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There are plenty of decent gifts that you can pick up for $100 or less or even $50 or less. But if you want to get something truly exceptional for that special someone and don’t mind spending a little extra cash, there are also some amazing pricier options out there. Below, we’ve rounded up some of our absolute favorite gift ideas that you can snag in the $200 to $500 range.

Earlier versions of the Ausounds AU-Stream were billed as competitors to the AirPods, and while the most recent generation of the AU-Stream haven’t reached those heights, they are a great budget alternative. In fact, for a discounted price of $30 from B&H Photo, they’re a surprisingly great pair of earbuds to grab if you don’t want to spend a ton of money.

While they don’t quite make our list of the best noise-canceling earbuds, they still manage to do quite well with the low frequencies, while higher frequencies are handled by the passive noise canceling of the ear tips. You will hear a bit of hiss from the ANC, which is pretty common with budget earbuds and headphones, but it’s not noticeable unless you’re in a quiet room. Thankfully, it doesn’t impact audio fidelity, so you’re fine on that front.

Speaking of audio fidelity, the earbuds do pretty well with lower frequencies and don’t have too many issues in the higher frequencies. They have a solid battery life of about five to six hours, with another 15 hours or so in the case, so you essentially get a whole day’s worth of use. The call audio is pretty good, too, with both sides able to hear each other clearly, so if you make many calls, you’re all set.

While the AU-Stream can’t compete with higher-end earphones, they’re a great option for keeping costs down. That said, If you want something a bit better, you can check out these earbuds and headphone deals for alternatives.

We’re now in October, and that means the holiday season is just around the corner. With that in mind, several big sales are coming up, including Amazon’s October Prime Day and Black Friday. If you’re planning to buy gifts during these huge sales events, you’ll likely need to know what the return policy is just in case the items don’t work out.

See below for the return windows and policies for major retail stores Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Macy’s. For more shopping tips, here’s how to get $30 ahead of October Prime Day. Also, here’s how to get shipping costs cut at these chain retailers.

Amazon returns

When you make a purchase on Amazon — even Amazon Warehouse — you’ve got 30 days to return the items. That’s not a lot of time if you’re buying gifts that you intend to give during the holidays. My suggestion? Open the item you’ve purchased to check that it has all the parts and pieces, and to make sure it’s what you’re after. If not, box it back up and ship it back as soon as possible.

If you do keep the item that you plan to gift past 30 days and the recipient finds that it doesn’t work for them, they can still get a refund for up to 80% of the total price on an Amazon gift card. They can also choose to exchange the item — for instance, if it’s the wrong size or color.

Note that some Amazon sellers may have different return policies.

Walmart returns

If you buy something from Walmart (online or in-store), you typically have a 90-day window to return it. However, Walmart does offer extended holiday returns for items purchased between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 that give you until Jan. 31, 2024, to return the item. So if you buy something as a gift during one of its sales events, you or the person receiving it will have time to return or exchange the item.

Target returns

If you buy something at Target and decide you’d like to return it, you have 90 days to do so. And if you have Target’s credit card, RedCard, you have 120 days to make the return. If you’re returning a Target brand item or something from your registry, Target gives you a full year.

Similar to Walmart, Target also has an extended holiday return policy. Here’s how it works:

For all electronics and entertainment items (excluding Apple products) purchased between Oct. 1 and Dec. 24, the 30-day refund period will start on Dec. 26 and must be returned by Jan. 24, 2024.

For Apple products (excluding iPhones) purchased between Oct. 1 and Dec. 24, the 15-day refund period will start on Dec. 26 and must be returned by Jan. 9, 2024.

For mobile phones purchased in-store or online as a pick up order between Oct. 1 and Dec. 24, the 14-day refund window starts on Dec. 26 and must be returned by Jan. 8, 2024.

Best Buy returns

Best Buy gives you 15 days to return items you’ve purchased, and 14 days if it’s an activatable device like a phone or tablet. However, if you’re a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total member, you have 60 days to return anything you’ve purchased, excluding activatable devices.

If you’re returning a gift you received, you’ll get store credit for the purchase price if you return it in a store. If you return the gift by mail, the gift buyer will get the credit.

If Best Buy follows last year’s holiday return policy, items purchased between Oct. 24 and Dec. 31 have until Jan. 14 to be returned.

Macy’s returns

Any item purchased from Macy’s must be returned within 30 days. If it’s an item from a gift registry, you have 90 days from the event date to return it.

If Macy’s follows last year’s holiday return policy, items purchased Oct. 3 and later have a 90-day return window. This policy would end Jan. 31, 2024.

For more, here’s how to save on your next Target shopping trip. Also, here are nine Amazon Prime tips you shouldn’t forget.

Baseball fans rejoice! It’s your turn to save big on MLB playoff tickets this season. Popular online ticket distributors like StubHub, SeatGeek and TickPick are all offering deals and steals when you purchase your tickets via their platforms. And who doesn’t like to save a little money while enjoying their favorite sport? Keep reading to see what’s available for you.

Looking for more discounts? CNET has the best deals from StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and many others, along with promo code offers — all updated and verified daily.

Welcome to CNET Coupons, the first stop before you shop, featuring a multitude of deals and discounts from top online retailers. Simply head over to our coupon page and type in your favorite store or brands to find all the deals available for the week.

Need some retail therapy? Amazon’s second Prime Day sale of the year is now a few days away. Prime Big Deal Days is set to hit digital shoppers’ screens on Oct. 10 and 11.

Along with its long list of product deals for Prime Day — including some early ones already on sale — Amazon is offering three ways for you to get a bit of cash to spend: uploading photos to Amazon photos, reloading an Amazon gift card, or adding a debit or credit card to Amazon Wallet. Do all three, and you could get a cool extra $30.

Read more: Unlock Prime Day Deals for Free With This Simple Trick

How does the free cash work, and do you need to be an Amazon Prime member to earn it? Read on to learn all about the ways to get free money for Prime Day.

For more on Amazon Prime Day, check out the best early Prime deals that are available now, and how to use Buy with Prime to get great deals on other shopping sites.

Get $15 for uploading pictures to Amazon Photos

Amazon Prime members can get a quick $15 from Amazon without spending anything. Download the app for desktop, iOS or Android. Then upload at least one photo to the service and you’ll qualify for a $15 credit to use during Prime Day.

There are a few important catches, along with the Prime membership requirement. The $15 credit must be used during Prime Day — between the start of the sale at midnight PT (3 a.m. ET) on Oct. 10 and the end at 11:59 p.m. PT on Oct. 11 (2:59 a.m. ET on Oct. 12). The credit can also only be used for Amazon orders of $30 or more.

The $15 bonus only applies to Amazon Prime members uploading to Amazon Photos for the first time. If you’ve used Amazon Photos before, you’re out of luck. And for those looking to get extra cash along with Prime Day deals for free, the offer is not available to Amazon Prime trial members.

Amazon says you’ll get an email confirmation of your $15 within four days of uploading your first photos. The deal expires at 11:59 p.m. PT on Oct. 7.

Add $100 to your Amazon gift card balance for a free $10

If you’re an Amazon Prime member who uses Amazon gift cards, you could be eligible for a free $10 for using to add $100 to your gift card balance. The offer is only available to Amazon Prime members using Amazon Reload for the first time, so not everyone is eligible. .

Get free $5 for adding a credit or debit card to Amazon Wallet

Some Amazon Prime members can get $5 for adding a valid, qualifying credit card or debit card to Amazon Wallet. . The offer is only valid for Visa, Amex or Discover credit or debit cards.

For more on Amazon’s October Prime Big Deal Days, learn how to prepare for Amazon’s October Prime Day and check out the best early Prime Big Deal Days deals to shop right now.

As the weather turns colder, many of us will be spending more time inside. And you can make sure your entertainment area is ready to go without breaking the bank. Right now Woot has slashed prices on new TVs — including impressive OLED models — and soundbars that can boost your audio experience by as much as 63%. These offers are available now through Oct. 9, while supplies last.

If you’re looking for a solid discount on a quality TV, Woot has you covered. You can grab the new 2023 LG C3 Series OLED in 48-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch sizes starting at $1,197. And your purchase comes with a free Visa gift card worth up to $400 in value. For example, the 65-inch model costs $1,797, but you’ll receive a gift card worth $250, so it’s essentially like you’re paying just $1,547 for this top-tier TV that CNET’s David Katzmaier says “sets the standard for high-end TV picture quality.”

Another OLED option is the Samsung S90C Series with Quantum HDR, Dolby Atmos, Object Tracking Sound Lite, built-in Alexa and a gaming hub. The 65-inch model is down to $1,730 — that’s an $868 savings. And for the lowest cost option in the sale, the 43-inch LG NanoCell 75 Series is down to $380 at Woot (save $140). This 4K TV has built-in Alexa and supports HDR, HDR10 and HLG. Plus, it has a Game Optimizer mode with auto low-latency mode, making it a good option for gamers on a budget.

And for audio, there are plenty of great options as well. You can grab the Yamaha SR-B20A soundbar with built-in subwoofers and DTS Virtual: X for $120 right now — that’s an $80 savings. And for an entire sound system to really give your entertainment space a theatrical boost, the 2023 Samsung HW-Q930C 9.1.4 channel system, which includes a wireless Dolby Atmos soundbar, a subwoofer and rear speakers, is a solid choice. It lists for $1,400, but Woot has slashed the price by 50%, so you can get your hands on this audio system for just $698. And something in between the two, Samsung’s HW-S801B Series 3.2.1 channel soundbar and subwoofer set is discounted by 63%, bringing the cost down from $900 to just $335. It has Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual: X, as well as built-in Alexa for convenient voice control.

There are plenty of other great options available as well, so be sure to shop the entire sale selection to find the right fit for your home.

The new flagships of the Pixel lineup, the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro, are nearly here, and Google fans are champing at the bit to get their hands on one. Preorders have launched and right now Amazon is sweetening the deal. Not only is the company slashing the price of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro by up to 25%, but it’s also adding a freebie onto your purchase. You’ll get a set of Pixel Buds Pro with the purchase of the base Pixel 8 or a new Pixel Watch 2 when you preorder the Pixel 8 Pro, absolutely free.

With new and exciting features such as an ultrawide camera with bigger and better sensor, a telephoto lens, and more, this new flagship lineup from Google seems like a solid upgrade for most people (though our full review is still in process). The company is also boasting its generous seven-year span of updates and support, which is two years longer than what the preceding lineup offered and longer than what most of Google’s top competitors offer as well.

You can preorder the base model of the Google Pixel 8 with128GB of storage for $699. It’ll come with a pair of Pixel Buds Pro at no extra charge, saving you $200. Or upgrade to the version with 256GB of storage for only $60 more, and you’ll still be able to get those free earbuds — now enhanced with better features.

And for folks who want to spring for the Pro, the 128GB model of the Google Pixel 8 Pro comes with a free Pixel Watch 2, the brand-new generation of Pixel’s popular smartwatch, for just $999, which saves you a total of $350. Or upgrade to the 256GB version for $60 more. There’s even a 512GB version available for $1,179.

The new Pixel phones will be released Oct. 12. Be sure to check out our roundup for more preorder deals on the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro.