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I just purchased a new $1,000 camera, the Sony DSC-RX100M3. A major purchase I made 6 months ago was to upgrade my receiver with a Yamaha RX-A3020. With each purchase I made a different decision on where to buy.
With the receiver, I decided to purchase from Crutchfield due to price. When the new model came out (RX-A3030), the price of my unit dropped from around $2,100 to $1,400 at Crutchfield. I had purchased from them in the past and never had any issues. At the time they were the cheapest price I could find which swayed my decision.
With the camera, I decided to go with Sony direct. Since the price of this new camera is the same no matter where you purchase, I decided to skip the middle man and go direct, and also purchased Sony's extended warranty instead of Square Trade which was offered from B&H Photo, the other place I was thinking of purchasing this camera from. I could have gone down to Best Buy and purchased, but can't really say why I decided not to. I had read enough reviews about B&H that were both positive and negative, and got swayed by the negatives and went direct with Sony.
Since I am not always price driven, in which case I'd probably always go with Amazon because they are consistently the cheapest, it makes the purchasing decision more tedious just researching the where to buy.
When you are considering a major electronic purchase, how do you make your final decision on where to purchase from?
With most electronics, I expect to need zero assistance from the seller. So a local purchase per se has little value to me.
I have some sympathy to "buying local" because I'd like that money in the hands of people nearby instead of far away. If the price is the same, I'll buy local for just that reason.
I am not sure why you would by that camera from Sony. Most manufacturers are not as fast shipping as an Amazon. You also allowed Sony maximum profit on that camera since there was no Best Buy or Amazon involved. That is neither good or bad by itself, but I like the idea that Amazon or Best Buy or Walmart could have made some of the profit instead.
I buy a lot from Amazon though. With free 2 day shipping, it is just less hassle and often cheaper to buy from Amazon. I don't often need something TODAY - 2 days is usually good enough.
With most electronics, I expect to need zero assistance from the seller. So a local purchase per se has little value to me.
I have some sympathy to "buying local" because I'd like that money in the hands of people nearby instead of far away. If the price is the same, I'll buy local for just that reason.
I am not sure why you would by that camera from Sony. Most manufacturers are not as fast shipping as an Amazon. You also allowed Sony maximum profit on that camera since there was no Best Buy or Amazon involved. That is neither good or bad by itself, but I like the idea that Amazon or Best Buy or Walmart could have made some of the profit instead.
I buy a lot from Amazon though. With free 2 day shipping, it is just less hassle and often cheaper to buy from Amazon. I don't often need something TODAY - 2 days is usually good enough.
A concur with feelings on buying local, although the big box stores aren't local IMO. The price of the camera was identical everywhere including Sony direct so I wasn't concerned about a price bump up, and I felt more comfortable getting an OEM warranty than a 3rd part one. Plus, Sony shipped as fast as Amazon Prime and the camera is out for delivery today.
For whatever reason, and a rare one, this camera sold for same price across the board, including Amazon. I bought direct, and can deal direct with any issues if they occur.
I'm a price shopper so I'll go with where ever it's the cheapest and authorized dealer. For electronics, don't assume that a particular online store is an authorized dealer, just because they carry the item. Many online stores that aren't authorized dealers, you won't get any protection from the manufacturer if the item breaks down.
I have bought electronics all over, both online and local stores. It just depends on the price. There are more risks buying heavy or big items online due to the shipping cost it requires for refund or exchange. I bought a cheap vacuum from Amazon. Hated it and I ended up donating it instead of returning it for a refund. Wasn't worth the hassle. I bought a subwoofer directly from a manufacturer online. When it broke, I had to pay $60 to ship it back to the manufacturer.
When I purchased my speakers for my home theater, I bought it directly from the manufacturer and the shipping was $500 for the first set, $400 for the second set. So, yeah, I spent $900 on shipping. That was kinda tough to swallow just for shipping.
Just received my mattress a week ago from US Mattress. It was much cheaper than I could get it locally. Took the risk. Worth the savings but buying a mattress untested is a huge risk, but a risk I was willing to take. It came with free shipping.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I will consider the price, trust for the supplier, speed of getting it if in a hurry, taxes, and shipping charges, if any. Once we have decided on the item to buy we do plenty of additional research before deciding where to buy it. The last big electronic item we bought was an I-Pad, and with their standard pricing the store was easier to decide, we stopped at Best Buy in Portland, Oregon on the way to California (on vacation) to save about $70 in sales tax. In the case of a new refrigerator that retails for $2,800, we were waiting for president's Day to check the big sales, but happened to see one on Clearance at Home Depot for $999 while buying lawn moss killer so that made the decision quick and easy.
Amazon has bent over backwards for me to the point where I prefer to do business with them. Ebay if buying used I find I'll end up buying other's problems sometimes so I stick to major online retailers.
I bought my home theater system from newegg and 60 inch samsung from Amazon. Now I'm looking to upgrade my PL-200 subwoofer to something like a Rythmik LV12R and will order this online.
Depends on what it is. I've purchase several pair of headphones (earbuds) recently, from Best Buy, because I was not sure that I would be able to use them (most fall out of my ears while running or working out - which is what I want them for). So I wanted to buy them from a local store that accepts returns easily. A Garmin GPS was just purchased there too, just in case I had problems with it. I ended up returning 3 pair of headphones - easily done at my local BB.
Something like a receiver though - unless the one I want is available locally at a good price, I will buy online. Speakers, subs, etc, online. Newegg, Tiger...lots of good retailers online. TV...hard to say. My 2 were purchased at BB or H.H.Greg. A DSLR camera? No problem ordering from Abes or Smile...or B&H photo. A small inexpensive camera? BB or Amazon.
03-14-2015, 11:04 AM
i7pXFLbhE3gq
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Depends on the product.
Computers - usually order, though I did buy my Mac Mini from a local Apple Store
TV/receiver/etc - get it at Best Buy
Special things like quality headphones - order online because they can't be purchased locally (at least not without paying an insane markup)
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