Cheapest place to buy computer cables: the dollar store

First published on February 1, 2009

Many years ago, when a Future Shop employee tried to sell me a gold-plated USB printer cable for $20, I learned that the typical computer retailers are not where one should buy computer cables. Your closest Dollar Store / Loonie Plus / A Buck or Two often has a section of the store with fully functional computer cables for a fraction of the cost that you would pay elsewhere.

For example, I was recently looking for the following cables, and ended up paying less than $5 each at a dollar store:

• 12-foot ethernet cable: to connect a computer to the Internet on a wired router ($15 at London Drugs)
• Ethernet coupler: to connect two ethernet cables to extend their reach ($16 at Future Shop)
• PS/2 to USB adapter cable: to connect an older mouse to a newer computer ($20 at London Drugs)

Your closest dollar store might not carry every cable that a specialty electronics store has, but when it does, the equally good (and sometimes identical) cable at the dollar store is probably much cheaper. And before heading out anywhere, remember to ask friends and family if they have the spare cable that you need, since that solution might be even cheaper. (The other thing to remember is that gold-plating in your cables is usually not necessary.)

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This entry is filed under Computer Stuff and written by Peter Keung. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.