Tablet computers have gone from a curious new fad to a hallmark gadget of our modern era. Along with this mainstream acceptance comes a wider range of options for consumers to find a tablet that will fit their needs. If you’re not in the mood to drop $700 on a new iPad 3 right off the rack, here are 3 places you can find an older generation, used, or refurbished tablet that can fit your needs without hemorrhaging your debit card:
Best Buy
While an unfocused trip to America’s leading electronics
retailer will take advantage of your wallet with the best of them, you can
actually find a great deal on a new-in-box iPad—if you don’t mind going back a
generation. Currently, the 16 GB iPad 2 can be yours for $399. If you’re the
kind that can’t stand not having the newest and shiniest toy on the block, then
you’ll probably want to pony up the additional funds and go for the current
generation. But if you’re looking for an entry purchase into Apple’s tablet
line, and you don’t want to bother scouting out used deals, then you won’t find
a better way to bring an iPad home on a budget.
eBay
If you don’t have a problem with a pre-owned gadget, then
this is the only place you need to go. You’ll be taking the seller’s word on
the used condition of their tablet, but eBay has taken some monster strides
forward since its inception, and these days it’s pretty hard to get ripped off.
If you pay through PayPal, you’ll be protected against almost anything a seller
might try to pull over on you, and eBay almost always rules in favor of a buyer
in a dispute, so if you haven’t dabbled in the Internet’s greatest auction site
out of a fear of getting taken, then worry no more.
Additionally, we’ve been saturated with tablets over the
last year and a half, which means there’s a ton of models that might not have
survived the natural selection of the marketplace, but are available on the
cheap to anyone looking for a backup or entry-level tablet.
GameStop
This is a retailer that isn’t especially well known outside
of the gaming community, but even if you’ve never picked up a controller or
purchased a video game for a family member, odds are that you’ve seen those
black and red neon signs poking out from the storefront of your local strip
mall. Known for having a considerable amount of refurbished gaming consoles,
GameStop has officially gotten into the tablet market, and they have a lot to
offer.
A professionally refurbished iPad 2 can be yours for
$349.99, a whole $50 less than a fresh one from Best Buy. $450 and up will get
you into a refurbished iPad 3 of various storage sizes. They also carry a
warranty of some kind from GameStop themselves, with additional warranties
available for considerably less than if you were buying it from a retailer that
only deals in new products.
Any of these places will equip you with a tablet on a
budget, depending on what kind of condition you’re most comfortable with. If
you don’t mind a few dings or scratches that can easily be covered with a case
of some kind, then you can save yourself a few hundred dollars and still get to
walk around with the world’s most futuristic computer under your arm.
Author
Bio:
John is a tech
blogger and eBay enthusiast who's always on the look out for a great tablet deal. He writes for gadget insurer
Protect Your Bubble, who
can make sure your new tablet stays protected.
