There are two basic ways to buy a laptop - at a store or online. If you want to get an inexpensive laptop and also a good value for your money, the best way to achieve that is by watching for a sale at one of your local retail outlets. The best places to look are electronics stores, computer stores, and office stores. Once you identify a promising offer, you can go to the store and make sure you like the computer before buying. This method also let you bring the laptop back to the store if there are any problems and avoids "return postage" issues.