Amazon--not always the cheapest.

P

Packard

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2020
Messages
4,752
I was reminded today by an ad that was emailed to me by AMAZON.COM that they are not always the cheapest guys in town. 

These brass stair stops are $9.53 for the pair.  I saw them yesterday for $5.00 per pair at Lowes.  They are not the same brand.  The Amazon.com version is by General Tool, and the Lowes' version was from Swanson Tool, but also solid brass and visually identical.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004T7P7?ref=em_1p_2_ti&ref_=pe_4671060_603941550
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Swanson-To...VCODICh3buwJDEAQYASABEgLyWvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 
Often times Amazon bundles in the shipping charge into the product price. Most people don't realize this.
 
No merchants, online or physical, exist that sell everything at the lowest prices compared to others.

Most of the time when I buy something from Amazon as a last resort, it's either because its prices (including shipping, but it's free in most cases) are significantly lower, or because I can't find any local supplier which carries it. Examples include some electrical gadgets, hardware, non-standard batteries, and books.

Some online sources may have a lower price for something I want, but I prefer to deal with vendors, like Amazon, that I'm familiar with. Between online purchases and physical shopping, I prefer the former, and that's why I have all of my woodworking-related orders placed with my local merchants that meet their free shipping criterion shipped to me. That accounts for about 90% in dollar amount or 50% in quantity of my total shop purchases.
 
DynaGlide said:
Often times Amazon bundles in the shipping charge into the product price. Most people don't realize this.
Click to expand...

well, a little further down it is obvious there are less expensive versions...

 

Attachments

  • Capture7.PNG
    Capture7.PNG
    361.8 KB · Views: 290
Sometimes I get lazy and simply buy from Amazon without checking other vendors.  Most often that is a safe bet if it says "ships and sold by AMAZON". 

With third-party resellers, that is not a reasonable approach, even on Amazon.com.

I shop often at the warehouse store (BJ's, mostly).  And they are not always the cheapest around either.

 
Packard said:
Sometimes I get lazy and simply buy from Amazon without checking other vendors.  Most often that is a safe bet if it says "ships and sold by AMAZON". 

With third-party resellers, that is not a reasonable approach, even on Amazon.com.

I shop often at the warehouse store (BJ's, mostly).  And they are not always the cheapest around either.
Click to expand...

If you have a Costco nearby give them a try, they actually lose money on what they sell. Also a very generous return policy.
 
To shop at Costco, one needs to be a member. A member can buy gift cards for non-members to shop there, but "non-members must register for a one-day shopping pass at the Membership Counter each time they access a warehouse to use a Costco Shop Card."

Two items that no one beats Costco: Gas prices are the lowest in most (all?) cities, and its super tasty and super cheap rotisserie chickens are still $7.99 Cdn ($4.99 US) each. Their hot dog meals and tire deals are also hard to beat.
 
IF you had to ship those things from Lowes, there is a $5.99 shipping charge. So not exactly apples to apples comparison.

Although I do agree that shopping around can usually get you a reputable vendor with an overall lower price.

Ron
 
Packard said:
Sometimes I get lazy and simply buy from Amazon without checking other vendors. 

Snip.
Click to expand...

I always check prices AND quantity among my local vendors online before I head out. If one vendor shows only a small quantity of the item I want is available, I don't go there even if its price is slightly lower, because experience tells me that most vendors' inventory systems are off slightly. It'd most likely be a wasted trip, and in the end, it'd cost me more time (and money in terms of gas) to go to another vendor that may not be nearby.
 
rvieceli said:
IF you had to ship those things from Lowes, there is a $5.99 shipping charge. So not exactly apples to apples comparison.

Although I do agree that shopping around can usually get you a reputable vendor with an overall lower price.

Ron
Click to expand...

If I went to Lowe's, it would cost me $6 in fuel plus about 30 minutes each way. If I didn't 'need it now' I would order from whoever was cheapest including shipping.

You have to watch out on Amazon for vendors. Some times the price is inflated and they try to catch people who don't shop around, including looking at better prices on Amazon for the same item. When I buy on Amazon I try to get items sold and fulfilled by Amazon and not some third party with an Amazon storefront. The exception might be a manufacturer who has a store on Amazon.
 
"Sold & fulfilled by Amazon" is not something I pay attention to as I consider user feedback more important. However, I did have to go for "Sold & fulfilled by Amazon" items only (which by the way is different from "Fulfilled by Amazon) one time when I was given an Amazon Welcome Offer, worth $50. I could only use that to buy items that were sold & fulfilled by Amazon.

On the whole, I find buying from Amazon just as safe and user-friendly as shopping with eBay...with the practice of checking the seller's ratings/user feedback first. With some five hundred transactions done through these two platforms, I have had only two or three unsatisfactory experiences, which fared far better than that of dealing with brick-and mortar businesses. 
 
Is it really that important to get everything at the lowest price?

I think we as consumers should put more thought about who do we give our money too.

I prefer to pay a few bucks more at my local stores, even if they are Home Depot or Lowes, than buying at Amazon. Environmental cost of free shipping should be considered too.

I use Amazon for research and last resort only.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
slavi.yordanov said:
Is it really that important to get everything at the lowest price?

I think we as consumers should put more thought about who do we give our money too.

Snip.
Click to expand...

Not everything, but price is always an important factor for an average consumer. So is value for a lot of people, which may include service. There's no simple answer to how best to spend one's money.

 
Is there anyone who also had an experience like a funny,

I checked for the type of clothes and there was an apart of a joke,
The price of the product it's okay but the shipping price was three times more than the product price.

Yes, it's funny from Amazone as per my experiments  ;)
 
slavi.yordanov said:
Environmental cost of free shipping should be considered too.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I'm pretty certain that the goods you buy at your local store were shipped there as well and since you drive a round trip to pick them up the environmental impact of shipping is a wash between Amazon and local retailers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

I
Just bought the TPC and I have a question for PDC and TPC Quadrive owners
Replies
4
Views
2K
idratherplaytennis
I
Back
Top