Online BTO vendors

[TheIntruder]

I'm planning to order a 27" iMac with pure SSD storage.

Inexplicably, Apple doesn't stock such configurations in their Stores and requires them to be ordered and shipped to store or home.

If I'm gonna do that, I might as well choose a vendor who won't charge me sales tax, and then apply that to a RAM upgrade. Tax also levels the playing field with regard to new vs. Apple refurb.

Adorama and B&H are the most well-known. I've never ordered from either one, but my impression is that the latter has fewer complaints, so they are the current favorite.

There are others like Expercom and PowerMax. Anyone else to consider?

 

[Fishrrman]

If you are outside of California, try portableone.com.

No financial connection here, just a satisfied buyer (along with a couple of friends, as well).
They list some "build-to-order" configurations on their web pages.
Perhaps a phone call could verify if what you're looking for is in stock.

 

[chscag]

I highly recommend B&H in NY. I've ordered from them numerous times and have always been satisfied. No tax outside NY and NJ, and fast delivery. Besides... they carry just about any configuration you could ask for with an iMac. There is one thing to keep in mind though... Only Apple can sell you Apple Care Plus. B&H and others do not sell it.

 

[velocityg4]

Look at Macmall. Good old time catalog reseller. I used them all the time back in the day. They offer some small discounts or bundles sometimes. I still got one of their catalogs from 1994. Only $280 for a 540MB HDD!

One of my clients uses Smalldog.com exclusively. You can custom order through them. He had problems with his Mac Pro. They were very responsive and treated him right. I think the BTO price was also less than Apple charges. They are more for small business. Where you have a specific account representative who is your point of contact.

I don't know either's stances on Sales Tax. It probably depends on if you are in the same state as them.

 

[TheIntruder]

Thanks all for the tips. Been hobbled by a bug, so shopping for a new Mac has been on the back burner for a couple weeks.

Almost forgot about Smalldog. They've been around a long time. I wonder if they're still tossing in little doggies with their shipments.