Like many e-tailers, Overstock.com WAS good.
Written: May 06 '05 (Updated May 09 '05)
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| Full Review |
Good things all come to mediocrity, or so the saying goes.
There was a time when Overstock.com could be depended on to have very competitive online prices; sometimes the best. These days they just benchmark themselves against Amazon.com (which most of us know DOESN'T have the best prices online). I say this from more than four years of shopping experience with them.
Overstock.com no longer offers the deep 47% discounts (on average) that it used to offer on books. Items that I've recently received from them are now more like store seconds. Books now exhibit shelf-wear, scuffing, sometimes even box-cutter slashes. A refurbished stereo component looked more "used extensively" rather than refurbished. When I'm shopping just for myself, it sometime can be possible to sometimes overlook these defects. Not so if I'm shopping for a gift.
Examine their return policy and you'll note that they charge a $4.95 restocking fee per item or 15% of the cost of each item (whichever is more). It was easy to ignore that return policy when their goods were better. Up until a year ago, I never had to return an item. These days, it seems like every 3rd order needs to be returned for one reason or another.
The one advantage that they still have over some e-tailers is that they've managed to keep their shipping costs low. About $1.50 for one item and a little under $3.00 for all others. This works to the buyers advantage if you're ordering several items or if you live in a state with a high sales tax (like California). That advantage is beginning to erode as other e-tailers have begun to make large volume discount arrangements with their shippers.
But look carefully and you'll see that, with the general exception of books and CDs, Overstock.com recoups its shipping costs in the prices of its merchandise. Refurbished and new electronics are now being priced notably higher and that immediately wipes out its advantage in low shipping costs.
My advice in a nutshell? Use your own shopping savvy and continue to look for better deals. That's why you've been using ePinions. And don't buy prospective gifts from Overstock.com (since you don't know what condition your merchandise will be in) unless a 67% bet is good enough.
FatWallet.com has an excellent community board that highlights bargains. If you're looking for PC components, consider shopping at NewEgg.com or use PriceWatch.com to comparison shop. Looking for a good deal on books? AddAll.com comparison shops several bookstores (including Overstock.com) for you. And then, of course, there are PriceGrabber.com and Froogle.com.
I really had hoped that Overstock.com would have remained as I knew it years ago. I'm not abandoning them but I can't rely on them to always deliver like-new products at second-hand prices anymore. Now, if I'm buying books or CDs just for myself, I shop around and sometimes find better deals in under a minute at Half.com or Amazon.com Marketplace.
05/09/2005
While I appreciate Overstock.com's response to my review and their explanation of not having a "mark down plan", I read nothing concrete that addresses the matter of distressed merchandise being sold as new.
I would hope that they can improve but only time will tell if we will ever again see big discounts on new merchandise in new condition.
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Books, CDs, PC components, Electronics
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| Response To Review from Merchant |
Re: Like many e-tailers, Overstock.com WAS good.
May 09 '05
Dear Customer,
I Thank you for your review on our company. we take all of the information provided by our customers into serious consideration to ensure what we can do to make our products worth the time of shopping with us.
I apologize if you have had problems with your recent orders. I can assure you that we strive to bring the best quality at discount prices. I have documented the problems that you are having with your orders and have passed it onto the department that is over all of our media items.
Unlike many retailers, we don't have a "mark down plan" that begins by offering products at higher prices and then reducing them over time. Instead, we offer our products at the lowest price that we can as soon as we put them in our online store and our buyers are constantly reviewing the competition to ensure our prices are the lowest around. However, when the occasion arises that we do mark down a price, we also realize the need to be sensitive to previous purchases. Or, if you find a lower price at a qualified online merchant, we invite you to submit a Best Price Guarantee request. In these situations, we do offer customers a coupon for the price difference towards your next purchase when the request meets all the Best Price Guarantee or price change criteria. I can understand your frustration, however, please note that prices are subject to change without notification or obligation to purchases that do not meet the Best Price Guarantee criteria or time frame.
I would certainly encourage you to contact our help desk at ceooffice@overstock.com if this continues to be an area of concern. I hope that the issues that you have had will not deter you from taking advantage of the other items that we offer such as Home & Garden items at closeout prices.
Sincerely,
Wade H.
Escalation Specialist
Overstock.com
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About the Author
Location: Northern California
Reviews written: 20
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About Me: Ping me if you like hiking, camping, photography, and good cooking.
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