Every year, prospective TV buyers look forward to Black Friday to get the best deal on a new plasma, LCD or LED TV. But there are several reasons why you shouldn't wait. With Black Friday deals going live early (many are available online now), and stock on some models already dwindling, you may want to snag that big beautiful new Smart TV today online (specifically on Amazon.com) and let the others fight the hordes in stores this weekend.
Five reasons it doesn't pay to wait until Black Friday to Buy a New TV:
1.) Most Black Friday "doorbuster" deals are on low end or entry-level sets. If you check the various leaked and published Black Friday ads, you'll see a lot of unknown TV brands being advertised. And while some of these may be decent sets, it's really a crap shoot because you won't find any professional reviews of these sets online or in print. Also, the lesser known brands may have limited (or no) post-sale support in the U.S., so enjoy your new "disposable" TV.
Even for name brands such as Samsung and LG, the featured models on Black Friday are typically brand new model numbers: TV sets that were created specifically to be sold at low prices on Black Friday. They may offer fewer HDMI inputs or have limited streaming features or lower performance, compared to the regular models. And again, without any professional reviews available, it's hard to know in advance whether you're getting a high performance HDTV or just a bargain basement, stripped down version of one of their entry level sets at a lower price. Buy a set today - while it's in stock - and you can get the specific TV you want at the best price of the season.
2.) Many Black Friday prices are already available. Amazon is matching or beating many of the published "Doorbuster" ads from the big retail chains. There is a 50-inch Panasonic 1080p plasma set for $599 and a 55-inch Samsung LED TV for under $900.
Here are a few highlights of TV deals available now on Amazon.com (stock and prices current as of the publication of this article, but these TVs will most likely run out of stock soon so if you like the deal then grab it):
Think the price is going down on Black Friday? No problem! Which brings us to the next reason to buy now...
3.) Two Words: Price Protection. With Amazon's low price TV guarantee, they'll match the price on any TV they sell within 14 days of shipment. The price guarantee applies not only to Amazon's own pricing (which may be lower on Black Friday) but also to the pricing on over 20 of Amazon's top competitors' web sites including Wal-mart, Vanns and Best Buy. There are some exclusions (including time-limited or "doorbuster" offers), but as someone who has used this price match guarantee myself (more than once), I can tell you they do honor this policy and will offer a price credit if the selling price on Amazon (or one of these select competitors) goes lower within two weeks of the purchase.
Here are the details on which sites are eligible and how the price match works:
4.) Free delivery, 30 day free returns. Rather than having to load up that big set in the back of your friend's pick-up, or pay for local delivery at a retail chain, you can get your set delivered free via Amazon's enhanced shipping service. Schedule the date/time that works best for you and the shipping company will bring the TV not just to your door, but inside it. They'll even unbox it and plug it in to make sure it works. And if you change your mind within 30 days, you can return the set to Amazon no questions asked.
5.) 2% Cash Back Bonus. Amazon's new 2% cash back bonus gets around manufacturer's fixed minimum pricing policies. This year companies such as Samsung have implemented strict Uniform Pricing Policies (UPP). This means that authorized dealers may not sell the company's TVs below a fixed price. Amazon gets around this rule by offering a 2% bonus on TV purchases $999 or more. 35 days after your purchase, a credit for 2% of the selling price will appear on your Amazon account. It is good toward any item sold and shipped by Amazon.com (not marketplace sellers). For a $1500 TV, that's a cool $30 bonus.
So check out the deals today and, if it makes sense, buy the set you really want at a price you like while it's still in stock. And on Black Friday, instead of scrambling to a store or hunting frantically online for the best deal, you can simply check the price of your TV on a few web sites and, if it's available for less, send an e-mail to Amazon to get your refund. And then roll right back into bed to sleep off that turkey coma.
Note: Pricing and stock of these TVs can and will change so if you see a deal you like, put the item in your cart and check out to avoid disappointment.
