Have you ever "wooted"?

For those NOT in the know, there is an unusual website that offers ONE deal per day until they are all gone. Go to www.woot.com and check it out. Woot explains their company here. Go to wikipedia and read about Woot as well - it's hilarious! If you can't work for Google, I'd say working at Woot has to be a close second. They are out of the DFW area and have one single deal per day except when having a "woot-off", when they clear out their leftovers at even cheaper prices. If you see a little rocket ship, that indicates the product offered is new, never sold anywhere before, and is being "launched" on woot. But BEWARE of the WootOff - they last anywhere from 24 hours to 48 hours - once even for 72 hours - and you have to check constantly to see what the next "woot" is - and they are ADDICTIVE. During my first WootOff I was glued to my computer the entire time and drove everybody nuts. So don't take it too seriously! (unless it's before Christmas and you're still needing more gifts and stocking stuffers - where else can you get Motorola Bluetooth ear pieces for $7.99 each??) And everybody is waiting for the BOC (literally "Bag of Crap") which is a grab-bag of junk with some odd bits of clearance items thrown in - you might get something really good or not much at all. But they are $1/bag, max of 3 bags and the best part is EVERYTHING you buy is $5 flat shipping rate - even a 50" plasma TV.

As a "for instance" of what they have, on the last WootOff, they had 50" plasma HD TVs for right around $1000 - with $5 shipping! Some items are refurbs, some are new, some is just older technology but still being sold on Amazon or in Best Buy. I got my first JBLiPod speaker base set from the Apple store for $100. Soon after, they had them on woot.com for $49! I got my 23" Vizio HDTV last summer for $239. And I got a refurb HD Tivo for $179 a couple weeks ago - they retail for $299 (it was the 20 hour one, not the $699 - 300 hour one before you freak). Sometimes the offering is just stupid - like 3 sets of ethernet cables what light up on each end. Something we've all mentioned wanting ("Wow, I wonder where I can get me some ethernet cables that light up at both ends even though THEY ARE IN THE COMPUTER AND THE WALL??") Wooting! You never know what will be offered.

New offerings start a couple minutes after midnight each night. You must register first and be logged in to order. You can buy 1, 2 or 3 of the item but if you order 1 and decide you want another one before the 24 hour selling period is up, you're out of luck - ONE order per account per selling period. Then you'll need to get your husband to open an account and order through his (which I did once to get 6 of something...)

Anyway, wanted to give you all a Woot shout-out and introduce you to an interesting way of buying online. Returns are allowed ONLY if the item is defective. But I figure that if I get it and don't really like it, I can just eBay it...which has never happened. Just be sure to read the details - is it new or refurb? how many per order? warranty period?

Today's offering is a Toshiba 1080p upconverting DVD with HDMI cables for $39.99 plus $5 shipping. It's a refurb with a 90 day woot warranty. I did a google check and they run new from $71 - 101. You can also click on "discuss this product" and read what others have to say about that woot - there are usually price comparisons, opinions from people who have the item and other random comments. During a WootOff, I've found the discussion boards to be crude - boredom has set in among those waiting soley for the BOC and they get rude. Be warned.

Happy wooting!! And may you find your perfect deal!