Buying guides

Short, practical, and based on the prices we record every day.

• Amazon coupons, Lightning Deals and promo codes, explained

  Amazon has at least five different ways to show a discount, and the price on the product page is not always the price you pay. Here is how each one works.

• Best time to buy a laptop

  Laptop prices follow a calendar. Buy in the right month and the same machine costs 20% to 40% less.

• Best time to buy a TV

  TVs are the most seasonal product in electronics. The same set can cost $1,200 in April and $700 in November.

• How to spot a fake discount

  "Was $199, now $99" means nothing if nobody ever paid $199. Here is how we check, and how you can.

• How we check prices (and what the history badge means)

  We record the price of every product we list, every day, at every store. Here is what we do with that.

• How we pick deals (our editorial rules)

  More than 70 sources feed this site. Fewer than half the offers we see are published. These are the rules that decide.

• Is Apple Refurbished worth it?

  Apple's own refurbished store is the safest way to buy a used Mac, iPhone or Watch. The catch is that the discount is small and the good units vanish fast.

• Open-box, refurbished, renewed: what each label means

  The same word means different things at Best Buy, Amazon, eBay and Apple. A quick decoder before you buy something that is not new.

• Prime Big Deal Days 2026: what it is and how to shop it

  Amazon's October sale runs October 6–7, 2026. It is smaller than July's Prime Day, but it is the first real shot at Black Friday prices.

• Woot explained: Amazon's outlet with Prime shipping

  Woot is owned by Amazon, ships free to Prime members, and sells refurbished and clearance stock at prices Amazon itself will not show. It is one of our biggest sources.