Here are five reasons why you should buy your next laptop from a website. If you want to see all the latest and best laptops, you probably won’t find them on display at your local branch of Best Buy, Staples, Walmart, Costco or other big box retailers. But you will find pictures, videos and descriptions of all those laptops if you search the web or visit online retailers. When I checked the inventory of local Best Buys in Nassau County (Long Island), New York against our Laptop Mag list of Best Laptops, only 4 out of 13 were in stock. Among those absent were our favorite laptop overall, the Dell XPS 13, the best laptop for college students (ThinkPad 13), the top Chromebook (Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA), the best gaming rig (Alienware 13 OLED) and our top choice for kids (Asus Chromebook C202). Staples didn’t list even one of our best picks as available in-store. Microsoft Store had only the Surface Book, a Microsoft product, and the last-gen version of the HP Spectre x360, our favorite 2-in-1. Image Credit:Sorbis / Shutterstock Brick-and-mortar stores make a lot of their money by trying to upsell you on extended warranties, accessories and other crap you don’t need or want. Even after you’ve gotten the laptop box and you’re waiting in line to pay for it, the cashier often tries to push protection plans on you. When they’re not pushing unnecessary extras, in-store salespeople are just another barrier between you and your purchase. They may try to convince you to buy a more expensive laptop or hang over your shoulder while you browse the aisles. Online, nobody harrasses you or offers unwanted advice. You may get a pop-up window offering a live sales person to chat with, but you can just close or ignore it. Image Credit:pio3 / Shutterstock Shopping online is like ordering at Burger King: you get it your way. While a local store may have a few configurations of the laptop you want, e-tailers may carry dozens. If you’re buying a Dell, Lenovo or HP laptop, you’ll find a lot more choices if you buy directly from those companies’ sites. For many models, you can even custom configure the laptop, choosing the processor, screen, battery, RAM, storage and Wi-Fi card to suit your needs. For example, on Lenovo.com, you can configure your ThinkPad T460 with a high-capacity battery for an extra $15 at purchase. Even at B&H Photo, a local New York City retailer which has five different T460 configs in stock, you can’t get one that comes with the 6-cell battery. Cover Image Credit: Image Credit: Sorbis / Shutterstock
