Hand Picked Deals

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 LNT4665F 46-inch 1080p LCD HDTV - $1628.86

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

Samsung LNT4069FX 40-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV - $1519.96

Samsung LNT4071F 40-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV - $1699.99

Samsung LNT4669 46-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV - $1919.97

Samsung LNT5271F 52-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV - $2299.98

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 21st, 2008 | Category: Electronics, Amazon | EMail This Post | Leave a comment

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.

April 15th, 2008 | Category: Kitchen, Amazon | EMail This Post | Leave a comment

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.

February 10th, 2008 | Category: Electronics, Amazon | EMail This Post | Leave a comment

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…

January 16th, 2008 | Category: Computers, Amazon | EMail This Post | Comments (2)

Current Status: These coupons are now expired, but there are now coupons for Quickbooks Pro 2009.

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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.

December 28th, 2007 | Category: Computers, Amazon | EMail This Post | Comments (124)

April 1 update: This offer is back for the month of April 2008, but now with an instant discount instead of the gift certificate… Click the link below to go to the treadmill page at Amazon and scroll down for the “Special Offer” savings.

April 28 update: The price just dropped by another $100 tonight. So now it’s only $1198 after the $100 discount!

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Click here for BowFlex Series 7 Treadmill for $1198 after $100 discount at Amazon.com (MSRP $1999)
…and get a free $100 Amazon gift certificate with purchase
Now get $100 off instantly during checkout!

Amazon.com has a promotion and price drop on the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill right now that combine to make it an excellent deal. In most other stores it sells for $1499 and up (MSRP is $1999), but Amazon is currently offering it for $1389 with Free Shipping. And for most states, there’s no sales tax.

What makes it an even better deal is that until November 30, when you purchase a Bowflex treadmill you will get a free $100 gift certificate from Amazon. So that’s effectively a $1289 price for the treadmill! Be sure to read the details on the gift certificate offer, though….it’s valid for purchases from Jan 1 to Jan 15, 2008.

Here are some of the advantages the Series 7 treadmill has over the and Series 3 treadmill ($999 at Amazon):

• Series 7 has 3.0 hp motor vs. 1.75 hp for Series 3
• 15 workout programs vs. 6 programs
• Max user weight 300 lbs vs. 275 lbs
• 20″x60″ walking/running surface vs. 20″x54″
• Two-ply belt vs. one-ply belt
• Built-in three-speed fan vs. no fan

These are excellent prices for these two treadmills, so now is a great time to snap up a Bow Flex treadmill if you’ve been in the market for one.

August 19th, 2007 | Category: Fitness, Amazon | EMail This Post | Leave a comment

May 25 update: Until May 31, Amazon’s price of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 has been dropped to just $97.99 ! Click the link below to go the product detail page.

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Along with the recent Windows Vista release, Microsoft also released the latest versions of Microsoft Office. Besides the technical improvements in the programs, they made some licensing changes as well…and that allows many home users to spend less to put MS Office on their computers.

Here are some of the benefits of the new version:

• “Microsoft Office Student and Teacher 2003″ has been replaced by “Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007″. This means that all non-commercial home users can use it, not just K-12 students and teachers.
• Includes 2007 versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
• License allows installation on up to 3 PCs in your home.

There’s one change that may be a drawback for some people: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 does not include Outlook. To get Outlook, you would have to buy Outlook by itself, or with other versions of Microsoft Office such as Office Basic 2007 (includes Word, Excel, Outlook) or Office Standard 2007 (includes Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint). But with many people using e-mail services such as Hotmail or Gmail, that may not be an issue for a lot of people anyway.

So if you’re ready to purchase Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, then of course you’ll want to find a good deal on the program. And the best online price right now seems to be at Amazon.com:

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 - $109.99 at Amazon.com
(Save $39)

Also with this price, there is Free Shipping and for most states there is no sales tax. Amazon has good prices on the other versions of Microsoft Office as well, if you’re interested in something other than Microsoft Office Home and Student. Click the link below for more details.

Microsoft Office 2007 software at Amazon.com

April 1st, 2007 | Category: Computers, Amazon | EMail This Post | Comments (1)

Sep 1, 2008 Update: Unfortunately, Amazon ended its Post-Order Price Guarantee policy on August 31, 2008.

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Most people don’t realize it, but Amazon.com has a Post-Order Price Guarantee that allows customers to get some money back when the price of an item they purchased drops within 30 days of the purchase. More details are listed here, where it says:

Amazon.com’s prices for released items will change from time to time based on a variety of factors. If Amazon.com’s price for an already-released item decreases within 30 days after we ship the item to you, we’ll be glad to refund the difference in price if you contact us.

The most important point listed in the restrictions on that page is this: “Applies only to items sold by Amazon.com, and not to items (or prices) offered by other sellers on our site.”

Anyway, all you need to do is contact them by e-mail or request a call back, and they will give you a credit equal to the price difference. And I believe although it’s not listed at the link above, you can also call Amazon Customer Service directly at 1-800-201-7575 to request the credit.

There are quite a few products sold by Amazon.com that go on sale frequently or drop in price for a short period of time and then go back up later. So this post-order price guarantee policy can be very handy in some cases. Here again is a link to the Amazon page with the details:
Amazon.com Post-Order Price Guarantee

If you end up saving money using this information, feel free to fill out the comment form below and let us know.

March 25th, 2007 | Category: General, Amazon | EMail This Post | Comments (2)

June 21 update: Yesterday, Amazon dropped their price on the BlackBerry 8800 down to $49.99 with no rebates, and today they added a $75 rebate if you get a $40 monthly plan. So the net price of the phone is -$25 (yes, that’s basically $25 in your pocket). The rebate is from Amazon and is valid for purchases made from June 21 to June 27.

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The BlackBerry 8800 and Cingular 8525 (aka HTC TyTN) are two of the latest PDA phones on the Cingular network. If you want to get them directly from Cingular.com or a Cingular store, the prices are $299.99 after a $50 rebate for the BlackBerry 8800 and $399.99 after a $50 rebate for the Cingular 8525. Those prices are with a 2-year contract from Cingular.

However, you can get much lower prices from Amazon.com and less of your money gets tied up in a rebate:

Cingular BlackBerry 8800 - $149.99 $49.99 before $75 rebate at Amazon.com

Cingular 8525 (HTC TyTN) - $199.99 $159.99 at Amazon.com

The prices from Amazon are also for a 2-year contract with Cingular. You can either sign up for a new service plan, or upgrade your existing phone with Cingular as long as you are within 2 months of the end of your current contract (click the “Am I Eligible To Upgrade?” link at Amazon for more details…you may have to enter your Zip code first).

Also, don’t miss the “Special Offer” on the Amazon pages for these items, because you can get 2-day shipping at no additional cost. Just above the Technical Details section of the page, the Special Offer is listed and says: “Simply purchase this phone from Amazon.com with new service activation,* choose 2-day shipping at checkout, and the cost of the shipping will be deducted from your cart.” More details are on Amazon’s site.

Here’s a brief description of the BlackBerry 8800:

Sleek and stylish, the BlackBerry 8800 offers BlackBerry push e-mail in an innovative form factor, including a QWERTY keyboard and brilliant screen with HTML wireless internet browsing. The 8800 provides a host of productivity features including; internal GPS, connectivity to personal and corporate email, Bluetooth, Push-To-Talk, and speakerphone, all of which help you to stay connected and productive away from the office.

And a description of the Cingular 8525:

The Cingular 8525 is Cingular’s first UMTS/HSDPA PDA. It is a full-featured Pocket PC and world-phone, allowing users to take advantage of the robust capabilities of the Windows Mobile operating system, while having a single device that allows users to be productive both during work and personal time. As a 3G device, the Cingular 8525 allows for simultaneous voice & data, which is a key differentiator over competitive EVDO products. Another key differentiator of the Cingular 8500/8525 is its support for Bluetooth v2.0. Bluetooth v2.0 allows for up to six active Bluetooth connections simultaneously. For example, a user could have a tethered connection to a PC via Bluetooth, while having a conversation on their Bluetooth headset, or use a Bluetooth GPS accessory for navigation while on a call on their Bluetooth headset.

March 24th, 2007 | Category: Electronics, Amazon | EMail This Post | Leave a comment