Mac n00b / Switcher tip: Where to Buy Cheap Apple Hardware

If you're new to Mac and looking to spare your wallet even more than the $499 price tag on the Mac mini, there are several places you can look.  First off,
nothing from Apple can ever really be cheap; however, it can be inexpensive. . . . At least when compared to the full-priced model. For the most part, any Authorized Apple Reseller has to stick to the prices that Apple sets, so if you find a deal too good to be true from some vendor you've never heard of, then it probably is too good to be true.

Buy the best and newest Mac you can afford. I advise against buying used. If you want to go the used Apple route,
then make sure the seller on ebay is highly rated and read all the fine print. Apples retain their value rather nicely and you can often sell them online for more than you would expect; but this also means that buying used rarely makes sense.

The first place to look is on the online Apple Store. Scroll down the page and look for a red tag that reads "SAVE."  Click on that link, and you'll be taken to a page containing returned and refurbished Apples that for whatever reason have been sent back to Apple after purchase, either for repair or exchange, and have gone through Apple repair, testing, and / or recertification.  This means they are usually cheaper, sometimes by a couple of hundred dollars, and still carry the full Apple warranty. I've bought numerous machines this way and cannot recommend it highly enough.  Usually, if a first launch of a new machine has a known problem / defect that Apple acknowledges, you can find models that have exhibited this problem and been fixed by Apple for sale here, so you don't have to worry about the problem popping up on your new purchase.

Also, when buying from the Apple Store don't buy their RAM.  It is insanely
over-priced.  There are several places online where you can get dependable Mac-compatible RAM at lower prices.
Google it.

Next, if you have an Apple Retail Store nearby, head over there.  The Apple Store in the Westchester in New York, for example, often has a table near the registers containing returned, refurbished, and opened items for sale at a reduced price.  Next, check out some of the leading online vendors to see if they have any special deals. 
For example, Small Dog Electronics often has some pretty good deals.  Last but not least, watch dealmac for special deals to be found around the web.

Good luck and happy shopping.