This isn’t a shopping blog, but I actually found a deal so good I feel like using this space to endorse it. Or brag. Either way.

My club-mate Johnny Cheung suggested an entirely gimcrack website called LED Shoppe as a source of a cheapo Bluetooth USB thingy. And he was right! The sucker cost me about $8.25 in Canadian funds, shipped.

From Hong Kong. Or to put it another way, I don’t know how they’re making money, except to assume that their unit cost on these little electronic bits is, to a first order, zero dollars.

But while that’s a good deal, then they sent me a note about a smoking hot deal, which I took advantage of: 5-packs of AA or AAA Ni-MH rechargables for…C$5.86. Again, that’s the shipped, all-taxes-included price. 4-battery charger? Same price.

If you check, you will find that that pirce is not only incredibly cheap for rechargable batteries (of any type, really), it’s cheaper than typical packs of name-brand non-rechargable alkalines.

Did I like this deal? Um, I just ordered 30 batteries, a charger, and two bike lights from them.

I wish I was getting some sort of referral deal for posting this, but sadly, no such scam was available. In “revenge,” I’ll give you the coupon codes I got from them via email:

5% off any order of 3 or more items: 3MORE
10% off an order of $30 or more: 1030
15% off $60 or more: 1560

The selection in the shop largely runs to small computer peripherals or electronic odds and ends, or LED lights in the middling-quality zone. The key seems to be items that are small enough to be cheaply shipped via regular post. Check it out. Have fun. Tell ’em Wired Cola sent you. I don’t think it will make any difference, but maybe they’ll start reading my blog or something.

Oh, the kicker that sold me on this place? The package with the Bluetooth dongles in it arrived complete with a friendly smiley-face design stamped on the mailing label. I think this place is probably a living-room business run by two teenage girls with atrocious web skillz. But they pass the savings on to you!