Not Costco Or Amazon: The Overlooked Place To Find Tech For A Bargain

The price of consumer technology seems to only be going up, and it may begin to cost even more due to AI's pressure on industry components. If you're looking for a bargain, you may be thinking of going to thrift stores or buying refurbished. But there's another option where you can find new tech for a low price: liquidation stores.

Liquidation stores are shops that sell inventory that other stores are looking to get rid of. That could be from overstocked items, stores going out of business or trying to salvage some money on items that didn't sell well, and more. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find local liquidation stores, national chains like Big Lots, or you can even go online and shop through these stores' websites.

Liquidation stores offer some advantages that thrifting or buying refurbished items don't. Most items found within these stores are unused. When it comes to buying tech, buying used is a bit of a coin toss for the quality you get. Technology isn't built to last a long time in the same way a bookshelf is. These items wear out over time. Liquidation stores allow you to find new tech at the type of bargain price you expect from used tech.

There are several key business strategies that drive the liquidation of technology. One that usually springs to people's minds is a business that's shutting down and needs to sell all of its inventory. Keep tabs on businesses in your area that sell tech, as they will usually heavily advertise when they're going out of business to ensure that all items are sold quickly. This is a great chance to pick up something worthwhile.

Overstocked items will also be placed for liquidation sales through other outlets. For tech, this typically will be because the latest models are coming in and older models need to go to make room for the new inventory. This is where shopping at local or online liquidation stores is best. Either walk the technology aisles yourself or check a newly in-stock section, if one exists, to see the latest overstock offerings.

If you're comfortable with an item being less than perfect, you can also find what's known as "scratch and dent" items at liquidation stores. These are items that were damaged in the warehouse, during shipping, or even while in the store, and now they need to be sold at a bargain. If you want an even better deal and are okay with a used item, liquidation stores are often the choice for returned items from places like Amazon.

You can avoid trying to find cheap tech at places like Temu by knowing where to go for liquidation sale shopping. Keeping an eye out in your local town is a great way to find small liquidation stores as well as temporary liquidation sales. However, there are also larger, permanent liquidation stores that you should keep on your regular tech shopping list.

Big Lots has over 200 locations in the Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic United States, so if you don't live in those regions, you're out of luck. They offer a consumer tech section for liquidated items, which can be good for finding used deals. Though Ross is known as a clothing store, it also carries a selection of technology items at lower prices thanks to overstock sales. Ross has thousands of locations across the U.S., though it should be noted that, like most liquidation stores, Ross' tech inventory can vary and might not offer larger tech items.

You can also search the web for online liquidation stores. Typically, these types of stores will offer bulk items instead of individual items. This may be useful if you are okay with reselling the items yourself or have other people who want to split the cost and items with you. By researching online shops, local stores, and temporary deals, liquidation can be a great option for finding tech at affordable prices.