The one thing about karaoke machines is they don’t all either look alike or function the same way. Smaller, personal machines for the home user are more compact, lighter, and easier to use initially. Larger, karaoke machines mostly put to good use in bars, and other venues around the country are a different animal altogether.
Amazon.com
It stands to reason that the largest retailers online offer a wide selection of machines to both home users and professional ones. Whether you’re looking for a model from Singing Machine, a stand, microphone, and compact stage kit from Voxx Electronics, or a full Audio2000 system complete with PA that’s ready out of the box for different-sized venues, they’ve got you covered.
For many of the most popular machines (and some of the less popular ones too), they’re in stock at an Amazon distribution center ready to package and send out.
For Amazon Prime members, free delivery within a couple of days to most parts of the country is also possible. This option is preferable over trying to arrange delivery from a local big box store or lifting the box into your trunk and out again when arriving home at the end of a long day.
Best Buy
The familiar blue ticket logo of Best Buy is a useful selection option. Looking online, their collection is wide and deep. Both karaoke machines, as well as karaoke accessories, are available. Well-known brands like HDKaraoke, the Singing Machine, and VocoPro are featured.
Filtering on the site is good with the ability to select by rating, brand, price band, and whether the item is currently discounted.
There are occasional clearance sales of older models which are available for a virtual steal. The only downside with Best Buy seems to be that shipping is often not available on karaoke machines (presumably due to both the size and weight inconvenience).
It is sometimes possible to hunt through for a karaoke machine that takes your fancy, then check if it’s available at your nearest store branch. This is a bit of a trial-and-error process.
Target
Target is an interesting possibility. Not only does it have a nationwide collection of large stores, but its online presence is good too. For karaoke machines, they feature over 120 models.
The filtering of the results is far more selective and personalized than many other retailers. One can filter by type (karaoke machines and accessories like strobe lights, audio mixers, vinyl turntables, etc.), color (black, purple, clear, mixed colors), and a host of other selectable options (features, display size, compatibility, brand, and more).
Quite often, the products are only available in stores. They cannot be bought online with delivery arranged in one seamless transaction. However, three types of delivery options are available depending on how urgently the karaoke machine is needed.
eBay
When wanting to find the largest auction site in the world, take a look at the selection of karaoke machines through eBay’s listings. The best Karaoke systems, individual machines, karaoke microphones (wired and wireless), mixers, and more are selectable through the navigation. Some of the products are compatible with either iOS or Android systems to access stored musical libraries.
The types of systems vary tremendously depending on what’s been put up for sale. Some of the products are new and sold through independent third-party sellers, whereas others are private sales by current owners looking to get the best price for their two-year-old karaoke machine.
Discontinued models, small personal ones, and surprisingly well-equipped commercial venue machines are often available within the eBay auction market. For simplicity of purchase, it’s often possible to make a direct offer to buy outright rather than needing to bid back and forth trying to win an auction and possibly being disappointed.
Second-hand (previously owned) vs. buying new is a key consideration. With new items, you get access to the latest features and a greater level of protection from manufacturing faults. Buying second-hand, you stand to save money, but there’s added risk bundled in with that benefit.
Buying an item twice because the first second-hand item ended up being a dud two months’ later might end up costing the same as if you’d purchased a new one with warranty protection from the start.
With eBay purchases, it is a good idea to look for protection with the item. After all, you usually won’t know the seller. Take a good look through their overall rating and the individual reviews with comments from previous buyers.
Were their previous customers happy? Were any issues quickly addressed to the satisfaction of their customer or was the buyer left hanging? Are there any glaring warning signs? It’s important to note that the cheapest deal is not always the best one.
When something is too inexpensive, there’s often a hidden reason for it. As with all electronic items, things can go wrong. When buying outside of the warranty protection period, there isn’t a lot of recourse when buying a faulty or intermittently faulty product; especially an electronic one.
Going Direct
The largest brands like The Singing Machine have their websites where they often sell directly to customers. It’s not always possible to get discounted offers or sometimes free or reduced-cost shipping, but they may have stock when all other retailers are sold out of a particular SKU.
Difficulty Accessing the Exact Model
Accessing the Karaoke machine that you want is not so easy because it’s a large, heavy item to ship out. Furthermore, it’s quite bulky taking up considerable space for a seller or in a warehouse storage space.
The more specific you get about the make and model chosen, the less flexibility you’ll have with where you can source it. Not every model is available from every retailer, and most won’t deliver to your door. The local big box store may have some models, but not others and will take the time to get the exact model you’re looking for into stock for you. Then, they’ll have to arrange delivery when you’re home too.
Do bear this in mind when deciding where to get our karaoke machine.
