Smart Consumer: shipping

After an exile of 5 years, you can now buy electrical items from Amazon again! Hale-freakin-lujah!

Exemptions: stuff over 30kg, mobile phones, toys, medicines, blank CDs and DVDs, light bulbs, TV equipment, freesat boxes. I'm sure there's more.

VAT is still charged at the Irish rate but advertised at the UK rate so when you get to the checkout page you may find the price jumps up a bit.

No sign of Super Saver Delivery. Shipping prices here.

WEEE exchange courtesy of Rehab Recycle in Cork, Galway, Dublin and Kilkenny.

Some great bargains to be had from a reputable seller! Have fun!

Cute. Small. Nicely built.

No, not Olga Kurylenko.

Blurb:

"Lenovo designed the IdeaPad S10e netbook as an introductory mobile PC for students in grades K-12 and as a secondary device for those in higher education. Ideal devices for connecting to the Internet for online research, students can use the netbook for sharing ideas and for conversation through email, social networking and other applications. Additionally, the Lenovo netbook provides basic functionality for word processing and light multimedia capabilities. A built-in webcam on the 10.1 inch display makes creating and sharing video messaging simple. And for a faster PC experience, the Quick Start feature allows students to quickly check email, browse the Internet, conduct video conferencing, view photos or listen to music without having to fully boot the operating system."

Facts:

It's small
It has a Splashtop style quick boot system
It has a 1024 x 576 screen which is good for widescreen SD and little else
It is very well made compared to other ~~netbooks~~ little notebooks
It is €275.27 inc vat and €12.66 in shipping to the ROI at dabs.ie

As the title says. Get a load of shopping delivered to your house for 1 cent.

http://www.tesco.ie/

So they're not brand new. So they don't have integrated webcams. But for €312.98 and €12.66 for shipping, you can have a whole lot of dual core laptop.

To that I say: more please.

Thanks to lensman.

http://www.dabs.ie/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=5DN9&InMerch=1

Hint: Search for refurb

Sony BRAVIA KDL-40V4000 40 Inch Full-HD LCD

Brand: Sony
Type: Sony BRAVIA KDL-40V4000 40 Inch Full-HD LCD
Full-HD: 1920 x 1080p resolution
50 Hz
Dynamic contrast: 33000:1
Audio modes: Dynamic/Standard/BBE ViVa/Virtual Dolby
Viewing angle: 178 degrees
Digital Comb filter
BRAVIA Engine 2
Connections: Digital audio-output (optical) / 3 x HDMI / HDMI-signal capability for the PC / PC input (15-pins D-Sub) and audio in / 1 x component / Composite video input/ USB 2.0 Input / Mini jack connection: 3.5 mm / PCMCIA-card slot / RCA audio out / RF connection / Scart 2 x RGB / BRAVIA Sync
Colour & design: “Draw the line’ piano black finish
Image format: 40 inches
Signal: 576i / 480p / 576p / 1080i / 720p / 1080p
24 P-input
Advanced Contrast Enhancer
AFD (Auto Format Detect)
Automatic noise reduction
Picture in Picture
Image ratio 16:9
S-Force Pro Front Surround
Analogue Terrestrial Tuner
Digital Terrestrial Tuner
Digital TV-cable tuner
Auto Labelling and Auto Start-Up/Tuning
EPG
Included accessories: Table stand / Remote control RM-ED013 / User’s guide
Dimesions: Including table stand (B x H x D): 98.6 x 68.4 x 27.9 cm / Excluding stand (B x H x D): 98.6 x 64.6 x 11.0 cm
Warranty: 2 years

Price: € 699,95

Blurb

"The Sony KDL-40V4000 40 inch Full HD television is the latest in the BRAVIA series and is equipped with the new BRAVIA 2 engine for a better contrast. With its “draw the line” design and the glossy black piano finish, the BRAVIA KDL-40V 4000 is a real vision to look at. The exclusive BRAVIA 2 engine creates unprecedented viewing quality with enhanced depth, improved clarity and high definition. You have a 40 inch viewing area at your disposal with an amazing resolution of 1920 x 1080p. Combined with an extremely high dynamic contrast of 33000:1 and with 3 HDMI ports, this gem of a TV ensures that you are all set for the future. Experience the effect of digital Surround sound from just two loud speakers with Virtual Dolby sound and BBE ViVA sound technology. This full HD TV is equipped with the Bravia Theatre Sync with which you can operate your sound system, TV and DVD player with just a single remote control. With the 3 HDMI ports, it is now easier than ever to connect high definition sources to your TV. At last, you get to watch movies the way the director meant it to be, with the Sony BRAVIA KDL-40V4000 40 inch full HD television!"

Awesome deal. Buy it if you can. Do not expect it delivered until mid-January though. €12.50 shipping to Ireland.

Those of you who know Boffer should know that the free boff is still in progress. Those of you who don't, this means every product is free except for shipping charges, although those are free in some cases too.

If you missed it, don't worry. Apparently there is a secret sell-off on or before the ninth which should have plenty of cheap goodies thrown into the middle of it.

But don't tell anyone. It's a secret. That's why I'm not going to tell anyone about it either.

Brand: Samsung
Model: LE40A615
40 Inch Full HD
1080 24p Real Movie
Resolutiion:1920 x 1080p
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 30.000:1
Entertainment Mode
Picture in Picture
Picture Ratio: 16:9
100 Hz Technology
DVB-T
Clear Panel
Movie Plus
Wide Colour Enhancer 2
DNIe Pro
A2/NiCAM
Downfiring speaker
SRS TrueSurround XT
Electronic Program Guide
Loud Speaker Output: 20 Watt (2 x 10W)
Power Consumption: 240W
Connections:
3 x HDMI / Component (Y/Pb/Pr) / 2 x Scart / Video Monitor Out (L/R) Only Audio / PC Connection (D-Sub) / Optical Audio Out / USB 2.0 / S-Video / Composite / Headphone
Dimensions: 99.8 x 63.8 x 8.4 cm (WxHxD) / 99.8 x 69.9 x 30 cm (WxHxD) including Foot
Weight: 17kg / 20.2 kg including Foot
Warranty: 2 years

Price: € 777,00

Go iBOOD. That is one serious telly. I would buy it in a heartbeat if I wasn't up to my eyes in tv's, projectors and monitors at the moment. €12.50 shipping seals the deal.

In celebration of reaching 100 posts (wowzers!) I'm going to do an extra large Midweek Madness. Like most of you are probably facing up to, Christmas is rapidly advancing so that means you needs gifts and ideas tout de suite! And as I am on a hundred post high, I will oblige.

37" LCD TV from BigPockets

This looks identical to my 37" Hannspree, which cost €500 delivered last year. Well worth the money in my eyes. Approx €420 including shipping

http://www.bigpockets.co.uk/product.php?product=ELONEX004

Yankee Candles - the stink of good cheer

Want to fill your house with Americanised Christmas smells? Sure you do, it'll mask the smell of gin! All Yankee brand candles are half price at Home Store + More.

http://homestoreandmore.ie/

Cheap printers at Tesco

Tesco have been quietly doing good deals on printers over the last couple of weeks. You'll find a variety of Wifi enabled or multi-function Lexmark printers for under €40.

http://www.tesco.ie/

Branch 309 Shoe Sale

Buying shoes online is always daunting. Branch 309 are nice to deal with, so you could do worse than dipping a toe (hur hur) here. The sale makes their good prices even better!

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Branded-Footwear-at-Branch309

Portable Mega Drive

It contains 20 Mega Drive games and costs €22.49. I mean, come on. It also has Tv-out.

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=30001&catalogId=1500001151&langId=-1&searchTerms=Mega+Drive+Portable

4GB Micro SD card

4GB Genuine Kingmax TF Micro-SD Memory Card for ~€7.50. Can't knock that.

http://www.focalprice.com/4GB_Genuine_Kingmax_TF_Micro_SD_Memory_Card_4G_MF075B_5440.html

Know thy exchange rate

This year the dollar is up and the pound is down, so grab those british bargains

http://www.xe.com/ucc

~~~100~~~

For those of you who missed out on Monday's iBOOD Argosy 500GB offer, or who couldn't decide in time if it was what they wanted, here's what it aspires to.

The DVICO 6500 is a pretty high-end piece of kit. "Does it support format X?" Yes. End of discussion. It is one of the best devices ever for format support, especially HD because this sucker goes all the way to 1080p without breaking a sweat, unlike the 720p/1080i Argosy.

The 1TB SATA drive is almost the least interesting part, given that you can replace the Argosy's 500GB SATA drive at any time. A second drive bay would be nice, given the size. Still, better than a kick in the teeth.

I haven't used divxplayer.nl myself, but I hear good things. Head over to MPC club to find out more.

Oh, and why is it a bargain? Well, check out the usual price... (full specifications available)

So, Komplett have finally opened their collections depot and surprisingly they are implementing a charge for you to pick up your stuff, so it looks like victory goes to elara. Full press release below.

From Komplett.ie

Komplett.ie is proud to announce that we have today, October 1st 2008, opened our Pick Up Point in Dublin 15 for business. When placing an order you will now have the option to choose Pick Up Point as the delivery method once you get to the payment screen, under delivery options. The cost of Pick Up is lower than any other method of delivery on any items, but you will really notice the difference when ordering large items such as TV’s – the price of delivering items under 10kg in weight is now €8 and over 10kg is €13.

This compares to An Post €13 for sub 10kg, and prices pushing up to and beyond €100 for big items such as TV’s depending on carrier. So we’re very happy that we can now make big deliveries a lot cheaper for you, and quicker too – if an item is ordered before 1pm it will be delivered 2 days later, which is quicker than An Post and DHL in many instances!

The Pick Up Point is located just past the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre / Blanchardstown Bypass (which connects to the M50) in Blanchardstown Corporate Park 2 – A helpful tip is to look out for the Texaco petrol station directly across the road from the entrance to the park. (Drive in the gate past the security post and take a left, not a right! And yes, we’re currently looking at signposting the route with Fingal County Council.) Full details can be found here and maps here.

Please do note that we do not sell stock directly in the Pick Up Point, it must be ordered online; and while we will be accepting payment in the Pick Up Point in a few weeks, for the moment you must pre-pay online as usual. We do not and will not accept cash in the Pick Up Point, but we will be accepting Laser and Visa debit cards when we begin accepting payment at the Pick Up Point itself.

You may also drop back RMA’s, as the returns department lives in the same building as the Pick Up Point. Please do note that you have to have an RMA number issued through the regular customer service lines (email and phone) before we can accept it in the Pick Up Point.

Komplett.ie

Logitech MX Revolution

Cordless Laser mouses

Overview

Smarter, faster, and fully-loaded, the MX™ Revolution gives you powerful new controls that will streamline the way you work. Logitech´s innovative MicroGear™ Precision Scroll Wheel lets you fly through long documents at hyperspeed, or switch to precise click-to-click scrolling for navigating lists, slides, and image collections. Toggle between open documents with the convenient Quick-Flip thumb wheel, or search the Web by highlighting a word or phrase and pressing the Search button.

Hyper-fast scrolling: Fly through long documents at hyperspeed. Shift to precise click-to-click scrolling to navigate lists, slides, and image collections.
SmartShift™ technology: MX™ Revolution detects your current application and automatically applies the scrolling mode that best fits the task at hand
Document quick-flip: Move effortlessly between documents. Cut and paste between applications, compare documents or check email.
One-Touch™ search: Highlight a word or phrase and press the search button to instantly display results from your favourite search engine
Rechargeable Li-Ion battery: Never worry about replacing batteries. A 4-stage battery level metre lets you know when to recharge
Cordless laser: Full-speed USB wireless technology and state-of-the-art laser engine deliver absolute precision and control.

System Requirements

PC
- Windows^® XP
- Windows Vista^™ (requires Internet connection)
- Available USB port
- CD-ROM drive
Mac
- Mac^® OSX 10.2.8+
- Available USB port
- CD-ROM drive
- Internet connection

* Logitech Control Center 2.1 or later is required to enable advanced mouse features such as scroll wheel fine-tuning and One-Touch Search. LCC is compatible with both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs running OS X.

Package Contents

Logitech^® MX^™ Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse
Recharging station
AC power cord
USB micro-receiver
Logitech^® SetPoint^™ software CD
User's guide

In English

This is a good mouse and dell are selling it about €20 cheaper than anyone else.

This is not a keyboard. This is a work of art.

No, really.

I quite like Logitech's stuff in general but what I really want is one of these. As I mentioned last week, I am already the owner of a diNovo Cordless Keyboard for Notebooks. Now, it's fine. It looks well, doesn't have too many superfluous buttons, is very light and doesn't eat batteries. But it doesn't impress me as much as it should. I don't feel I'm hitting a €60 piece of equipment with my fingertips when I use it. I want something a bit more solid. And rechargeable in a cradle. With Bluetooth. And LEDs.

Well, anyway, if you're on the lookout for an ubercool keyboard in a reasonably sane price-range the diNovo Edge is tough to beat. So, who is selling it and how much?

Komplett: €163.00 + €12.50 = €175.50

Expansys: €144.99 + €23.90 = €168.89

Atom: €145.97 + €10.50 = €156.47

Dabs: €133.53 + €13.50 = €147.03

Wait a second, who are Atom? And how are they cheaper than expansys and komplett? One to watch methinks. They've earned an entry in the tag cloud.

So play.com are having a sale with a lot of items for £5. Unfortunately, all they've managed to do is highlight the myriad problems that afflict them. For example:

They won't ship electronics to Ireland, so a whole category is ineligible for purchase.
The exchange rate on this sale is almost £1 = €1.49 as opposed to the more realistic £1 = €1.24 (source: xe.com)
Some of their items have increased in price for the sale! This fondue set was £3.99, now £5.00! Only, at power ci- I mean, play.com!

So, caveat emptor. They are still a reasonable bet for your purchases but not totally without problems.

N.B.
I see boards have picked up on it as well. Boardsie lindtee suggests using http://www.dvdbargainalerts.co.uk/ to compare prices for DVD's and I concur. The storewatch section is particularly good. Thanks, lindtee!

FREE SHIPPING FROM BOFFER

Use the code FREEBOFFER for free shipping all this week.

THREADLESS SALE

All Tees are $12 at Threadless.*
* Just don't order too many or you'll be hit by customs.

THE HUT SHIPPING NOW 99P TO IRELAND

Exactly as it says.

If you've been less than impressed with the weighing scales, backpacks and barometers iBood has been serving up lately then you'll pleased to know there's a new kid on the block. Boffer is filling a niche that more closely resembles the one occupied by woot, with ultra-reduced prices, dirt cheap shipping and freebie giveaways. available to many European countries. Crazy descriptions of the products, low prices and the occasional gem... what more do you want? One to keep an eye on.

The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that iBOOD had a Wii for sale this week and that it sold out in about 10 minutes. The price was €214.95 with shipping of €12.50 making a total of €227.45. Not bad, but you would have to had to be quick to grab this... very quick. Then there's the matter of the 2-5 weeks until iBOOD deliver.

So can you do better on the high street? Zavvi do reasonable deals and if you are in the UK you could pick one up for the equivalent of €230. For €240 in the republic, I believe they will throw in an extra game too (from an in-store list, not any recent or AAA game).

The blurb:

The Acer ASPIRE One Experience
Linpus™ Linux® Lite operating system
Intuitive and specifically optimized software interface
Intel Atom processor, specially designed for low-cost UMPC's
Built-in WiFi connection and 120GB HDD

The lowdown:

Processor: Intel Atom N270 1.6Ghz Processor (533 MHz FSB, 512 KB L2 cache)
Memory: 1GB
HD Capacity: 120GB
Display: 8.9" WSVGA (1024 x 600)
Graphics Card: Integrated
Operating System: Linpus Linux Lite
Optical Drive: None
Networking: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 10/100 Fast Ethernet
5-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)
3 USB 2.0 ports
External display (VGA) port
Headphone/speaker/line-out jack
Microphone-in jack
Ethernet (RJ-45) port
DC-in jack for AC adapter

Only an 8.9" screen vs the Wind/Advents 10" but it looks great, has a comparable spec and is much cheaper.
Play do it for £249.99 including shipping but of course they won't ship electronics to Ireland.
Shipping works out at... not sure. Waiting for a response from the sales team.

A rather handy way of watching your must-see list of films is to use an online DVD rental service. They all work the same way: first you sign up for a free trial (credit card required). Then you create a queue which is essentially a list of the films you want to watch in descending order of preference. When the film at the top of your queue becomes available, it is posted out to you. You watch it, and when you are finished you pop it in a freepost envelope and send it back. Depending on your plan, you may be able to take out more than one at a time. So if you have a list of films you never quite got around to seeing but don't want to buy, one of these services may be for you.

If you're into games then it works even better because they are so bloody expensive whereas DVDs are comparatively cheap.

Moviestar.ie
Free trial period: 2 weeks
Available: DVD, BluRay
Mini MOVIE : €7.99pm, 2 DVDs
MOVIE 1: €12.99pm, 1 disc at a time, unlimited rentals
MOVIE 2: €17.99pm, 2 discs at a time, unlimited rentals
MOVIE 3: €24.99pm, 3 discs at a time, unlimited rentals

Screenclick
Free trial period: 2 weeks
Available: DVD
Lite: €7.99pm, 2 DVDs
Bronze: €12.99pm, 1 DVD at a time, unlimited rentals
Silver: €17.99pm, 2 DVDs at a time, unlimited rentals
Gold: €24.99pm, 3 DVDs at a time, unlimited rentals
Platinum: €31.99pm, 4 DVDs at a time, unlimited rentals

OnlineDVDRentals
Free trial period: 2 weeks
Available: DVD, PS2, PS3, XBOX 360, Wii, PC Games
Lite: €7.99pm, 2 DVDs
Bronze: €10.99pm, 1 discs at a time, unlimited rentals
Silver: €15.99pm, 2 discs at a time, unlimited rentals
Gold: €22.99pm, 3 discs at a time, unlimited rentals
Platinum: €29.99pm, 4 discs at a time, unlimited rentals

Now, the gotchas. Not every company has the same amount of discs to go around. So, you could be waiting for the discs in your queue to become free. Ranges also differ, with some offering TV show sets and classic movies. Also, Moviestar.ie are the only ones who rent BluRay discs at the moment. My advice is try them all. Why not, it's free!

I'm back! See, I haven't vanished off the face of the earth

It's Monday, show me what you've got Mr. Komplett!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 Black, 8.1MP18x opt.zoom

€ 275.00

-14%

My €0.02
Nice camera, reasonable price. You can find it for slightly cheaper elsewhere but not by enough to warrent the extra effort in my opinion. There is also a silver version which is almost €70 more expensive for some reason.

Sony Bravia 40" LCD-TV KDL-40D3500--Full HD, DVB-T, DVB-C--

€ 957.00

-5%

My €0.02
Not a bad price but I suspect the shipping might be almost €200! Strange one actually... DVB-C is the digital cable standard. Does this show the digital channels if you have chorus/ntl/upc?

ASUS EEE 7" WVGA White CM353 900MHz 4GB512MB Webcam Linux Incl. Carry bag

€ 299.00

-14%

My €0.02
Really trying to move the Eee's, Mr Komplett? It's a shame that Dabs sell many colours for less than €262.

Seagate Maxtor OneTouch 4 500GB USB

€ 79.00
-9%

My €0.02
You can get a 1TB drive for €120 these days. Twice the storage for 1.5 times the price.

Nice camera, sort out the Eee pricing and no more 500GB drives please, unless they are under €60!

More monday offers from Komplett.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA216MB 7200RPM

€ 53.00

-16%

My €0.02
320GB isn't much these days. I guess the price is about right but why bother? They could have priced these lower to clear.

Creative Zen 8GB, SD/SDHC slot, MP3/AAC,2,5" LCD screen, DivX/XviD/WMV

€ 102.00

-9%

My €0.02
Again, €100 + shipping seems normal.
http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?quicklinx=4PBN
http://www.gspot.ie/store/product_info.php?products_id=340&gclid=CNOl3bGKsJQCFQyD1Qodr3fbtA
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Zen-8GB-Player-Playback/dp/B000LXXGZW (won't ship to Ireland)
http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/3471519/Creative-Zen-8GB-MP3-Video-Player/Product.html (won't ship to Ireland)

Western Digital My Book StudioEdition 500GB, USB 2.0, eSata, Firewire

€ 113.99

-12%

My €0.02
I think I've been pretty clear on my opinion of 500GB external drives.

Canon PowerShot A590 IS, 8.0MP 4x opt.zoom

€ 144.00

-6%

My €0.02
I'm seeing a lot of 8/10's in reviews online. 4x optical zoom is nice. Expansys want €190. I want to know who buys from them at that price. A.J. Purdy are doing a deal on Canon's, the A590 is £104 with a 2GB memory card and football thrown in. You'll have to ring them to find out the shipping charges though, so I think Komplett win this time.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Monday, December 15, 2008

Sony BRAVIA KDL-40V4000 40 Inch Full-HD LCD

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Monday, October 6, 2008

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Friday, August 22, 2008

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tuesday, July 8, 2008