Fred Harteis News Articles – Here are five items you should never buy new, you could save a lot of money buying them second hand.
1. Books, CDs and DVDs
Cost Compare: 'The Book of Fate' by Brad Meltzer, released in September
New: $25.99 at Borders.
Resale: $8.88 at Half.com (including $3.70 shipping via media mail, you'll save 66%)
Used books, DVDs and CDs run the gamut -- sure, you'll find bent pages and scratched disks, but you can also find the latest releases in pristine condition at discounts of 30% or more off the retail price. To ensure you get exactly what you want (say, some wear on the latest 'Desperate Housewives' box set, but no significant scratches), check out sites like Amazon.com, Half.com and Abebooks.com. Each site requires sellers to vet the condition of items listed.
2. Timeshares
Cost compare: A floating-week, prime-season timeshare in a two-bedroom unit at Blue Tree Resort in
New: $11,110 (plus annual maintenance fees)
Resale: $3,699 (plus annual maintenance fees) at Timeshare Resale Bargains, you'll save 67%
"You can buy most timeshares on the resale market for 20% to 50% of the original price," says Larry Hayden, president of Timeshare Resales, a listing service. Better yet, you're getting exactly the same service and options you would if you'd purchased the timeshare directly from the developer. (One exception: Marriott does not allow owners of resale units to participate in Marriott Rewards, which trades unused weeks for points toward airline tickets, hotel stays and other rewards.)
3. Pets
Cost compare: Siamese kitten
Breeder: $600 from a breeder, not including vet fees (estimated $200)
Shelter: $175 from the Siamese Rescue, including full health exams, testing, spay/neuter and vaccinations, you save 78%
For one, you can find pretty much any kind of pet you're looking for, says Kim Intino, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society. That includes purebred animals. The cost to adopt is nominal compared to what you'd fork over to a pet store or breeder -- and it typically includes spay/neuter, vaccinations and other basic health precautions, even a microchip to track your pet. That's a lot less than you'd pay at the vet for the same procedures. The big bonus: You're opening your home to an animal in need.
4. Consumer Electronics
Cost compare: 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro, 2.16GHz
New: $2,799.
Resale: $1,599 at Apple.com, you'll save 43%
Refurbished electronics -- those returned and retooled by the manufacturer -- can offer excellent deals for consumers, says Edgar Dworsky, editor of MousePrint, a consumer advocacy site. And you're not necessarily getting, say, a cell phone that went for a swim in someone's pool. Plenty of refurbs are sent back after sustaining cosmetic damage like a dent or scratch in shipping. "In some cases, it doesn't even look like they've been owned by anyone," he says.
5. Cars
Cost compare: Honda Accord LX, four-door
New: $21,670 MSRP for a 2007 model
Resale: $18,165 for a 2005 model in excellent condition, you'll save 16%
You may love that new car smell -- but you also pay for it, big time. Although the actual hit varies by make, model and options, on average your car loses about 20% of its value the moment you drive it off the lot, says Joni Gray, consumer advice editor for Kelley Blue Book. Save yourself that initial hit by buying a used car from a recent model year. "The best used cars are at most five years old," says Gray. Many of these cars will still be under warranty.
Source: Aol.com
About Fred Harteis: Fred Harteis leads Harteis International. Fred Harteis has a background in agriculture and has created many successful business ventures.
