What The Tech?: Shopping alternatives to Amazon

CHARLOTTE, N.C.– If you’re shopping for electronics this holiday season, you might want to check somewhere other than Amazon. While the giant is known for fast delivery and endless options, many manufacturers are now offering deals that match or even beat Amazon’s prices.

When I looked at a laptop computer on Dell’s website, I found a computer that was listed for hundreds of dollars less than at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. It isn’t just electronics. A cashmere sweater I’ve had my eye on is $218 on Amazon, but just $98 if I buy it directly from the clothing company.

Tariffs on imported goods are making pricing tricky this year. Some manufacturers are choosing to absorb part of that cost themselves or offer bundles and gift cards rather than raising prices.

Take Apple and Samsung. Both are offering trade-in credits, financing, and free accessories that third-party sellers cannot match. And when you buy directly, you know the product is authentic and covered by the full manufacturer’s warranty.

That’s not always the case with products on Amazon. Even when a listing says “fulfilled by Amazon,” the product could come from a third-party seller. In some cases, those sellers aren’t authorized resellers, which means your warranty could be void.

Amazon, to its credit, has cracked down hard on fake items sold by third-parties, but they have been known to slip through the cracks.

Shopping directly also protects against refurbished items that sometimes sneak into online marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. And if inventory tightens later this season, brands like Sony, Samsung, Apple, and Dell are more likely to ship on time because they control their own stock.