Things You'll Need:
- Internet connection (which you obviously do have, ha ha)
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Step 1
Visit Amazon.com or Half.com. These sites are well-known and safe to shop. They also usually have the best prices on MP3 players. Other resources are Tigerdirect.com and Overstock.com (although I've personally never purchased anything from Overstock). Staples.com, Best Buy.com, Walmart.com, and Target.com are of course the online version of the stores you know. They're prices are sometimes better than their store because they do have online sales. And their selection of MP3 players is better than their stores.
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Step 2
Browse by the item that you wish to buy. Type "MP3 player" into the search function. A list of various models and brands will be listed. You can usually "sort by" the price, looking at the cheapest ones first. Or if you only want a particular brand of MP3 player, such as iPod, iRiver, or Zune, you can often sort by brand as well.
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Step 3
Read the specs. Just like in the store, you can "read the box." The specification of the MP3 player are usually listed when you click an item you're interested in. The reason I bought my iRiver MP3 player online was not just the low price. It is also because I actually got more information from the website than I can usually get in the stores! For MP3 players, some important specs to consider are the number of songs it will hold (this relates to the memory) how long the battery lasts between charging, ease of synching to your computer (so you can load songs onto it) durability, and ease of navigation when you are trying to find a song, artist, or playlist.
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Step 4
Read the reviews, but take them with a grain of salt. I find reviews to be very helpful because it gives me a sense of the pros and cons the MP3 player has for actual consumers, not just the specs that the company wants you to know. However keep in mind that some people like to complain, and write overly-negative reviews. If most people write long, thoughtful reviews that an item is easy to navigate, but a couple people write "I thought it was crap," with no specifics, don't be discouraged. On the other hand, if there are several reviews that describe some good points for that particular MP3 player, but several reviewers mentioned the same flaw, such as difficulty loading songs onto the MP3 player, decide if the flaw is one you can live with.
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Step 5
Purchase your MP3 player! You will usually pay by credit card or PayPal. An even better (safer) way to pay, in my opinion, is a pre-paid debit card. You can buy these at a bank or AAA office. You put a set amount of money on the card, and if the information from it is ever compromised, it is not connected to a bank account or your credit. So there is no risk of it hurting your credit score when you use it online.
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Step 6
Decide on what type of shipping you want. The sooner you need your MP3 player, the more it will cost for shipping. On the other hand, some sites offer free shipping on items over $50, so most MP3 players will qualify for the discount.
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Step 7
The only thing left to do is wait! Your new toy should arrive around the time specified when you chose your shipping method. Have fun with your new MP3 player. If you'd like more tips on buying electronics online, I've included resource links on this page. Good luck!
Comments
hoolihan0519 said
on 11/27/2008 Great tips, especially the one about the limited amount debit card. Thank you!!!!!!
IcyCucky said
on 11/18/2008 Very informative and thorough! I'm looking for one..