At times we all need a new gadget, be it out of a want or a necessity and so you search online to find the gadget that suits you and then try to find the best deal, however online prices may not be the best deal after all. Also some people may not even do research and using the ‘if it costs more, it usually is better’ rule as a yard stick for their decision. Below are 2 screenshots from 2 different online shops in Brunei: QQeStore and Incomm.
Below: Incomm showing the HTC Desire going for B$663 while the Desire S goes for B$654 ($9 cheaper)
Below: QQeStore displays that the Xperia Neo is B$798 while the Arc is B$788 ($10 cheaper)
Due to the price difference, it could bring somebody to believe that the HTC Desire is better than the Desire S and the Neo is better than the Arc. In actual fact it is the other way around: the Desire S is a new generation after the Desire and while the Arc is a flagship phone thus is a higher premium phone. This is why knowledge is important, buyers should educate themselves with any device that they wish to get so they don’t run into any gotcha moments after buying it.
However, if you don’t have the time to check for all the details and reviews, doing an online price comparison with a store that keeps prices up to date (vs the typical Bruneian depreciation-does-not-exist price). Check the 4 local online stores: QQeStore, Shopping.com.bn, eMall and Incomm for price comparisons first then go on to check other online stores. One place I found recently for phones and tablets is SGBest.com. While I haven’t shopped with them, nor am I affiliated to them in any way, it seems like a good tool for price comparisons. The typical a-newer-and-better-device-has-a-higher-price mentality usually works in this case as shown in the screenshot below showing the phones used in the previous example, showing the Arc and Desire S being more expensive than the Neo and Desire respectively.
I hope this serves as a public service announcement or even just some link sharing of online stores for you to do your tech price comparisons for your future shopping endeavours. If you have any links to share, feel free to leave some in the comments, we will all thank you for helping us lighten our wallets and purses =)
P.S. there is always eBay Global (searches all eBay sites around the World, not just US) and DealExtreme (for lots of little gadgets and stuff – the closest thing to RadioShack I can get)
The Wheat Field 