There is no doubt that the internet has made possible reduced costs procuring PCs and peripherals, primarily by cutting out the need to use B2B re-sellers. However, like supermarkets these suppliers often use low-margin bargains to win loyalty and then bolster profits on low volume products. A few minutes comparison between suppliers can often be well worthwhile, particularly if you compare between suppliers targetting different markets. To assist in this process we have a collated together a set of diverse suppliers with consistently low prices in their own target markets...

Business-oriented suppliers

• Misco - long-established supplier to businesses large and small

Consumer-oriented suppliers
Although consumer-focussed these suppliers will still happily provide business friendly service when it comes to delivery and invoicing.

• Savastore - internet focussed branch of Watford Electronics offering often unbeatable prices
• PC World - familiar high-street presence, now becoming competitive on the net too
• Maplin - electronics specialist good for cables, adapters and media in particular

Direct-sales manufacturers
For the ultimate in cutting-out the middle man, these companies hone margins to the bone yet still offer all the professional support options you'd expect from a big-name business brand.

• Dell - build-to-order specialists with direct-sales only philosophy
• HP - massively dependable brand now competitive with the likes of Dell (when dealing direct)

Multi-market suppliers
These are massive companies for whom I.T. represents only a portion of their business. They are of restricted use for specialist purchases, but for mainstream products they can often undercut the dedicated suppliers.

• Amazon - mother of all multi-market on-line suppliers, if they stock it they're probably the cheapest !

Current offers...