Home of the Norms and the Nerds
Written: Oct 14 '05
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Like I said in my Ebay review, you don't always find what you want (although they do have many weird things..). I recently broke up with my ex boyfriend of 4 years, I think I deserve a treat =) That FF figure toy wasn't enough. No, my appetite for things are growing larger. In this case, I want to have my own digital camera, but it will be better than ANY of the digital cameras that everyone I know has.
I wanted a 7 MP camera with optical zoom. I was recommended by a friend to Newegg.com when I could not find a good one in Ebay. After searching through the site, I finally found what I wanted: a silver Samsung 7 MP camera. It looks small and it looks good. It comes with a price tag of about $270, not including a $5 shipping/handling.
Was it worth it? Is this online store really the cheapest around when it comes to electronics?
Home of the Norms and the Nerds
When you first arrive at the frontpage, you are immediately introduced to "today's special" that begin and end at a certain period of time. These specials may include bundles of extra things or rebates, and they can be anything from cameras to printers to whatever. My only problem with this is
1. Usually the item that is on sale is not desirable and seemingly 'cheap' in my case, a 5 MP camera for $300. It comes with rebates. However, I want to spent that $300 on a better quality camera, not lesser.
2. It is desirable but very expensive. It may come in rebates or instant savings, but is it worth spending about $500-$1000 on an item just because it has rebates?
These sale items are useful for those who wanted any type of buy that suits their needs in addition of rebates. But for me, I wanted quality and I do not want to pay too much for it. For customers like me, sales items are basically useless. I need to dig deep. I need to find my dream camera.
When it comes to searching in Newegg.com, it can be unpleasant. Perhaps it's my PC, but every time I click to go somewhere, it takes a long time. The strange thing is, this never happens in Ebay or other websites I surf. Perhaps this may be due to heavy traffic in the site? Who knows. Either way, I found it frustrating having to wait for it to load. If you have a PC that has a low RAM or dial-up, this can be a nuisance to you.
If you don't know exactly what you are looking for, there is a cool feature in Newegg that will help you. For example, I want that 7 MP camera but I do not know what brand or where to look for it. So, I clicked on one of the categories and then click on "digital cameras." There is an advanced search that allows you to search for what EXACTLY you are looking for. In my example, I did not change the brand (The brand can be Sony, HP, etc.) but only the Pixels area to the range of 7-7.9. Also, I did not want to spend too much money so my max amount to spend is up to $300. You do not have to put a min amount.
The max and min amount feature is really useful, especially for those with an impulse to buy before double-checking their budget. Once you limit yourself to what you can or cannot buy according to your max amount, this limits your selection also. Like my old training instructor said, "What you don't see, you will not miss it." If you don't see the $1000 camera that you wanted, you will not miss it when you don't buy it. Remember your budget and what you are buying the item for: professional work or just for fun.
Once you found your item, make sure you check everything. There are ratings and reviews of other customers that may be helpful to you, but do not let that deter you from buying (More on that later). Make sure to read and find that the item will satisfy your needs. Most importantly, check the requirements and compatibility. PLEASE, check it! I work for an electronic store, and I can't tell you how many times customers come back returning software and certain electronics because it "won't work." Of course it won't, it is not compatible! This can also happen in Newegg, but worse. You may have to pay for shipping/handling plus restocking fee, and wait for days or weeks until the problem is resolved. Some items may work for MAC, some items may work for PC, or some are a mixture of both. Do not get them confused.
*Note: Software may be your biggest issue. In most retail stores, once opened, softwares are worthless for the most part regardless if it works on your computer or not. Many stores will not accept it back or will only exchange for the same item. This may also go for Newegg, but do doublecheck with them. To save yourself time and frustration, check everything!*
Remember, it is your responsibility as a customer to know what you are getting before buying. Look at the picture of the item. Some items come with multiple pictures which are very helpful. In my case, I always check the pictures and see what kind of extra things it comes along: USB cable, disc, and a battery-charger. Because Newegg provided these pictures, they must give me these items along with the camera. There is also another way, which is to read at the bottom where it says "contents" or something like that. But there is a problem. Example,
One of the reviews I read from one of the customer was about the contents. He stated he never received his battery-charger and only the AA batteries, although the site specifically states there will be a battery-charger. This is understandable, and assume to be currently fixed by Newegg. However, by looking at the pictures provided, there was no battery-charger. In his case, there may be two situations
1. Although the site stated to provide the charger, he never received it. This is very similar to what I had dealt with a couple of weeks ago. A man came in with a disc in his hand, stating it was the wrong disc coming from a new printer he bought and wants to exchange for another disc. Well, if it's a brandnew printer, it couldn't have been a wrong one. This became a problem that took both manager and the customer's time and frustration. There are more tales similar to this, with customer stating we sold them the wrong accessory although it was brandnew...most are very dishonest.
2. Newegg refuse to send the charger unless the customer pays for extra shipping/handling. Or they may send it because they are that nice =)
Like I said, watch what you read. These are people we are dealing with, so human errors are not uncommon. People make mistake, please understand that. But if Newegg provided pictures, then you have good sense of security--and proof--of what you are getting.
After you found what you wanted, time to check out! There are many options to shipping/handling. Please keep in mind, if you pay for fast shipping (i.e. same day or tomorrow), there is a possibility of a delay. These types of shippings depend on the airlines, when they are coming to your area. However, overall, it is dependable. I choose FedEx Save Express, which took about 1 day to get to Ft. Lauderdale from CA (where the item came from) and TN. It came to my doorstep after that day. What I like best is you can track your order is it move from place to place. This is a helpful feature from FedEx and Newegg will sent you an email with a track number.
Overall
I got my camera, at last! What I am displeased about Newegg was "What took you so long, punk?!" Because I was a new user, it took them about a little over 2 days to process my information although I had provided and confirmed my paypal address and info. To be fair, they did state it will take 1-2 business days to process. But it was only a $300 camera, not $1000 item. Does it really take over 48 hours for someone in Newegg to say, "Hmm, yeap, the billing and mailing address match."
Another thing, you do not always find everything that you need in Newegg. Some things they just don't sell, which is no fault of their own. When that happens, you will have to look for other electronic sites. Otherwise, regardless of the seemingly expensive price, this is one of the cheapest electronic online store I had ever encountered. In retail, my job place sell memory cards for $59.99 and up. In Newegg, you can get it for $48 and up including shipping/handling. But for some items, you may find it cheaper on Ebay.
*When it comes to digital cameras, I am displeased with most manufactures. Most cameras do not come with a battery-charger or an adapter anymore. You have to buy new batteries or buy a battery-charger on your own. I personally do not like either one and prefer adapters, but these type of cameras are hard to find nowadays*
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? 7 MP digital camera
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blackrose4eva
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