Mark-up madness

Apart from setting a €50 note alight, one of the easiest ways to burn money these days is to buy gadgets and other electronics over the counter, particularly with the dollar and sterling taking such a hammering. There are plenty of US and UK based online vendors who will undercut retail prices in Ireland, particularly high-street shops whose mark-up pays the rent.

In the past year, Village has made savings of  between 50 and 70 per cent by purchasing online. Wary of what you're buying? Then visit an electronics shop, seek advice on the model that fits the bill, pay a tiny bill at the nearest internet cafe and order the item on eBay. Better still, order it direct from the manufacturer – a little googling is all it takes.

The biggest saving Village made was on a replacement battery for a Sony VAIO laptop – which are notoriously short-lasting. Two Dublin shops quoted €220 for the battery (which would take two weeks to be delivered); an eBay vendor based in Mitchelstown delivered a battery with twice the capacity for less than €70.

A saving of €100 was made on an electronic dictaphone ordered online from the US; the same model was on sale in the Sony shop in the Dundrum Shopping Centre for almost twice the price. Ditto external hard disks – although Village paid PC World above the odds for a Freecom external disk drive, all Freecom products may be ordered directly from the manufacturer's website at a saving of roughly 20 per cent. (More on Freecom's external drives and wireless sound systems in the next edition of Village).

Freecom.com
Amazon.com
eBay.com