellers aren't allowed to do so anymore. In my opinion that's a welcome change.

Normal_gaussian 6y ago

However, if you are ordering a premium product, ring them and do an assisted sale. This works particularly well if there is something you are unsure of. For example, when buying a TV I was asking about a dumb panel with the latest and greatest display technology in a particularly small bezelless format. They couldn't do it (which I already knew) but sold me the smart and slightly larger TV for nearly half its official price with a "free" 5y rtm warranty. Pretty much the same price as I'd pay elsewhere for an "inferior" panel. And slightly more recently I purchased a new laptop. The price was the same as everywhere else (£2k) but I got a fancy tilt/rotate stylus, 3y care, expediated delivery, and a windows home -> pro upgrade code (it was weird it didn't have it as default tbh) all for free. Notably I'm not asking for the discounts and extras, I'm asking normal sales questions as though I wasn't able to read the manuals online. On the other hand, there are plenty of things I rang up about and didn't purchase because it was better elsewhere. On the whole they seem to have been more mid to bottom range items, but I don't really know the internals of these companies.

nobleach 6y ago

I just ordered a brand new Apple Macbook Air with 16 gigs for my daughter... I can't even get Apple to charge my card and ship the thing. Their estimate is mid-May... but I haven't seen any traction on it at all. It's as if I didn't even order it.