On Internet Commerce
Dear Shoppers,
We all know that Internet Commerce has revolutionized the way that people spend their money. I am here to preach to you now about online retailers. No matter what you are looking for online, there will be multiple places that sell the item. Some will charge more, some less, but there will be an average price. Do not be lured in by the lowest price sites. Some of them are shady retailers dealing in gray market goods. Gray market items are products that have been purchased outside of their respective distribution channels and sold elsewhere to undercut the competition. For example, electronics in Japan and China cost far below what they do in the US. These items would be purchased in Japan and sold in the US below the current US market value but above what the seller paid for it. The goods aren’t illegal, thats Black market.
Which leads me to my point. Know your retailer. The biggest companies in the business got that way for a reason. Newegg, one of my favorite online retailers, typically ships my product within 24 hours and I have yet to have any issues with the service that they provide me. Was their price the cheapest? Sometimes, but not always. Did I consider buying from www.bargincomputer.com? No, cause its a linkfarm, but if it was a retailer, spending 10 dollars more to know that I will recieve my order on time with no hassle is completely worth it.
It may appear as though I am shutting down the little guy. By no means is that what I am trying to say. Do your homework. Read store reviews and if you feel comfortable enough, purchase from them. Frozencpu.com is another site that I purchase a lot of things from and they have always given me a pleasant experience as well. Based in Rochester NY, they are far smaller than Newegg. They also have a much smaller market to cater to.
That being said, lets hope that the CD player and Sirius tuner I just bought for 200 dollars less than it would have cost me on Crutchfield (typically overpirced anyway) arrives here in a reasonable ammount of time. And with its serial numbers intact.