Online Is Not Always Cheaper...

[Huntn]

Case in point: Royal 1600MX-16 Sheet Crosscut Shredder found at Amazon.com.

Listed retail price: $199.99
Amazon Price: $141.79 sold by The Shops with free shipping
Sam's Price: $99

Make no assumptions about Amazon or Sams.

 

[12vElectronics]

This has been true for a long time actually. Amazon's prices aren't that cheap anymore. Lots of stuff you can find in store is the same, cheaper, or just slightly more than online (and bonus, you get it now!).

Funny story: Had a customer looking at a product and asked me if he was going to find it cheaper on Amazon. I looked it up and it turned out to be MORE expensive on Amazon (with a WORSE warranty). I told him, hey, want me to match Amazons price ?

 

[kazmac]

Amazon is overpriced for most things now and the rate at which they change prices is ridiculous.

So I agree, Online is not always cheaper.

 

[12vElectronics]

Amazon is overpriced for most things now and the rate at which they change prices is ridiculous.

So I agree, Online is not always cheaper.

Yup it'll take a while before the majority get out of that mindset though.

 

[0007776]

Yup it'll take a while before the majority get out of that mindset though.

Even if the majority of people start thinking that it is more expensive to buy things online they will probably still be happy to pay more so they don't have to get up off their chair and go to an actual store.

 

[Don't panic]

Case in point: Royal 1600MX-16 Sheet Crosscut Shredder found at Amazon.com.

Listed retail price: $199.99
Amazon Price: $141.79 sold by The Shops with free shipping
Sam's Price: $99

Make no assumptions about Amazon or Sams.

true

not only is Amazon often not cheaper than actual physical stores, but it is often more expensive than the online brand store, for the exact same product.

things have gotten a lot worse since amazon has expanded the third party stores through their website. some are just plain ripoffs.

but in many cases it is in fact slightly cheaper or the same price than buying directly form the online vendor, and this allows to avoid shipping costs (with prime) and or to avoid disseminating your credit card info to more and more vendors, who might be less secure

 

[12vElectronics]

Even if the majority of people start thinking that it is more expensive to buy things online they will probably still be happy to pay more so they don't have to get up off their chair and go to an actual store.

Good point, but as far as I and my friends are concerned, if we can get the product for the same price today in store than we can online, we'd rather get it in store. Not everyone has prime and without it, it's still a good 5 business days for us to get packages from Amazon.

 

[0007776]

Good point, but as far as I and my friends are concerned, if we can get the product for the same price today in store than we can online, we'd rather get it in store. Not everyone has prime and without it, it's still a good 5 business days for us to get packages from Amazon.

I would feel the same way about going and getting it in the store and getting it right away, but I would be surprised if the majority of people felt that way.

 

[Huntn]

Even if the majority of people start thinking that it is more expensive to buy things online they will probably still be happy to pay more so they don't have to get up off their chair and go to an actual store.

There are pros and cons in both directions.

Now that my state is collecting taxes from Amazon, that is one less incentive for Amazon. If the price is better with Amazon, with Prime, it's a clear win as long as you know what you want and don't mind waiting 2 days for it.

The advantage for local purchase, is if you are not sure what you want, need to see products in person, need it today, or if the price is better. Some have called me cheap, but in my OP I discovered the value of a 15 sheet $99 shredder in comparison to a 6 sheet, $29 Amazon basic shredder, which is not adequate IMO for even light shredding. Four sheets and it would bog down as if it was an excessive load. Even the Amazon brand shredder comparable to the Roayal shredder I bought was $15 more. Might as well hoof it to the local store and have it now.

Of note, when it comes to paper shredders, you'll get more life out of them if they have manual on buttons. The last two I've owned broke when the auto sensor stopped working, while the motor was still functional (at least functional in reverse). Of course you'd not have to mind having it run constantly when hard core shredding. I really don't care for the compact shredders. I don't believe they don't have the makings of long term functionality.

 

[Carlanga]

Case in point: Royal 1600MX-16 Sheet Crosscut Shredder found at Amazon.com.

Listed retail price: $199.99
Amazon Price: $141.79 sold by The Shops with free shipping
Sam's Price: $99

Make no assumptions about Amazon or Sams.

1) The amz seller of that item is a 3rd party not AMZ itself (amz as the seller has not sold the item in the current link). You can think of a 3rd party like any other random store
2) Sams and Costco are most of the time cheaper than any store since most items are in bulk and you are paying for the membership.
3) Most of the time items sold by amz will be cheaper or as cheap as the B&M like BestBuy, Sears, Home Depot, etc. The proliferation of links of items by 3rd party sellers can cause confusion on amz as the seller pricing, sometimes I see 2-3 pages w the same item and only one of them has amz as the seller.
4) I share both my memberships for Sams and Costco ( So I pay around $40-50 a year for both total) and I also have Prime (I use tv shows from amz as my 'cable'), in between those three I have not had to go to any store to get items except some produce at the supermarket and have saved a lot even after the membership fees.

 

[macmacguy]

1) The amz seller of that item is a 3rd party not AMZ itself (amz as the seller has not sold the item in the current link). You can think of a 3rd party like any other random store

Exactly.

 

[malman89]

Doesn't Best Buy price match Amazon as well? I'm sure there's other stores out there that do, but that's the biggest one I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[shinji]

Doesn't Best Buy price match Amazon as well? I'm sure there's other stores out there that do, but that's the biggest one I can think of off the top of my head.

Yeah, they do, as long as the seller is Amazon.com and not a third party.

 

[localoid]

Of note, when it comes to paper shredders, you'll get more life out of them if they have manual on buttons. ...

I've heard some people claim that organic paper shredders hold up well, usually for about 15 years or so, despite not having manual controls.

 

[Melrose]

Lavazza Coffee: (far superior to Starbucks Sumatra I was so long accustomed to!)

Tops (crappy, dirty supermarket in the NE US): $5.99 for 12oz. To be fair, this was on sale and usually it's like $10.99... hence why I emptied the shelf of Bold.

Amazon: >$20 ...but holy moly free shipping! Oh lawd!

 

[Huntn]

I've heard some people claim that organic paper shredders hold up well, usually for about 15 years or so, despite not having manual controls.

View attachment 497984

Would you rather have a 6x10x17 box or a herd of goats and their droppings in you office?

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Lavazza Coffee: (far superior to Starbucks Sumatra I was so long accustomed to!)

Tops (crappy, dirty supermarket in the NE US): $5.99 for 12oz. To be fair, this was on sale and usually it's like $10.99... hence why I emptied the shelf of Bold.

Amazon: >$20 ...but holy moly free shipping! Oh lawd!

Was the Amazon offering from Amazon or a third party?

 

[Melrose]

Would you rather have a 6x10x17 box or a herd of goats and their droppings in you office?

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Was the Amazon offering from Amazon or a third party?

No, no it was on Amazon with Prime shipping. Pretty sure it wasn't FBA.

 

[Roller]

true

not only is Amazon often not cheaper than actual physical stores, but it is often more expensive than the online brand store, for the exact same product.

things have gotten a lot worse since amazon has expanded the third party stores through their website. some are just plain ripoffs.

but in many cases it is in fact slightly cheaper or the same price than buying directly form the online vendor, and this allows to avoid shipping costs (with prime) and or to avoid disseminating your credit card info to more and more vendors, who might be less secure

I still shop on Amazon often, but it's a mixed bag. The worst trend is that for many things there are too many options for an identical item. Apple cables and chargers are a case in point. Amazon often lists ten or more that vary widely in price. Read the comments and they say everything from "worked as expected" to "a cheap copy ripoff" for the same item. For that reason I sometimes prefer to visit a local store where I can see what I'm buying.