Hand Picked Deals

Until July 6, Amazon is offering a $100 instant discount when you buy a qualifying Nikon DSLR camera with an additional qualifying lens.
Click here for the promo details at Amazon.com.

In addition to the savings, Amazon offers Free Super Saver Shipping and for most states there is no sales tax (the only exceptions are KS, KY, ND, NY and WA). Together, it all adds up to an excellent deal.

Here are some of the combos available, at the current prices:

Nikon D40 w/ 18-55mm kit + 55-200mm lens
= $467.04 + $149.09 - $100 discount = $516.13

Nikon D60 w/ 18-55mm kit + 55-200mm lens
= $659.99 + $149.09 - $100 discount = $709.08

Nikon D60 w/ 18-55mm kit + 55-200mm VR lens * (see note below)
= $659.99 + $211.66 - $100 discount = $771.65

Nikon D80 - currently out of stock

…

* - Just a note about the Nikon 55-200mm VR Lens… Its availability is currently listed as “Usually ships in 1 to 3 months”, but that’s generally a worst case scenario. Amazon’s stock is refilled quite regularly, so there’s a good chance you’d get it quite a bit sooner than that. You can order the combo now and request the camera to be shipped separately from the lens, so that you at least get the camera quickly. And the $100 instant discount applies even if the items are shipped separately, so you would still get the savings.

The Amazon Kindle ebook reader has been a very popular item at Amazon.com, which is the only place to buy it from. Its price has been $399 since it was released in November 2007, but this morning the price was dropped by $40…so it’s now just $359. (Plus there’s free shipping and no sales tax for most states.)

Click here to see the Kindle reader at Amazon.com for $359

Amazon has a large collection of Kindle books for prices considerably lower than their printed versions. So if you do a lot of reading, the Kindle can be a great bargain over time.

Here are some of the key features/benefits listed on Amazon’s site:
- Paper-like Screen
- Wireless Access
- Weighs only 10.3 Ounces
- Ergonomic Design
- Built-in Dictionary
- Adjustable Text Size

Click the link above to visit the Kindle product page at Amazon.com for the full details.

Amazon has just lowered its price for QuickBooks Pro 2008 for Windows to $159.99 and is now offering a special bonus, too. When you purchase QuickBooks Pro 2008 or any one-user edition of QuickBooks Premier 2008 from Amazon, you also get QuickBooks Basic Payroll 2008 (3 user edition) for free — that’s a $99 value. And as always, there’s Free Shipping and for most states there’s No Sales Tax.

To get this deal, just click one of the links below and go to the product page of the item you’re interested in. The scroll down to the “Special Offers and Product Promotions” section as shown in this image:

Then click on the “Add Both to Cart” button to get both items in your cart. When you go through the checkout, the discount for QuickBooks Basic Payroll 2008 will be automatically applied to your total.

Click here to see QuickBooks Pro 2008 for Windows - $159.99
(MSRP $199.95 - Save $40 - 20% off)

Click here to see QuickBooks Premier 2008 industry editions - $319.99
(MSRP $449.95 - Save $130 - 29% off)
Industry Editions available for: Contractors, NonProfits, Accountants, Professional Services, Retail, Manufacturing & Wholesale

The other versions are also available at great prices, but unfortunately there’s no free Payroll add-on for them. Here are the links for those other ones:

Click here to see QuickBooks Pro 2008 3-user - $409.99
(MSRP $549.95 - Save $140 - 25% off)

Click here to see QuickBooks Premier 2008 3-user - $993.99
(MSRP $1199.95 - Save $207 - 17% off)

Click here to see QuickBooks Pro 2007 for Mac - $176.99
(MSRP $199.95 - Save $23 - 12% off)

Through April 30, Amazon has an extra $100 discount on a couple of Schwinn elliptical trainers and an exercise bike. The discount is applied automagically as you go through the checkout process, so it’s very easy to get the discount. Also, there’s Free Shipping and for most states (everyone except KS, KY, ND and WA) there’s No Sales Tax.

Here’s a summary of the products, with links to the specific pages on Amazon.com (links open in a new page, so you can continue reading here):

Click here for Schwinn 438 elliptical trainer — $799 after $100 discount

Click here for Schwinn 231 recumbent bike — $449 after $100 discount

Near the end of the checkout process, the discount will be applied and you’ll see something like this on the order summary page:

I believe these are the lowest prices currently available for new equipment of these models, so if you’re in the market then now is a good time to buy one. And remember that the last day of this discount offer is April 30, 2008.

June 5 update: Many of these Samsung HDTV’s have had a significant price drop recently… Details below have been updated.

June 6 update: There is also an offer for a Free TiVo HD with the Samsung LN52A550 and some other TVs. Click here for more details…offer valid through June 9.

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The last post was about some Samsung HDTVs with a special offer for a free DVD player, but those are not the only deals on Samsung TVs that Amazon has right now. There are some other HDTVs on sale that are selling even better, mostly because of the excellent price.

Here again are the benefits of buying a Samsung HDTV from Amazon.com:
1) Low discount prices
2) Free White Glove Delivery Service
3) No Tax in most states

Each of these is explained in more detail below…

Low discount prices
Here are some of the best selling Samsung HDTV’s at Amazon.com, in order of popularity. As you can see, the prices are very attractive:

(The links below will open in a new browser window so you can continue reading this page.)

Samsung LN46A550P 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV - $1568.99

Samsung LN52A550P 52-inch 1080p LCD HDTV - $1826.48

Compare to the competition (the reputable ones, at least) and you’ll see why Amazon’s prices are appealing.

Free White Glove Delivery Service
Here’s the key part of this delivery service from Amazon:

Damage-Free Delivery, Guaranteed
At your home delivery experts will place the carton in a room of your choice on the ground floor, unpack the product, and remove all packing materials from the residence. If you find signs of damage to your product, simply refuse delivery, and you will receive a refund.

But the other part to keep in mind is the timing of the delivery:

Once you place your order, your purchase is prepared for shipment and is delivered to a specialized delivery agent in your area. When the product arrives in the local facility, an agent will call you to arrange a four-hour delivery window between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. In some metropolitan areas, Saturday delivery is available if you are unable to be at home on a weekday.

For some people this works very well… but for others, it may not be so easy to arrange an appropriate delivery time. But the guarantee of a damage-free delivery is a big advantage in comparison to the delivery timing issue.

No Tax in most states
Last but not least, if you purchase from Amazon.com you will not have to pay any tax unless you are in Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota or Washingtons state. For all other states there is no tax. On a big purchase like an HDTV, the savings can be substantial.

So there you have it. Hopefully you’ve found a good price for a TV that you were looking for and will soon be able to enjoy in your home…

May 6 update: This offer is now over, but Amazon is now offering a free Tivo HD with the purchase of some Samsung HDTV players.

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With the latest special offer for Samsung HDTVs from Amazon, there are now four great reasons to buy one from Amazon:
1) Low discount prices
2) Free Samsung 1080p Upconverting DVD player
3) Free White Glove Delivery Service
4) No Tax in most states

Scroll down to read more about each of these points…

(Don’t want to read the rest of the page? Then Click here for details of the special offer for a free 1080p DVD player with the purchase of a qualifying Samsung HDTV. The link will open in a new browser window…)

Low discount prices

Getting a good deal is important for many people these days…and Amazon does have some of the lowest prices around on large HDTVs. Here are the current prices of the TVs that qualify for a free DVD player:

Samsung LNT4661F 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV - $1399.99
(Currently sold out as of April 25)

Samsung LNT5265F 52-inch 1080p LCD HDTV - $1949.98
(Currently sold out as of April 25)

Samsung FPT6374 63-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV - $4254.99

These are very good prices from a reputable online store without pushy salespeople that try to sell you overpriced add-on products and warranties.

Free Samsung 1080p Upconverting DVD player

In addition to the discount prices on Samsung HDTVs, with your purchase a qualifying HDTV you also get a free Samsung 1080p upconverting DVD player (model DVD-1080P8). A 1080p upconverting DVD player is a great match for an HDTV because it will output excellent quality for viewing on the large screen TV. This DVD player sells for about $80 at Amazon and other online stores.

The details of the free DVD player offer are included on the product page of each qualifying Samsung HDTV, or you can click here to go straight to the promotion page.

Free White Glove Delivery Service

Here’s the key part of this delivery service from Amazon:

Damage-Free Delivery, Guaranteed
At your home delivery experts will place the carton in a room of your choice on the ground floor, unpack the product, and remove all packing materials from the residence. If you find signs of damage to your product, simply refuse delivery, and you will receive a refund.

But the other part to keep in mind is the timing of the delivery:

Once you place your order, your purchase is prepared for shipment and is delivered to a specialized delivery agent in your area. When the product arrives in the local facility, an agent will call you to arrange a four-hour delivery window between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. In some metropolitan areas, Saturday delivery is available if you are unable to be at home on a weekday.

For some people this works very well… but for others, it may not be so easy to arrange an appropriate delivery time. But the guarantee of a damage-free delivery is a big advantage in comparison to the delivery timing issue.

No Tax in most states

Last but not least, if you purchase from Amazon.com you will not have to pay any tax unless you are in Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota or Washingtons state. For all other states there is no tax. On a big purchase like an HDTV, the savings can be substantial.

Combine all of the four reasons above, and you’ll see why Amazon’s a pretty good place to buy a Samsung HDTV.

Got any comments on this deal? Feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

April 17 update: Unfortunately, the sale is over… The prices are back up to $268 and up for the mixers.

April 20 update: The price has been lowered again — back down to $199.99 for the mixer, plus the free attachment rebate offer. Full details are included below.

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KitchenAid Artisan Mixers are on sale again at Amazon.com. Yesterday, the price for the Red and Black models was dropped by up to $50 and they’re now selling for $199.99 with Free Shipping. And for most states (everyone except KS, KY, ND and WA) there’s No Sales Tax.

Plus there’s a bonus not indicated on Amazon’s site — if you visit KitchenAid’s site at http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/promo44.asp you will find a mail-in rebate form for a free grinder or slicer/shredder. That’s a value of up to $65! The rebate form is valid for purchases until May 31. Bookmark this web page or the KitchenAid site so you can find the rebate easily when you need to send it in.

Click here to visit Amazon.com and view KitchenAid Artisan Mixers
(Link opens in new browser window.)

Amazon’s sales for KitchenAid Mixers usually do not last long, so snap up one of those mixers if you’ve been thinking about getting one for yourself or for someone else as a gift.

If you’re been reading reviews of the Nikon D40 digital SLR camera, you probably already know that it’s an excellent choice for a beginner digital SLR — especially because of the quality of the lens that comes with the kit. I bought one last year and I’ve been very happy with it, as have so many other owners.

Right now Amazon.com is offering an excellent deal on the D40: get the Nikon D40 kit w/ 18-55mm lens and an extra Lithium-Ion battery for $452.19. Plus there’s Free Shipping, and for most states there’s No Tax.

Here’s how you get the deal… First, click here to view the Nikon D40 page on Amazon (link opens in a new window), then scroll down on that page to this section:

Click on the “Buy both and save” button, and the two items will be added to your cart. Then just go through the checkout process, near the end of which you will see this for your order total:

So that’s the Nikon D40 kit w/ 18-55mm lens and an extra battery, for a total of $452.19! I hope you enjoy the camera as much as I do.

Jan 25 update: The $45 promo discount is still applied automatically when you proceed through the shopping cart, even though the offer is no longer promoted as clearly on Amazon’s site.

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For the past couple of weeks, Amazon.com has been offering an additional $25 discount on Quicken 2008 Deluxe if you purchase it together with any version of TurboTax. But now they have increased that discount to $45!

You can see the promo details on the product page for Quicken 2008 Deluxe:
Click here to see Quicken 2008 Deluxe at Amazon.com

Or you can just get TurboTax by itself:
Click here to see the TurboTax 2007 line-up at Amazon.com
(TurboTax Deluxe for $39.99, Premier for $68.99, etc.)

Anyway… If, for example, you’re interested in Quicken 2008 Deluxe and TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State 2007, then you can click the “Buy both now!” button on that page to put both of them in your shopping cart:

When you proceed through the checkout, the $45 discount will be shown in the final order review page just as in the image near the top of this page.

That’s $47.48 for both TurboTax Deluxe 2007 and Quicken 2008 Deluxe! The MSRP of both products together is $104.90, so this is a savings of over $57 (55% off). You won’t find a better deal than that anywhere right now…

Current Status: Unfortunately, the coupons are no longer working as of May 16, 2008.

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Amazon’s coupons for Quickbooks are back! Amazon already has very good prices on all versions of Quickbooks software, and these coupons make it even better — with the coupon, you’ll get pretty much the lowest prices anywhere.

Here are the links for the products at Amazon.com. All links open in a new browser window so you can keep this page open to get the coupon codes listed further down…

Click here to see QuickBooks Pro 2008 for Windows - $149.99 after $20 coupon listed below
(MSRP $199.95 - Save $50 - 25% off)

Click here to see QuickBooks Pro 2008 3-user - $340.49 after $75 coupon listed below
(MSRP $549.95 - Save $209 - 38% off)

Click here to see QuickBooks Premier 2008 industry editions - $269.99 after $50 coupon listed below
(MSRP $449.95 - Save $180 - 40% off)
Industry Editions available for: Contractors, NonProfits, Accountants, Professional Services, Retail, Manufacturing & Wholesale

Click here to see QuickBooks Premier 2008 3-user - $869.99 after $150 coupon listed below
(MSRP $1199.95 - Save $330 - 27% off)

Click here to see QuickBooks Pro 2007 for Mac - $176.99
(MSRP $199.95 - Save $23 - 12% off…no coupons available, unfortunately)

To get the discounts, use the following promo codes during the checkout process at Amazon.com:

$20 off QuickBooks Pro 2008:
BYAPSEGV

$75 off QuickBooks Pro 2008 3-User:
H44ED7YK

$50 off QuickBooks Premier 2008:
CBFN8RB8

$150 off QuickBooks Premier 2008 3-User:
Z34GN2XR

Enjoy the savings! Feel free to share if the coupon was still working when you tried it.