How long to wait for the price drop (Pt. 2)

How long do you have to wait for the price drop that commonly occurs on some of the most popular household items? Here are some ideas. CLICK HERE if you missed the beginning of this article.

Price drop tip No. 5 – Laptops and tablets

It takes an average of 40 days for half of new laptop computers to drop as little as 5 percent, and as many as 65 days for tablets. As such, you’ll have to wait a while. Apple products like the iPad are predictable, as price drops only tend to occur when a new generation device hits the market. Don’t fall for the retailer’s ploy of dropping prices a few weeks before the next gen release, however. Wait until it comes out, as the price will drop again as soon as it does.

Other seasonal mileposts to watch out for when shopping for a laptop or non-Apple tablet include January after the Consumer Electronics Show, back-to-school and after Black Friday.

Price drop tip No. 6 – DVDs

In a manner similar to video games, DVD movies tend to experience a price drop within two to three weeks of initial release, but it may only occur after there is a slight increase. Such is the magic of retail price fixing.

“It seems like there may be a lot of pricing competition between retailers when DVDs are first released,” says Ben Engebreth of CamelCamelCamel. “Perhaps this abates a bit after the release, allowing prices to rise modestly.”

Another factor in DVD pricing is the competition posed by online services like Netflix and iTunes. Cut-rate movie titles are used as loss leaders to rope in customers.

Price drop tip No. 7 – Clothing and toys

Seasonal pricing trends affect clothing and toy sales to a large degree. By mid-season, or about three months after seasonal goods are released, prices drop noticeably. Slower than normal sales can speed up this timetable, however, unless you’re dealing with ultra-high end product lines. In that case, manufacturers can pressure retailers to avoid massive discounts.

Toys do not fluctuate in price quite as much as clothing, although after Christmas sales do tend to reflect a drop in price. For the most part, the extent of the drop depends upon the type of toy in question.

“If it’s an educational toy product, there is no season, and it’s largely demand-driven,” says James Brown of PriceGrabber.com. “If it’s something following a recent Pixar or Disney release, they’re riding that wave for a three- or four-month window where they’re going to maximize the price. Once the movie’s been out for so long, the pricing is going to drop fast.”

Sources

Bankrate

Game Informer

Gigaom