Get a $750 Canon camera and printer bundle for $249
From the Cheapskate: This amazing deal includes the PowerShot G16 and Pixma Pro-100 wide-format printer. Just one small catch.
CNET's Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page.
This plus this plus other goodies minus rebate = smokin' deal.
How do you feel about rebates?
If you despise them, don't want anything to do with them, "ptooey on rebates!", then kindly move along to the bonus deals. Nothing to see here.
If, on the other hand, you don't mind letting someone hold your money for 8-10 weeks, have I got a deal for you.
Over at Adorama, you can score the Canon PowerShot G16 camera, Canon Pixma Pro-100 printer, Lowepro Santiago camera bag and 50 sheets of wide-format photo paper for $599 shipped. Already that's a solid deal, because the camera and printer alone would cost you a little over $750 if purchased elsewhere.
However, there's a $350 (!) mail-in rebate on this bundle -- in the form of an American Express reward card that's as good as cash. That brings your total price down to $249. Here's the relevant PDF.
Couple things. First, Adorama has the same rebate deal going with a couple other cameras, including the Canon EOS Rebel T5i ($399 after rebate) and Canon EOS Rebel SL1 (also $399 after rebate). The former adds a 32GB SD card to the bundle, the latter a Canon EF 75-300mm lens. Great options all around.
Second, the printer is kind of legendary. It's a top-rated, wide-format model that can connect over Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB. If you've never cranked out your own frame-worthy 13x19-inch prints, you're in for a treat.
Of course, you could head to eBay and unload the Pixma, though there appears to be a glut of them right now, and you'd be lucky to get more than $200 for it. The G16 camera, on the other hand, runs $375 new, so you could potentially make money on this deal and end up with a free printer.
It all hinges on that rebate. I'll admit it's a little scary to leave $350 hanging, especially if you've been burned in the past. Me, I'm a risk-taker. (And, truthfully, I don't consider this risky at all. Follow the instructions, document everything, collect your rebate.) Your thoughts?
Bonus deal: Game time! If you like action, Epic Games is offering free play of Shadow Complex Remastered (Windows) through the end of December. You'll need to create a free Epic account and install Epic's game launcher. Running, jumping, shooting, fighting -- this one has it all.
Bonus deal 2: A used iPhone 5S for $250 is a pretty solid deal. Not everyone needs (or wants) a big screen or the current flagship model. (And remember: just two years ago, the 5S was exactly that.) So how about a used iPhone 5S for $250 that includes free service? Do I have your attention? That's the deal from Newegg. The service comes from Sprint MVNO FreedomPop. You get 200 voice minutes, 500 text messages and 500MB of data a month. Need more? Rates are cheap.
I know some buyers of FreedomPop's Android phones have been unhappy with the VoIP-powered phone service. I don't know if the iPhone works the same way -- my guess is no, because it would require the kind of ROM-flashing that Apple doesn't allow. If you know more, share! Assuming it relies on traditional cell towers, it's an amazing deal.
Contest time: CNET's Winner Wonderland Sweepstakes is ah-maze-ing, offering 10 days of prizes with a total value of $5,000. All you have to do is register your e-mail address (if you haven't done so already) and visit the holiday gift guide, where you can add stuff to your wish list. Then hit up the sweepstakes page one more time. Repeat daily, keep fingers crossed.