Where Is The Cheapest Place To Buy A Laptop NEW!
Amazon: regular discounts on Chromebooks and laptops, plus the best MacBook prices (opens in new tab)Amazon has a regularly rotating selection of laptop deals. It's often the best place to go for cheap Chromebooks and mid-range devices, so worth a look if your budget is around $500 or less. For those after a more premium device, Amazon regularly has the best prices available across the Apple MacBook range but these do regularly sell out quickly.
where is the cheapest place to buy a laptop
It can be overwhelming looking for laptop deals if you're not sure where to start. You may have an idea of how much you want to spend, what you need the device for or what key features you want included, but how do convert that information into the right laptop and ensure you pay the right price?
If you just need a very basic device to check your emails, do a bit of light admin and generally browse the internet, then you should be fine to spend anywhere less than $300 on a laptop. Devices in this price range usually come with lower-end components, but they will handle these light tasks without issue, have a good amount of in-built storage for all your key files and applications, and offer solid battery life in case you're on the move.
Next, is the high-end devices of $600 or more. Here is where you can find premium laptops from the likes of HP, Dell and Apple. These are good for users with more demanding workloads, including video and photo editing, as well as more intensive tasks.
At a glance, the prices on TVs (online at Costco.com anyway) are about the same as they are elsewhere online. You'll find savings on some brands like Element, but in our labs we've found that brand is pretty cheap for a reason. Likewise, laptops are split into the usual selections like Apple, Dell, and so on.
Where Costco does seem to have a disadvantage is overall product selection, especially where laptops are concerned. While looking for our favorite laptops, I was able to find the top-rated model (the Dell XPS 13 9380) on Amazon, but not on Costco, though there are similar models available.
If you're willing to put in the work, you can also buy with confidence from sites like Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and Craigslist. Craigslist is the most difficult to work with, since listings don't include photos of what's being sold, just text descriptions; this means you have to be willing to exchange contact information with sellers in order to get photo and video proof of working condition. Even then, it's possible that this evidence has been faked in order to dupe you into buying a dud item or sending money without ever receiving your laptop.
If a seller is insistent that you send money via check, money order, or services like Venmo and PayPal before you ever lay eyes on the laptop, that's a huge red flag. A reputable seller should have no issue with you asking to send payment after the item arrives (if able to be shipped to you) or after you've confirmed yourself that the laptop boots up properly during a meet-up sale. Sending payment after an item arrives in the mail or you can actually see it for yourself will save you a lot of heartache as well as cash; unlike typical online shopping, it's a lot more difficult to get your money back from a bad Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist sale since it isn't a business transaction.
Now that you know how to protect yourself and double-check seller information, you can keep reading below to see the best places to buy a refurbished laptop and find great deals on pre-owned computers.
Amazon Renewed has a similar structure to a brick-and-mortar store which sells pre-owned and refurbished laptops, but with one key difference: they don't have a dedicated team of their own which inspects and repairs units. Instead, much like how they list and ship new items from various retailers, refurbished laptops are repaired and inspected by third-party suppliers and sold via Amazon. The nice thing about Amazon Renewed is not only the steep discounts you can find on great laptops, but they are very up-front about unit condition and backed by a 90-day return policy and the Amazon Renewed Guarantee which offers a full refund or unit replacement if you are at all unsatisfied. The downside to Amazon Renewed is that there isn't a physical store for you to go to if something needs repaired or if you need help troubleshooting issues: you have to pack everything up and ship it off to a nebulous repair center, which could lead to lengthy repair times and the possibility of your laptop getting lost in the mail.
If you use Facebook, you're probably familiar with Facebook Marketplace. While you can find actual retailers selling open-box or certified refurbished laptops, listings are overwhelmingly local individuals selling used items. While there are inherent risks, such as getting a dud unit or running across a scammer, if you practice due diligence, you can find a great laptop for a steep discount. Just remember that you can always fact-check product information against manufacturer specifications like model and serial numbers, build configurations, colors, and operating systems. If for any reason you think a seller is being untruthful about something they're selling, politely decline the listing and keep browsing; if you suspect they're a serial scammer, report the seller and listing to Facebook so they can take appropriate action.
OfferUp is a newer buy/sell/trade platform that started in 2011, and have since acquired rival site LetGo in March 2020. Like Facebook Marketplace, you can find big name retailers but most listings are individuals. OfferUp also allows you to widen your search for like-new laptops by selecting parameters for sellers who are willing to ship items for a small fee rather than just doing a local pickup. And while this does give you a wider pool of sellers to sift through to find a great laptop for a good price, you have to be more wary of potential scams. If you are in Ohio and are interested in a laptop from California, you can always ask the seller for video proof that the laptop turns on, boots up properly, and can connect to the internet. You can also ask for additional photos of model and serial numbers to check listing information against official specs. While you won't be able to completely eliminate the potential of getting scammed, asking for more photos and video proof can help lesson risks. And remember: if a listing sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Craigslist is perhaps the most notorious buy/sell/trade site on this list. While it can lead to you getting your hands on a good used laptop for less, it also has a bad reputation for all kinds of scams and poor seller behavior. Craigslist doesn't allow sellers to ship items, so you have to be comfortable with meeting folks face-to-face, and since item listings don't include pictures, just descriptions, it's up to you to press the seller for photo and video proof the laptop is in good working order. If you aren't comfortable giving a complete stranger your phone number or email, you can create a backup Gmail account just for shopping on Craigslist; this way, you don't have to have any personal information tied to the account, limiting the risk of being scammed or tracked by strangers. And since items for sale require local pickup, make sure you take someone with you to the meeting place and let even more people know where you are going and when to expect you back. Not everyone is going to be who they claim they are, and anyone looking to cause trouble will think twice if you don't show up alone.
Buying a used laptop from someone on a site like Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp comes with risks: the laptop could not turn on, the hard drive could be damaged, or the battery is bad. Make sure before you buy to carefully inspect the laptop and spend some hands-on time with it to make sure there aren't any nasty surprises waiting for you. If a seller won't let you test out the laptop before buying, politely decline the offer and look elsewhere.
The best places for international shoppers to find great deals on laptops online in 2022. These retailers have tons of options to choose from. So make your purchase and send it to your Stackry locker for consolidated, low-cost shipping anywhere in the world.
Like Amazon, this quintessential American superstore will usually be on our list. And while you can find anything and everything in their online store, their actually a great place to get electronics and computer products like laptops.
For those on a tight budget, buying directly from Apple or Dell may not be the best option. If you're willing to pick up a certified refurbished device, you can find plenty of options on Amazon. Alternatively, you can buy lightly used laptops from eBay, Swappa, Facebook Marketplace, and other secondhand selling sites. That said, you won't get a warranty and the purchase will be at your own risk, so your best bet may be to wait until a big sale such as back to school, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday.
You'll notice that good deals on AMD systems don't seem to come up as often as I'd like. Though if one does turn up, this would be the place to look. Below are the best cheap gaming laptop deals from all over the internet curated into one spot. Note that it's not every deal online but the ones you should consider checking out. Check back periodically because some of the best gaming laptops (opens in new tab) often find themselves on sale. Oh, and if you're looking for a desktop, we even compiled a list of the best cheap gaming PC deals (opens in new tab). See? We got you covered.
Gigabyte G5 Nvidia RTX 4060 Intel Core i5 12500H 15.6-inch 144Hz 1080p 8GB RAM 512GB SSD $1,099 at Newegg (opens in new tab)Not a discount as such, but this is the cheapest price we've found for a new RTX 4060 gaming laptop. Well, new actually only applies to the GPU itself, it looks very much like that has been parachuted into this old design to make for an affordable notebook. And it will easily outperform any RTX 3060 machine, and match RTX 3070 frame rates. You do only get 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, but the system is easily upgradable and there are two M.2 slots to fill, too. 041b061a72