Posted on by Terry White

You’re probably paying too much for cables

istock_000002539261small

It would be kinda hard to exist in this tech world without needing an additional cable here and there. I recently did some upgrading around the house to my TV’s and needed a couple more HDMI cables. When I did some quick price checks the prices varied from around $15-$99 for a standard 6 foot HDMI cable. That’s when it hit me that the average person probably pays way too much for cables. Retail chains like Best Buy sell cables right there next to the consumer electronics and computers that you’re going to buy. Chances are those cables prices are NOT the “best buy.” Cables are a way for retail stores to recoup some of that money/profit margin that they used to discount the prices on those other big ticket items. Consumers are constantly comparing prices for the TV’s, computers, Blu-ray players, etc., but rarely bat and eye when the cables that are needed to run those gadgets are thrown on the bill for some ridiculous prices.

–

My buying advice

Think about the device you’re getting ready to go buy or order and how you’re going to connect it up. Most electronics these days rarely come with the cables you’re going to need. So since you’re going to need to buy some you might as well plan ahead. No matter how much the sales person tries to pressure you into buying cables in the store, DON’T! You’ll almost always pay more! Also don’t get suckered into buying the “premium” cables or the “gold” cables. Yes, you should buy quality cables, but studies have shown that these premium cables in most cases are no better than the cheaper “non-premium” cables that are sitting right next to them.

–

Terry, where do you buy your cables from?

I knew you were gonna ask me that. My answer is, “it depends!” My primary source for cables is Cables-to-Go. However, I don’t deal with them exclusively, because depending on the kind of cable I’m looking for they may not have the best price. So here are the latest cable deals I have for you for the most common cables I’ve used recently:

6 foot HDMI Cable – Only $14.99 from Octava, Inc. I discovered these guys when I bought my HDMI switcher. The Cables-To-Go price was $19.99. The Best Buy price was….wait for it….$35.99! More than twice the price I paid! I’ve used the Octava HDMI cables for YEARS and haven’t had a single issue yet. I usually keep a couple on hand for future upgrades/toys.

5 meter USB Cable – for shooting Tethered from my Camera into my Laptop. Only $26.99 from Cables To Go!

7 foot Cat5e Ethernet Cable – Cat5e cables will work in most situations over the more expensive Cat6 cables. Staples has this Belkin 7′ cable for only $5.99. The Cables To Go price is $9.99. Best Buy has them for $21.99 (Cat6 was all they carry in this length, but interestingly enough if you want a 50′ Cat5e cable, they (Best Buy) have one for only $19.99 – go figure.).

6 foot Firewire 800 Cable – lastly, I can’t forget about Amazon. Always check Amazon prices because they change all the time. This 6 foot Firewire 800 Cable is only $12.99. The Apple Store will gladly sell you this Belkin one for $39.95.

–

The Bottom Line

You may even find better deals than I did! Great! Keep in mind though that if it’s too cheap, it may not be worth the effort. For example, if you find a $3 Firewire cable and everyone else is selling it for $12 or more, then that $3 cable may not be worth it to intrust your valuable data to it. Also consider how much handling the cable will get. For example, if the cable is going to be plugged in and unplugged frequently (such as a drive cable), then you probably want a better one with better quality connectors. The main point I’m trying to make here is shop around and do your homework ahead of time. Buy your cables before you need them and you’ll save.

12 Replies to “You’re probably paying too much for cables”

  1. Also check out shipping/handling. I’ve seen plenty of cables that were a great deal, but it was cheaper to buy locally at 2 or 3 times the price rather than pay the outrageous shipping/handling charges.

  2. Does cable length also affect the picture quality? Is shorter better? What about a “120Hz rated” cable? I have a 15 ft. HDMI Apogee (I paid $10.00) cable between my DVR and my Sony Bravia 120Hz LCD. The TV and DVR are about 6 feet apart from each other. The cable slack is wound and strapped to the back of the TV. Using the HDMI I get flashes of “noise” and flickering that’s very annoying. Using the component input, I get no flickering and no noise.

  3. Surprisingly, the Apple store has great prices for good-quality HDMI cables ($19.95 for 6 feet) in case you need one in a hurry. The same price applies to DVI-to-HDMI cables, if you want to use your fancy new living-room LCD as a monitor. You can get cheaper online, if you don’t mind waiting and paying for shipping, but for a walk-in purchase, it’s a “good buy”.
    Brian

  4. Thank you for pointing this out. I hope more people read this and remember it. The cost of cables at the stores is just outrageous and even more so when the store clerks try to convince the knowledgeable customer that Monster Cables really are worth 5 times the price because they have “gold” connectors.

    I have always used cables that were or near the cheapest and have never had problems. While there maybe a video or audio difference between the cheap and the expensive it is going to be so slight as to be a poor joke than anything else. There is no way the difference between a $20 cable and a $120 Monster Cable is going to be worth that extra $100. No way on Earth.

    Thanks again for a most useful and helpful and important post.

    Robert

  5. The only way the brick and mortar stores make money in electronics is on the accessories like cables. A few years back I bough a cheap DVD player from Circuit City for $49.00. It needed and did not come with an HDMI cable. They did have one on sale though – for $60.00! I went to wallmart and picked up a 6′ cable for $27.00, knowing that that was to expensive but I needed it right away. Later I ordered on Online at Amazon for around $20.00, not a bad price for the 30′ cable I needed to hook my iMac up to my HDTV. If at all possible, avoid the expensive cable brands for electronics.

  7. I would also check out my local fry’s! I have purchased every cable you mention for less there

  8. I got most of my home theater cables from http://bluejeanscable.com/. Awesome quality, custom lengths and VERY affordable! Monster is WAY overpriced and not any better than anything else. You’re paying for marketing, falling for hype – very similar to Bose. Great tips Terry!

  9. Terry check this out..
    When you find a cable that you need from Cables to go or any other name brand mfg copy the model or mfg number and do a websearch using the mfg name and number.
    I came up with a few places. for the Tether cable

    http://www.productshiptoday.com/5m-Ultima-USB-2.0-A-Mini-B-Cable_item_2312.html here is the $26 Tether USB cable for $8 bucks!. But because I never heard of them before I decided to check ebay and got one for $14 including free shipping. The cable was listed on ebay using the Cables to go manufacturers number.

    The moral of the story is shop till you drop! You can get great deals out there!

  10. Terry,
    Great article. Now if only the rest of the world would realize they are paying too much when they buy these cables from Best Buy and other retail stores. I have told all my friends to get them online and most of them had no idea how much they could have been saving. I buy my cables from http://www.discount-low-voltage.com/
    I always try to avoid the big chain stores and buy from the little guy.

  11. Terry,

    While I agree there are some good deals on-line, I think your readers are missing part of your blog. Local retailers mark up cables because they mark down core products. Yes, monster cables are expensive, but when I go to my Best Buy that hires local people and give good deals on things like computers, I don’t mind paying a little extra.

    Besides, while you can argue the benefits of monster cables in terms of video quality (mainly, cheaper can deliver the same picture), but I buy them because when I run a cable through the wall, I want it to be a single soldered piece. Some of the less expensive cables have come apart on me due to poor assembly, and I have to rerun the cable. Now that’s what I call a rip-off!

  12. I jut bought a 6 ft DVI cable for my Mac mini from Other World Computing for $14.99 and shipping was only $2.49. A lot better deal on shipping than some of these other discount cable options, and a lot less total than the big box stores.

    I’ve purchased a few external hard drives from Other World Computing, and they are a reliable company shipping reliable products at reasonable prices.

Comments are closed.