Is January the Time to Buy Electronics? At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January, manufacturers tantalized consumers with new electronics soon to hit the shelves. But what does that do to the prices of current models that are being replaced? Is this a golden buying opportunity? Yes for TVs, no for laptops. I'll explain. Decide.com, which tracks the price of electronics, studied what happened to the cost of TVs and laptops in past years after C.E.S. What it found is that TV prices dip to near yearly lows after the show, matching holiday prices. With the average price of the top 250 TVs at $1,057, the post-show average is projected to drop an average of $211, to $846, based on data from previous years. That is a 20 percent savings. Laptops don't drop so steeply. After the show, the 100 most popular laptops have historically been discounted 8 percent. This year that would mean the top 100 laptops, which average $780 in price, would be reduced $62, to $718. Laptop price are lowest in late June through early July, right before the back to school sales, and during the last two weeks of September, after those sales, according to Decide.com's data. At those times the discounts are typically 10 percent. Of course, averages can be deceiving. Prices are volatile all year around, so a particular TV or computer you want could be discounted far more at any time. There are a number of browser add-ons and apps that let you track prices of individual products, or you can use Decide.com - but it will cost you. Membership is $5 a month or $30 a year for full access.