Google tells all

The best way to get your best price on pretty much anything is going to rely on research in one form or another. Either it is research you have already done, or are doing as you search.

Google will tell you what you want to know 9 times out of 10, so it's a good go-to.

Running a Google search properly can take some time. It is important not to get frustrated quickly.

For instance, I am right now looking at a microphone for my laptop. Well, I want something that isn't gonna sound like poo, and at the same time, I want to spend a very small amount on it. I know when it comes to microphones, quality is everything. One time I purchased a stage mic for a demonstration I was doing. I bought a wireless set off eBay, and it was terrible, no sound definition. So, I simply took my current mic from radio shack and spliced the better mic into where the original mic was and presto, a great quality wireless mic for under $60 (they can get really pricey) But right now, I want one to mess around with doing some recording on the compie. In this case I am going to trust what other people have to say over the best price, because when it comes to items like this, you simply must pay a little more.

So, I am looking at a Sony f-v100; its a cheap looking omnidirectional mic...the brand is good.

Ah, but when you look at reviews, apparently it puts out volume so low that it simply won't work for me. After a little research, I came across the NADY SP-4C which is also well-priced for a mic, good reviews, but I want it for under $20.00 shipped. The best price around is from http://www.electronics-expo.com/ and their lowest price is $20.22 including shipping... So I wait for a little while till I can get it to me for less.

Google told me all I needed to know, but I had to keep searching. I searched for "Sony f-v100 reviews" and the top listing showed no reviews; but I went to Amazon.com, and there were the reviews, all bad. Then I saw a link to the different mic. Now that I have done the research, I add this to my occasional search list for eBay and when I see it on auction, I will use my online magic to get it for under $20.

Often, you will need to redo your search 3 or 4 times before you get the answers you need. For instance, I wanted to set up my laptop so it wouldn't "hibernate" when the screen was shut, it took me several tries "lid closed", "VAIO hibernate", "top closed", "case closed", etc., till I came up with the correct terminology, and then it was easy to find out what to do. so, when you are looking for something, and it doesn't come up, think about the possibility that you aren't doing something right.

For instance, I was looking up a home gym I was thinking about purchasing, and when I entered the model name into Google, every picture, every review and every site was showing a plain weight bench with that model name...hmm...so, I ran an eBay ended auction search, and bingo, one came up, and I looked at the picture of the box that the home gym came in, and it said model # spc-1000 (or something like that) and then I was able to take that info back to Google and find reviews, original prices, the manual, etc. I decided that it was an awesome deal, a used but completely functional home gym with dozens of separate workouts, originally sold for around $300 and I got it nearby with Craigslist for only $50, and now it is at my house where I try to use it every day.