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Know your market. Research the product/products before you make a decision. Here's a link that'll lead to the latest product reviews.

We can't go far without taking this decision. Yes, we all want to pay as little as possible. However, one thing remains the same: The more you are willing to spend the more features and power you can expect to get. But avoid wasting time looking at the wrong places. Work out your budget first.

Don't have the cash to hand? That's not a problem either. Many places now offer interest free credit. But there are better ways to finance your PC than "interest free" credit. Yes!!

There is no one right place for everybody. The best place for you to buy your PC from is going to be based on a variety of factors. In fact, even our own company is not the right place for everybody. We specialise in selling to the more computer literate buyer and as a result do not offer options like sending someone around with your new PC to help you set it up and get started.

But we blow the top on the best and worst places

Almost everybody + dog is selling computers now - from the supermarkets to the local electrical stores. Most of the PCs in the UK are sold by the Dixons Group (PC World, Dixons, Currys, etc.). There was a recent enquiry (1998-99) into pricing/price fixing by the Dixons group but the Dept of Trade and Industry failed to find any conclusive proof. So now it's up to you to make sure you're not paying over the odds.

Do you go for a brand name computer like Compaq, Packard Bell, Dell or Gateway...or an unbranded one? Well known brand names can be the best buys - they can also be the worst in terms of both price and support. The truths. There's also the matter of upgradeability: Will you have to go back to them and pay exorbitant charges to have the simplest upgrade?

Do a few simple checks before you buy a branded computer and ask a few awkward questions, especially of the smaller resellers who are selling the branded names.

What about auctions? Aren't auctions great places to get bargains? They could be, but most people don't realise that auctions can be terrible places to buy computer equipment. Most people actually pay more at auctions and get LESS protection than if they had used a shop! Here's why.

And we won't make any friends among computer resellers for this page.

Is Monday a better day than Saturday? Or does it matter? Within the same week you can buy the same computer for either £1000 or £700, depending on how you time your purchase. Yes, it's true.

Mail order companies change their prices and specifications regularly. It's a complex pricing policy and they have experts working out just how much the market will be willing to pay for a specific model. Wrongfoot them and get yourself a better deal than their average customer.

Very few people know about this, so keep it under your hat.

Surely I can't bargain at PC World? Oh yes you can. You'd be amazed at what you can get with the right approach - from a free printer cable to free extended warranties to free upgrades.

As things stand now, your conversation with a trained sales staff is probably the most unfair conversation you'll ever have. They know exactly how to recognise your needs, allay your fears, address your reservations and steer you towards "closure". We are putty. We have no training in being a consumer. But here's your chance to get even. Here's your chance to use the same tricks they do, to identify their weak spots, turn the tables and use successful negotiation to be in command of the situation. When you have negotiated your way to a completely free PC come back here and tell us :-)

Most computer firms have piles of unsold stock of all kinds of things from calculators, cameras and speakers to software that has been made virtually redundant because a new version has been released. You may find that because they can't sell these items they may be willing to give them away free if that'll secure them the sale of a PC. How do you get your hands on these free goodies? We'll show you.

It is believed that the biggest "scams" are the advertisements screaming "Free Printer", "Free Scanner" and "Free Software".

The gullible believe that they are getting a lot of free stuff. The cynical suspect that the PC has already been priced with the cost of the scanner, printer and software built into the advertised figure. So is it really free? Get real!

You say, "But they're giving me £1500 of free software with this £1000 computer". We say, "They're NOT!". The figures don't add up. You don't need to be a genius to work out that the only way a company can consistently sell for less than cost is if they're planning on going bust. And if they are, you certainly don't want to give them your money. What they are doing is bundling OEM software, and much of it "junk" OEM software.

Software manufacturers have thousands of titles that are just not selling so they do deals with computer sellers. This allows the software manufacturers to move thousands of useless CDs at knock-down prices and it gives computer sellers the chance to bundle a lot of useless software with the PCs they sell. As to the value of the software - hmmm. If "Tom's guide to Japanese Archaeology" is not actually available in the shops then whatever price they claim it's worth just can't be verified! The only one who loses is YOU. Part of the price of the PC, maybe even up to about £100, could be for the "£1500" worth of junk software. 

So are they giving it away...or giving the impression of giving it away? Obviously "Free Software" makes for eye-catching advertisement. Do you fall for this trick?

If you don't need the junk software, don't pay for it.

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