iPod Archive

The most popular deal request I am asked for help with continues to be the Apple iPod Touch. Even with this year clearly being the year of the tablet, it seems like everyone still wants to get an iPod Touch as a gift for a friend, colleague or family member. Last week I learned that HTC offers a similar device called the “Flyer” which is like an iPod Touch except that it is based on Android instead of iOS – I wonder why this hasn’t seemed to catch on as of yet (at least it’s not a popular item on the deal boards.

Here are this week’s top deals for the iPod Touch – frankly the Amazon deal is the best one because, for most, there is no sales tax. The key is that you should absolutely not purchase the iPod Touch at the Apple Store – save the cash and use it for apps or music!

Best Buy – Here the deal is on the 8GB model – for $189 plus a free $30 Best Buy gift card. (deal details)

Amazon – It seems Amazon has matched the deal from Best Buy (they seem to be matching a lot of electronics prices as of late) – purchase the 8GB model at Amazon for $189 and get $30 to use towards MP3 songs from the Amazon Music Store. Smart move here by Amazon because it gets you to buy songs from Amazon versus from iTunes. (deal details)

Target – If you want a larger iPod Touch, Target will be your best option. Purchase the 32GB iPod Touch for $295 and get a $40 Target gift card. (this is an in-store deal)

I have a 8GB iPod Touch and I really like it for walking – the Galaxy Tab has replaced most of my at-home general game playing.

Continue reading “The Latest iPod Touch Holiday Deals” »

Last year the best Apple iPod Touch deals were around $229 – $40 gift cards. This year the deals are even better because Apple dropped their price on the iPod Touch to $199. Here are three of the best deals I’ve found so far on the device. The deals below are for the 8GB model and most have the white and black models.

UPDATE: Amazon has now listed the black iPod Touch 8GB as a “Lightning Deal” for 9PM PT this evening. No price is noted and the lightning deals usually go within seconds so you if you want one, you better have your mouse finger ready on the page at exactly 9PM PT. You can find the deal listed here – just keep scrolling until you get to 9PM (aff link).

Best Buy has the best deal so far – $194.99 and they throw in a $50 Best Buy gift card. The device is currently showing a sold out status but it is worth checking in today periodically as they have been known to replenish the supply throughout the day. (hey Best Buy webmaster, how about a short link or a URL to share that isn’t 2,000 characters?!?)

Target is offering the 8GB model for $195 with a $40 Target gift card.

Amazon has matched the price from another retailer on the 8GB model to $189.98. For most there is no sales tax and Amazon is throwing in a free $2 MP3 certificate (aff link).

All 3 retailers are offering free shipping so if your city charges an 8% tax rate, here’s how the deal works out:

• Best Buy – $210.59 – $50 = $160.59
• Target – $210.59 – $40  = $170.59
• Amazon – $189.98 – $2 = $187.98

If you want a guaranteed device, I’d go with the Target deal immediately. You can always return the item if Best Buy does open up more inventory.

It sure looks like the newest generation of the Apple iPod Touch is the electronics item that has seen the most deals — both online and offline. More than ever I’ve noticed Amazon going head-to-head with Target. When Target has an electronics item on sale, Amazon appears to match the price nearly immediately.

I think these iPod Touch deals might be the last great buys of the year — certainly the last buys if you are planning to get the device for a Christmas gift.

Amazon is offering the 8gb iPod Touch for $205 with a free $25 Amazon gift card. This brings the net price down to $180 – this is $50 less than the Apple Store and if you include tax savings from buying on Amazon, the total savings is somewhere around $70. If you have a Prime shipping membership with Amazon, I think you should still be able to get the device home before Friday and certainly if you add in the extra $4 for overnight shipping.

This second deal isn’t for the deal newbie. If you do the legwork, you can get the 8gb iPod Touch for $162.50 + tax at Target. The deal requires some Target coupons and includes a gift card but if you are willing to do the legwork, this is the best deal overall. I still prefer the Amazon deal above because it’s easier and doesn’t require dealing with lines at the store and/or potential coupon issues. The deal instructions can be found on Your Best Source on the Net.

If you prefer BestBuy, they have the iPod Touch for $229 with a $50 Best Buy gift card. If you are one of their Reward Zone members, I believe you can also grab some free headphones. Remember with Best Buy you will pay sales tax on your purchase.

Side deal – if you need iTunes credits, BestBuy has $50 cards for $40 this week with free shipping. With all the iTunes gift card deals out there, please don’t pay full price buying direct on iTunes without a gift card.

I’ve been a fan of QVC for a long time – I think they have always done a good job of being the tops of television shopping when it comes to the quality of their programming. Their sets and graphics are always improving and their hosts seem a notch ahead of competitors including HSN. QVC pushes their social media efforts and even hired “social media host” Courtney Cason earlier this year.

One of the things that is pretty amazing is how well they are able to take electronics and create “packages” which sell for a much higher price than the item sells for alone. Their packages remind me of my days working at The Wiz in NYC where every salesperson knew that the best spiffs were on accessories and rarely on the main products themselves. That’s why a computer rarely went out the door without a surge protector or mouse pad.

If you are wondering if anyone actually buys the packages QVC offers – they claim to have sold 7,500 of the iPod Touch 8gb packages this month.

I have two examples of how QVC maximizes revenue on their electronics sales — the iPod Touch and the Nintendo Wii.

iPod Touch – QVC vs. Amazon/Apple Store

The 32gb 4th generation iPod Touch launched today as a bundle on QVC for a whopping $426.80. Before we get to what’s included in the QVC bundle, the base device is currently selling for $299 in the Apple Store and Amazon is selling the iPod Touch device for $244 after $25 gift card. QVC charges a whopping $11 for shipping plus sales tax in all states.

The simple math comparing QVC to Amazon – QVC total price $474, Amazon total price $244. That’s a $230 dollar difference! You could buy a 2nd iPod Touch from Amazon for the same price as the bundle on QVC!

Continue reading “Here’s How QVC Maximizes Revenue on Electronics Sales” »

Yesterday I noticed that QVC is selling a 8gb iPod Touch for a whopping $341 by including a bunch of “accessories”. I will do a post this week about the techniques QVC uses to sell electronics for big profit by creating bundles. It’s an interesting technique as they claim to have sold 7,500 of these iPod Touch packages this month.

Last month during Black Friday through Cyber Monday, I reported that Amazon was offering big discounts on the entire Apple iPod Touch line – most of the deals included an Amazon gift card which you could use for a later purchase.

Today Amazon is offering a latest-model 32gb iPod Touch for $269 plus a bonus $25 Amazon gift card. So the net price is $244 with free shipping and no tax for most (sorry Giants fans!). This is $55 less than purchasing the iPod Touch at the Apple Store and when you include tax for all at Apple Store, the total savings is about $80. That’s a lot of iTunes songs and Apps you can buy with that $80!

Amazon notes that the offer is good through December 18th or while supplies last so if you want one, I’d grab it now.

I’ve always been a big fan of Starwood hotels (that’s Westin, W, Aloft, etc.) — mainly because their points system is the best for earning points. Because of the points, I get to stay at nice hotels a couple of times a year on points (like the trip this week in San Francisco).

Today I learned via an email from Starwood and inside the hotel itself that you can now use Apple Facetime on your iPhone or iPod Touch to speak with their customer service hotline. Gadling reported that the program began last month.

The Facetime customer service option is only available during the day although I was unable to find any specific Facetime information on the Starwood web site.

Perhaps having a face-to-face conversation with a customer service rep will lessen the yelling, screaming, cursing that usually goes along with many customer service calls. It’s easy to do all of the former when you are hiding behind a phone but when you are “seen” will you want to be as aggressive?

As all deal hunters know, the one company that rarely (or nearly never) puts their products “on sale” is Apple. When I decided to buy my first iPod Touch this past September, I went looking for deals and found three ways to save. I eventually purchased the 8gb iPod Touch from Amazon for $223 with no tax and free shipping.

So far I like the iPod Touch a lot – it’s so interesting to think about the processing power and graphics this device offers versus the Gameboy I received many years ago. It did feel a bit odd to be moving the iPod up and down and left and right as I navigated a game on a plane at 35,000 feet. This device has made my old Samsung Ace WinMo phone gain a bit of new life. My only complaint is that the camera is crap – I would have sacrificed a pinch of added depth for a better camera.

Tonight begins the pre-Black Friday sales around the U.S. I remember the days of lining up with tents in the middle of the night to make sure you were the first one into the store(s) that had the items you were interested in. Back then, the deals were actually good and were worth waiting for. Today there are so many deals every day that Black Friday has become boring for most deal hunters. But there is one deal that has everyone up and clicking…

UPDATE 2 – Amazon is now offering a $25 gift card on the 8gb iPod Touch! – This brings the price down to $175 – do not walk – run to get this deal since I have no idea how long it will be available.

UPDATE: Amazon is also offering the 32gb iPod Touch for $279 with a bonus $20 gift card making the final price $259!

Amazon is currently offering an 8gb Apple iPod Touch for $199 currently. I say currently because we have no idea how long this deal will last. Apparently it is a price match to the Black Friday price at Target. It appears that Amazon is aggressively trying to compete with Black Friday pricing at brick-and-mortar retailers by offering similar (or better) pricing and a day earlier. For those states where Amazon doesn’t charge tax, this is about a $45 discount over the Apple.com price. If you have Amazon Prime, two-day shipping is free and one-day shipping is $4.

There is some talk that Fry’s will offer the 8gb model for $224 – $50 gift card but Fry’s has tax at all locations plus you have to deal with the lines (some of the longest) and you have to hope they have one once you get to the front of the line.