This gold-plated HDMI cable--and $7--can be yours if you don't mind waiting on a rebate.
(Credit: Circuit City)Update: Sigh. Sorry, folks. Barely an hour after I posted this, Circuit City bumped the cable's price up to $20. So there's zero point in taking advantage of this rebate--not when you can buy an HDMI cable for $3 shipped.
In light of yesterday's lively and enlightening discussion about rebates, I could not let this pass by: Circuit City is offering a 6-foot HDMI cable for $5.97, plus $6.99 for shipping, minus $20 after a mail-in rebate [PDF].
In other words, when all is said and done, you'll walk away with $7 and an HDMI cable. This rebate actually refunds 100 percent of your purchase price, and then some.
So let's assume you're in the market for such a cable. Even taking the rebate out of the equation, $13 out the door is not a bad price.
Of course, as regular Cheapskate readers know, you can buy a 6-foot HDMI cable for as little as $3.19 shipped. (In fact, that same deal is now down to $2.99: a penny for the cable, $2.98 for shipping. Crazy!)
So which is better: Three bucks now and no rebate hassles, or $13 now and the promise of a $20 check in 8-10 weeks?
Tough one! Either way, the song remains the same: Don't overpay for HDMI cables! I've used both cheap and pricey ones, and the audio-video quality was always identical. Your thoughts?
Pay more than a few bucks for an HDMI cable and you're getting ripped off.
(Credit: Amazon)
As regular Cheapskate readers know, HDMI cables are insanely overpriced. Pity the uninformed consumer who walks into, say, Best Buy, and walks out $40 to $90 poorer. Happens all the time.
But it doesn't have to. Help me spread the word: Eforcity (via Amazon) has a 6-foot HDMI cable for just $3.19 shipped. (Actually, the cable's only 21 cents, shipping costs $2.98. That drives me nuts, so I stayed focused on the total price. Which is awesome.)
Update: I'm not sure why, but sometimes that link takes you to the same cable offered by a different vendor (and for a slightly different price). If that happens, look for the Eforcity deal on the right side under More Buying Choices.
In case you're not familiar with them, HDMI cables carry digital audio and video signals between your TV and gear like game consoles and Blu-ray players.
Are they all created equal? No, but there's ample scientific and anecdotal evidence that dirt-cheap generic cables perform just as well as their pricey big-name counterparts (cough *Monster* cough). Don't get suckered into buying the latter.
Need more proof? This particular cable has a whopping 1,863 user reviews on Amazon, and the average score is 4.5 stars out of 5. 'Nuff said.
This Targus wireless mouse is just one of the deals to be had for less than 10 bucks.
(Credit: Buy.com)Got a sawbuck to spare? For no more than 10 smackers, you can walk away with any of these five goodies. The only challenge is deciding which one to get.
- Amazon MP3 has U2's just-released new album, "No Line on the Horizon," for $3.99. iTunes price: $9.99. (If you've never checked out Amazon's MP3 store, you owe it to yourself.)
- Buy.com has a Targus Stow-N-Go Wireless Optical Mouse for $9.99 shipped. Perfect for notebooks, the mouse features a USB receiver that tucks away underneath when not in use.
- iTunes has the unabridged audiobook version of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" for just $4.95 (iTunes link).
- Meritline has a two-pack of 6-foot HDMI cables for $6.99 shipped. Enough said.
- Newegg has a SanDisk 4GB microSDHC card for $8.49 shipped--great if you want to pack your phone with music, add extra storage for photos and videos, and more.
Good stuff, no? If you know of any other great deals for less than $10, by all means, share them in the Comments! Or give me a heads-up at thecheapskate@gmail.com.
Get three, three, three HDMI cables for less than the price of one.
(Credit: SuperMediaStore)Hello, and welcome to another edition of How Not to Get Ripped Off When You Buy Cables. See, fancy electronics like Blu-ray Disc players, game consoles, and high-definition camcorders need HDMI cables to connect to your HDTV. But do you really need to pay $30, $50, or even $80 for a single 6-footer?
Those are the going rates at your average big-box store (as well as places like Radio Shack), but SuperMediaStore has three 6-foot HDMI cables for $9.97 shipped.
If you're concerned that these ubercheap cables won't be as good as their heavily packaged retail counterparts, don't be: there's ample scientific and anecdotal evidence that dirt-cheap generics perform just as well.
To get the SuperMediaStore deal, head to the site, add three of the cables to your shopping cart, then use code EL50P to bring the price down to $9.97. Note that this code expires Thursday, so don't wait!
The cable's free; the shipping isn't.
(Credit: eCost)Last month I mentioned that you shouldn't overpay for HDMI cables: The cheap ones are generally just as good as their pricey counterparts. Of course, the best deal is when you don't pay anything at all, like with eCost's free-after-rebate Azio 6-foot HDMI cable.
Shipping is way overpriced at $9.50 (for a cable? C'mon, eCost), but in the end you're getting an HDMI cable for $9.50--a great deal any way you slice it.
The rebate offer (PDF) is good until June 30, though who knows how long eCost's stock will last? For what it's worth, I just picked up an Azio USB/SATA hard-drive enclosure--also free after rebate (same form)--and it's working like a champ.
Don't spend more than $10-20 on an HDMI cable.
(Credit: KOneCable)Need to connect a cable box, Blu-ray player, Xbox 360 Elite, PlayStation 3, or other device to your HDTV? Don't let your local big-box sales weenie talk you into spending $60, $80, or even $100 on an HDMI cable. Instead, head to eBay, Meritline, Newegg, or the like and scoop up a no-brand equivalent for as little as 10 bucks.
HDMI cables, which carry digital audio and video signals, are insanely overpriced. That's the consensus of Ars Technica, CNET, The Consumerist, and yours truly. There's ample scientific and anecdotal evidence that dirt-cheap generics perform just as well as their pricey big-name counterparts (cough *Monster* cough), so don't get suckered into buying the latter.
I did a quick search of eBay and found a six-footer for $9.95 with free shipping. Newegg, meanwhile, has one for just $6.99 (plus $5.99 for shipping, dangit). Nearly 300 users rated it five stars, so you can rest assured it's a perfectly good cable.
What's your thought on the HDMI cable controversy? Think it's a mistake to trust your expensive home-theater gear to a 10-dollar cord? Or do you agree that we're getting gouged by cable makers? Hit the Comments and, um, comment!
(Credit:
Newegg)
Most cable companies charge at least $3 per month for your modem, which adds up to $36 per year. But there's no law that says you have to lease their modem; BYO and you can pocket that cash instead.
You'll start recouping your investment around month seven with the D-Link DCM-202 cable modem, currently on sale for $19.99, shipped, after a $20 mail-in rebate.
Before you buy, you should call your cable company to make sure they support the DCM-202. But judging by the roughly 400 Newegg buyers who rated this modem 5 out of 5, compatibility isn't an issue. And while I know many of you detest (or at least don't trust) rebates, you'll still end up ahead even without it.
The bigger concern is getting your cable company to stop charging you for their modem even after you turn it in. Keep a close eye on your bill after making the switch.
The rebate deal ends January 31.
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