NewEgg Competitor
Written: Jul 24 '06 (Updated Jul 24 '06)
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| Full Review |
While I was shopping around for speakers, I re-discovered other online retail stores. ZipZoomFly is fast becoming a real competitor within the same circle as NewEgg, and has two things going for them: Price and FedEx.
Here is my experince when purchasing a Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS sound card, and the high-on-my-wish-list Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers.
Lets elaborate.
Website and Navigation
Formerly GoogleGear.com (and can confuse some, thinking that they are related to Google), ZipZoomFly has been expanding their selection of products, which is the same strategy NewEgg have used. Like NewEgg, ZipZoomFly sells computers, laptops, components, and now offereing consumer goods such as console and console games, music, and movies.
Getting all of these different items catagorized and have them easily found on the website can be a daunting task, and ZipZoomFly has done a good job. Their front page is much cleaner than NewEgg's, offering fewer "look at me" items that are "on sale" for at the momment. Past the front page is where it gets interesting, as with expanding inventory needs a way for customers to easily and quickly search for what they want. NewEgg have a very advanced drill-down system, but ZipZoomFly isn't as advanced or flexible.
For example, if you click on "Motherboards" on the left side (the "Catagory" listing), you get a small list of motherboards that they consider to be top sellers. On top of these choices, you get a small selection of sub-catagories such as AMD - Skt AM2, AMD - Skt 754, AMD - Skt 939, Pentium 3, Pentium 4 - Skt 478, Pentium 4 - Skt T, Acccessories, etc. If I can list the majority of the sub-catagories, then there is a problem.
After you choose your platform, a list appears on the next page, and another sub-catagory can be chosen - Sort by Brand or Sort by Price. You can't get into nitty gritty such as chipset, manufacturer, memory type, etc. like you can with NewEgg.
The search box on top is as good as NewEgg, however, and can be helpful for those who have the exact model name or number they were looking for.
As for "saved carts", ZipZoomFly does offer multiple saved carts so you save different shopping lists for different projects, perfect for freelance system builders. This is much like NewEgg's "Wish List".
Price
Here is where it gets a bit tricky. While both NewEgg and ZipZoomFly offer competitive pricing, the customer will find that both are on the same level. You may save a little here or there between the two. However, ZipZoomFly has one advantage - they offer cheaper FedEx service (5-7 days), while it is cheaper to use UPS Ground for NewEgg. Most will agree that FedEx is much more reliable than UPS, but I guess it depends on the region you live in.
However, UPS Ground prices are still higher with NewEgg, while ZipZoomFly still offer slightly cheaper shipping charges with comparable shipping service with FedEx.
My Experience
So, as said earlier, I purchased a Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS sound card. I looked at a few online retail stores and found that NewEgg and ZipZoomFly offered it for $199.99 with free shipping! No other place is offering the same deal! So I bit. I ended up choosing ZipZoomFly because they used FedEx for delivery service. They also offered the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers $20 cheaper than NewEgg. But the biggest decision maker was that NewEgg wanted $24.78 for UPS, which is the cheapest shipping method they have. ZipZoomFly has FREE FedEx shipping! That is cherry on top of the $20 discount over NewEgg!
I have purchased from ZipZoomFly before, and just like NewEgg, they are quick and trouble-free. I have yet to had the need to call or return anything, so I did not experience their customer service like I have with NewEgg.
Even if you decide to call, they buried their contact info a little more than NewEgg has. From the front page, scroll all the way down, click on "Service", then "Contact Us". I would have thought it would be in "About Us". Also, unlike NewEgg, ZipZoomFly does not offer a toll-free number. Their hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm (PST).
Verdict
I would still bounce between NewEgg and ZipZoomFly, along with other online retail stores such as Monarch Computers. I have yet to have a single bad experience with any of them. All have competitive prices that makes you scrutinize with shipping and their assoicated prices before making a final decision. Of course, what you will end up with is normally a price difference of almost none to around a hundred bucks (depending on who has sales).
MonarchComputers.com, by the way, offers the best deal with motherboard/CPu combos. They usually give extras such as magazine subscriptions, a free game, T-Shirt/hat, and a little more or less.
Directron.com have good deals usually on small things such as cables, floppy drives, and optical drives.
The verdict? Put ZipZoomFly on your list of "Vendors to go to" the next time you need computer components. Don't forget to compare different sites! With a tab-enabled browser, filling up your shopping carts with the same items on different online stores so you can price compare gets easier.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Creative Labs X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
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