Marketplace Blog

Sure, you can buy a 32-inch TV for around $200, but it won't have Wi-FI, it won't have apps, and it might just be refurbished. (Much as I love refurb gear, TVs are an exception. I almost always recommend buying new.)

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Dell has the Vizio E322AR 32-inch smart TV for $258 shipped (plus sales tax in some states). It's new, not refurbished, and definitely packing some bells and whistles.

First up: Wi-Fi. Which is good for second up: apps. Vizio offers a wealth of them, everything from Amazon Instant … Read more

For a long while I've had my eye on TuneUp, a sophisticated Windows utility that promises to fix all the problems with your music library: mislabeled song info, missing album artwork, and so on. But I couldn't bring myself to pay $49.95 for it.

Even the company's current special, a 30 percent discount, seems steep.

Ah, but give me TuneUp for $29 and throw in six other programs. Now we're talking. That's exactly the deal being offered by PCBundler, which has seven Windows apps (including TuneUp) for $29.

Needless to say, I think TuneUp (… Read more

Quick housekeeping note: Last month I told you about DietBet, an intriguing site that links you with others for a fun (and potentially profitable) weight-loss contest. I set up a game with a $25 buy-in, then waited to see what happened.

Twenty-eight days later, the contest is over. Exactly 400 people signed up, for a pot total of $10,000. Your Cheapskate is now 8.5 pounds lighter. And in a couple days I'll know how many others will join me in divvying up the pot. Bottom line: This was a huge success for me, and whether or not … Read more

If you're in the market for an e-reader, you've no doubt read some reviews, checked out some user feedback, maybe even spoken with friends. That's all well and good, but sometimes you just want to put the leading candidates side by side and see which one wins the day.

That's the idea behind ReaderRocket, a seriously nifty tool that compares e-readers and gives you a complete rundown of specs, features, reviews, and more -- all so you can make the most informed decision possible.

To get started, either choose one of the existing comparisons, or type … Read more

Still renting, buying, and/or owning movies on shiny silver discs? Believe it or not, I suspect most people are doing at least one of those.

And shiny silver discs require a shiny-silver-disc player, hence today's deal. Until the clock strikes midnight (ET), and while supplies last, Daily Steals has the refurbished Samsung BD-E5400 Blu-ray player for $45 shipped. It sells new for $99.99.

Update: Looks like it's sold out.

Like any good Blu-ray player, this one features built-in Wi-Fi, and can stream from a handful of services: CinemaNow (is that still a thing?), Netflix, Pandora, and … Read more

Message received loud and clear: You folks still love desktops! I'll definitely add more to the rotation as I find them. In fact, yesterday's deal was so popular it sold out, so I'm following up with another today.

Available until midnight (ET), and while supplies last, Sellout.Woot has the refurbished HP Pavilion P7-1447C quad-core desktop for $399.99, plus $5 for shipping.

That's a full $200 less than yesterday's Dell. So, how do the two systems compare? This one's a refurb, so it has only a 90-day warranty. I've had extremely good … Read more

Most of the Mac bundles I see hit you up for around $40 to $50 -- a pretty good deal if you're getting hundreds of dollars' worth of software, but a little steep if you're interested in only a few of the included items.

That's why I'm jazzed about this one. For the next seven days, StackSocial has the Name Your Own Price Mac Bundle 2.0, which gives you software valued at $399 and lets you set the price.

Well, kind of. The bundle consists of 10 programs. You can pay as little as $1 … Read more

Laptops, ultrabooks, and tablets are all well and good if you're a mobile person -- or you have a small desk -- but if you want serious horsepower for things like games, video editing, 3D modeling, and big ol' CAD drawings, your best bet is usually a desktop.

A desktop also gives you a lot more expansion options, whether it's adding a second hard drive or swapping in the latest and greatest video card. Something to consider.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, DealFisher has the Dell XPS 8500 desktop for $599.99, shipped. It is … Read more

It was just over three years ago that I first encountered (and wrote about) Swag Bucks, a service that rewards you for completing various online activities.

I used it pretty hot and heavy for about a year, eventually accumulating some downright decent prizes, but then it dropped off my radar. Way, way off -- I kind of forgot it existed.

Come to find out, though, that Swag Bucks is alive and well -- and still a rather interesting way to score freebies just for doing stuff you might already be doing anyway.

For example, you can earn points ("swag … Read more