Shopping On Line??

[hershon]

I totally disagree with the above post by cashiz if in fact you can get a warranty from the manufacturer. I've never had trouble getting that & its usually in most sealed items. All you have to do is ask the seller to verify this. But if you can't get a manufacturer's warranty then I in fact agree with cashiz, don't get it online. In regards to helping out the "little guys" as opposed to helping yourself, you think they'd help you pay the bills? As I said, if you save after shipping 30% or more (or 25% on higher priced items) and you can buy from a reliable source online, you'd be a fool not too as long as you're willing to go through a little hassle like waiting time, for it to arrive.

I always tend to lean towards the convenience of a local retail as stated before because of alot less hassle if any warranty issues should arise. For example I purchased a receiver locally and had trouble right away, took it back and all was resolved in about an hour of my time as oppossed to several weeks and perhaps more money out of my pocket. Working for a small local business I make every effort to contribute to the "little" guys as much as possible. (although sometimes the idea of saving some cash means I'll take my chances). You may want to check out crutchfields outlet, you can catch some deals there from time to time with full manufacturers warranties on everything. And no I dont work for them

[cashlz]

The point I was trying to make is that if it means I pay say 5%-10% more (depending upon total dollar amount) to help support the local businesses then I will. I dont know how much your time is worth to you hershon but to me its not worth the headache of fighting shipping and waiting if there is a warranty issue. How often have you ever been reimbursed for return shipping a defective item? I know for a fact J and R doesnt do it. I also stated that there are acceptions to this and that there are times where the savings are significant enough to make it worth while. Are the little guys going to pay my bills? No. Are the people who shop at their local "little guys" going to pay my bills.Yes.
cashlz

[HokieVT]

I do everything online. There is more variety.

[Eric Z]

Here's my $.02- I only buy online if the deal is absolutely amazing (>35%) and it's an authorized dealer. The interesting thing is that you will very rarely find that type of a deal. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. My wife bought a few non-audio equipment things online from a store that had a good price. When we received the box, the contents were broken- she tried to contact the online store and they went out of business the next week! Luckily, American Express reimbursed us.

If you find a good retailer, they will work with you on the price. For example, I was shopping for a Yamaha 650/5760 receiver and saw them online for around $300 (msrp is $499). The online dealer wasn't authorized so my local retailer wouldn't match the price. However, what he did do was sell me the floor model for $325. Cashlz made a good point- this way I can return it/exchange it with ease and bring it right to their store if there are any issues with it!!

I'm all for shopping at the local, privately owned shops- I admire how they compete with the corporate, mass market retailers. Remember, if your local retailer really wants your business, they should be able to cut you some type of deal. Just think about what the ease of returning and exchanging is worth to you in dollars and go from there. The thing I hate about the huge, corporate retailers is how they are so impersonal and non-flexible.

I remember when I was shopping for a TV years ago at Best Buy- Sears had it for $75 less, but they were out of stock, so I went to BB to see if they would match the price. They said they can only match the price if I had an advertisement with the sale price. There wasn't an ad since it was Sears' regular price. They wouldn't even call them or look online- needless to say, I didn't buy the TV from BB.

I do agree with HokieVT about the variety online- that's hard to beat!

Regardless of what you decide, make sure you enjoy what your doing. Remember, this is a hobby and we're supposed to enjoy it!

Good luck!
Eric

[hershon]

First off I'm not defending Best Buy but if in fact they truely wouldn't match a price for you, which is the store motto, you would have had grounds for a great legal suit. Best Buy or any of the large chains are not stupid or obnoxious enough to attempt that. Personally most of the people who work in Best Buy are morons but if you know what you want ahead of time without having to ask them about the product, they're a great place to shop. Same as Circuit City. Some of these chains have online sites where prices on their products differ from what is sold in their retail stores. The Chain store will give you the lower of the 2 prices.

If you have the choice to shop at a chain/"name store"store or a "little guy store", you'd be a total fool, if money were a factor, to buy at the "little guy store" over the chain/"name store". The chain/"name store" store is basically obligated to give you the lowest price being offered locally and will refund the difference, with proof, if in fact you paid more, on a 14-30 day period. Nobody in their right mind seeks to negotiate prices in a store if they can buy the same item at the guaranteed low price from a chain store/"name store".

Your philosophy of 35% sounds reasonable to me (I have a 25-30% after shipping philosophy) but I don't agree with your too good to be true, probably is, philosophy.
I have bought some items at totally amazing prices from (authorized) dealers (who had decent online feedback) at these prices. IE, on Amazon for example, you could see a variance of price on a receiver of several hundreds of dollars between one seller and another for a sealed item. The same on Ebay. In a bunch of these cases, they're selling an excellent product that say, may have been replaced by a "newer model" which is why they've gone down so much in price, but the item is a great deal for the customer.

The best advice is to just use common sense and your gut instinct.

Here's my $.02- I only buy online if the deal is absolutely amazing (>35%) and it's an authorized dealer. The interesting thing is that you will very rarely find that type of a deal. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. My wife bought a few non-audio equipment things online from a store that had a good price. When we received the box, the contents were broken- she tried to contact the online store and they went out of business the next week! Luckily, American Express reimbursed us.

If you find a good retailer, they will work with you on the price. For example, I was shopping for a Yamaha 650/5760 receiver and saw them online for around $300 (msrp is $499). The online dealer wasn't authorized so my local retailer wouldn't match the price. However, what he did do was sell me the floor model for $325. Cashlz made a good point- this way I can return it/exchange it with ease and bring it right to their store if there are any issues with it!!

I'm all for shopping at the local, privately owned shops- I admire how they compete with the corporate, mass market retailers. Remember, if your local retailer really wants your business, they should be able to cut you some type of deal. Just think about what the ease of returning and exchanging is worth to you in dollars and go from there. The thing I hate about the huge, corporate retailers is how they are so impersonal and non-flexible.

I remember when I was shopping for a TV years ago at Best Buy- Sears had it for $75 less, but they were out of stock, so I went to BB to see if they would match the price. They said they can only match the price if I had an advertisement with the sale price. There wasn't an ad since it was Sears' regular price. They wouldn't even call them or look online- needless to say, I didn't buy the TV from BB.

I do agree with HokieVT about the variety online- that's hard to beat!

Regardless of what you decide, make sure you enjoy what your doing. Remember, this is a hobby and we're supposed to enjoy it!

Good luck!
Eric

[Eric Z]

Good points, Hershon!

I'm not trying to get something for nothing by suing them. Too many people these days just want to sue over anything. What would I have sued for, the $75 price difference, haha- that makes me laugh. As a consumer, I can opt to shop wherever I wish- even if I want to spend a little more money to receive better, more personal customer service!

It's a catch 22 though because if you have complaints, it can sometimes be easier to express your concern to these larger companies because they have much deeper pockets.

Bottom line for Juneaudrey- just make sure you know the online store is in good standing with the BBB and has positive feedback. Additionally, make sure you know the consequences if they aren't authorized and you are familiar with the return policy.

Good luck!

[hershon]

If you want to spend more money Eric, that is your right, but most people I know prefer to save money and buy the same product at the cheapest price possible. For whatever experience you said you had at Best Buy, I would call that a super exception to the rule if it in fact it happened the way you said, as these chain stores could not stay in business with a reputation as shady dealers who don't honor their store policy on matching the lowest price. Personally, I would never rely on any technical advice or recommendations from anyone who works in Best Buy and to a somewhat lessor degree Circuit City, as these people are generally, there are exceptions to this, total morons. I would rely on information from this board, internet searches for reviews & higher end stores for recommendations on things like TV's, receivers, speakers, etc. when chosing what to buy but I'd use Best Buy, Circuit City or other chains or online placesto buy the product at the cheapest price once you know what you want to buy. Again use common sense and your gut instinct.