CompUSA has gone through several iterations since its heyday as a national big-box IT chain.
Following its liquidation in 2007, the business was bought in a bankruptcy sale by Systemax, which gave it the old college try before abandoning retail altogether.
See: Systemax To Acquire CompUSA
Now the brand has been resurrected once again, this time as the faceplate for a sales referral site for consumers run by DealCentral, which collects a small commission from participating vendors and retailers for every completed purchase. Owner Yishai Grossman said he’s culled seasoned “deal hunters” from other shopping platforms like Slickdeals, eBates and FatWallet, and is populating the revived CompUSA.com with product reviews and other descriptive content.
“This is the first online electronics community of its kind, offering all information and deals on one amazing platform,” he wrote in an email.
Product categories span the gamut of consumer tech, including TVs, PCs and video games, although the odd table saw also appears in the mix.
As of this writing, the site’s landing page is dominated by a review of Scosche’s BoomBottle MM Bluetooth speaker (it scored a 4.5 out of 5), plus deals for 10 percent off everything on eBay, refurbished Apple AirPods from Newegg for $89.99, and a chest cooler from The Home Depot for $9.97.
“I’m really excited about the steps we are taking to prepare for Black Friday and the holiday season,” Grossman said.
With its latest revival, CompUSA joins the ranks of other tech retail legacy badges like the drone-dominated hhgregg and the long-percolating Circuit City, whose latest owners hope to leverage the properties’ perceived brand equity for another go of it online.
