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CompUSA current has the Sidekick on sale for $100 after rebates.

The store is Electronics Boutique. I just took advantage of this deal and picked up an XBox. However, I'm pretty sure it's not part of the "Evil MS Conspiracy".

The deal is that you trade an old N64, Dreamcast or PS1 for $30 of trade-in value. Then each N64, DC, or PS game (up to 10) you trade in with the bundle will be worth at least $7.00. This is nice because if you have a lot of old games which are normally worth $1-$2 in their database, they will bump up the value of each game to $7. Games need boxes/cd cases and instructions, but the consoles themselves don't need anything except the necessary cables and controllers.

You could theoretically go to Gamestop or Funcoland and pick up lots of old crappy games for a few dollars each and trade them in for $7.00 each. You can trade in more than 10 games, but they'll only bump up the value of the first ten.

This promotion is for credit towards ANY new console. You do not have to buy an XBox. You can choose a Gamecube or a Playstation 2 if you prefer. From what I've heard, this deal lasts until June 30th. If interested, call your local Electronics Boutique.

Check Fatwallet for details. Personally, I got rid of my old PSX since I already have a backwards-compatible PS2. I also dumped a bunch of really cheap PSX games, and some free Dreamcast games that I got through promotions.

There is no sinlge best "place," but a good start is of course, pricewatch, which compares a large number of online retailers.

Computer shows in your area are also a good bet, as small outfits will put together a barebones for less than even pricewatch can most of the time.

Finally, try "hot deals" forums like anandtech and fatwallet. They have decent coupon/rebate deals you can use locally or online to snag some great cheap accesories.

Hope that helps!

I like Tech Bargains and FatWallet. They track the deals so you don't have to.

I had noticed someone in the "for sale/trade" forum was trying to sell something that was obviously not what the seller claimed it to be, when I told the seller this I was flamed and banned! Apparently I had broken a little known rule called "thread crapping", meaning anything said that could have an adverse effect on the sale of an item.

after my banning i e-mailed the mods and told them i was sorry, i didn't know the rule (it's not posted anywhere unless you search the forum) and i won't do it again. They said too bad, and blocked the IP I had posted from, the IP at work. I then wrote back and told them they were being very childish, that I was sorry and banning me would do no good since I could still post at home.

so what do they do? THEY CALLED MY WORK AND COMPLAINED! I then received threatening e-mails from IT telling me to stop whatever I had been doing, but they quickly changed their minds when I forwarded them the e-mails.

Here's the e-mails. The original thread has been removed, but I have printed copies if anyone wants to read 60 pages of flames.


Trolls? please. You guys are way out of line. Read what happened. I can't believe you are trying to defend your actions. The president of Netzero would be appalled if he saw what you were doing and asking for his support.

qoutes from others on the internet:
"I frequent anand's forums, but I keep out of the conversation. I find the mods are a tad jumpy, especially in the hot deals section"

"Anandtech's forum mods can just be plain bitchy. I remember when a bunch of people who frequented the hot deals section got pissed off and left because the mods forbid anyone from posting coupon codes and were rather liberal in their bannings."

I guess I'm still the one wrong here though, did you guys even read what happened?

I already have an account and have been using it, and what exactly do you mean by "ill intent"? By using your forum further I'm commiting ill intent?

(removed)



>From: moderator@anandtech.com (AnandTech Moderator)
>To: (removed)@hotmail.com
>Subject: Re: AnandTech
>Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 12:39:31 -0500
>
>Mr. (removed),
>
>Thank you for your threats to return under other names. Your attitude is exactly why we will not consider allowing you to return to AnandTech.
>
>We will keep your email on file as evidence of your ill intent. When we catch you, we will file a formal abuse complaint against you with your ISP. NetZero is no exception. We have dealt personally with the president of NetZero. He has previously pledged his support in dealing with trolls like you.
>
>AnandTech Moderator
>
>
>(removed) wrote:
> >
> > alright i'll just sign up for a new account, but you blocked my IP at work > > (and we're behind a proxy so every terminal has the same IP) so I can't post > > from work anymore :( i've already got some other logins so that's solved.
> >
> > I really wish you guys would just give my account back, I don't know what > > you intend to prove by making me not post from work. I said I wouldn't post > > "crap" anymore and I was not aware of the no crapping rule. You're being > > very childish and it's a poor reflection of anandtech in general.
> >
> > and if you do happen to block my IP from home their's always netzero.
> >
> > (removed)
>


I attempted to sue through small claims court for defamation of character, slander and harassment, but was informed I can not sue in small claims for offenses such as that. Decided it wasn't worth pursuing unless I was actually fired from my position, which I wasn't, i'm still here, 5 months later.

if you do decide to visit anandtech's forum just be very careful not to say anything. You'll also notice many others on the forum feel the same way i do about the mods there, they're not called "Banandtech" on Fatwallet.com's forums for nothing!

It would seem, also, that C|Net is running an investigation on this, and it was profiled in several news stories lately....