Let’s face it: expensive, high-end smart TVs tend to have the best features. But I’m a frugal spender at heart and always on the lookout for a good deal, and have found a few ways to pick up that ultra-lux smart TV screen without breaking my bank balance.

5

Have You Tried Garage Sales?

Where I live, there are garage sales every year, and it always seems like I have junk to sell off. So do other people. I highly recommend taking advantage of these, but if there aren’t local garage sales, there are garage sale apps you can try.

If you were to find a smart TV, get the model number and check the TV’s age. This is to avoid buying a smart TV that is so old it no longer receives updates. Maybe in its prime, it could’ve streamed Netflix, but eventually, the hardware isn’t enough, and the security updates stop rolling in.

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4

Check Your Area’s Local Facebook Groups

Perhaps garage sales don’t happen for you on a local level—I have the privilege of living in a part of Pennsylvania with half a dozen or so small towns. That’s where Facebook comes in handy, giving you a wider scope of communities near you. My entire county has a Facebook page dedicated to yard sales.

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I suggest searching a nearby town or county, followed by “yard sale” or “garage sale,” and specify Facebook. You’re bound to find one. It’s essentially Facebook Marketplace, but focused on specific areas. You may even be able to get a cheaper smart TV if you’re willing to pick it up yourself (in a nearby public area, please).

3

When in Doubt, Go Thrifting

When garage sales and yard sales come up short, thrifting has been my saving grace on a number of times. Your child’s drink topples over, drenching the monitor in juice, so you have to replace it quickly. Need a second monitor because your previous one just gave up? Thrifting is the way to go. I don’t just use it for technology, but to expand the media on my Plex server, too.

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Just like finding a cheap replacement monitor, you can thrift some mighty cheap smart TVs, too. Getting it from a store also means you can usually trust it’ll work. Be sure to check the model of the smart TV before you buy, just like you would check if you were at a garage sale. Stick to smart TVs no more than two or three years old. Any older and you risk losing smart TV functionality a lot sooner.

2

Use These Sites to Compare Prices

If you want to buy a cheap smart TV that’s brand new, there are sites that help compare costs across multiple retailers rather than checking the inventory for each one.

• Price: Perfect name, right? Price compares prices across multiple online stores, allowing you to filter by price. Price won’t tell you much about the product, so for more details on what you see, you’d have to visit the product page on at least one site.
• Google Shopping: Naturally, Google Shopping lets you compare prices across a multitude of sites and has good filter options. You can even key in on options like where the smart TV was manufactured.
• Versus: Excellent site for comparing specs, pricing, and reviews. Maybe your definition of cheap is the cheapest smart TV with all the features you need. You’d find out on Versus!

I tend to use Versus and Google Shopping together—one to find a good price and the other to compare smart TVs. Price is good as a shorthand tool.

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1

Wait For Cyber Monday or Black Friday

How often do you think you should replace your smart TV? Not every year, that’s for sure. All smart TVs eventually become dumb TVs, anyway. If you’re looking to replace it, why not wait until Cyber Monday or Black Friday?

Cyber Monday is the perfect opportunity to get a great deal on a smart TV with all the bells and whistles of a top-end model. Cyber Monday is always in very late November or early December. If you do participate in Black Friday, be sure you know how to spot Black Friday scams.

With these tips, I have managed to snag a couple of cheap smart TVs I’m still getting use out of. Sure, it’ll be a dumb TV in a couple of years, but there are ways to make a dumb TV smart again.