Great Deals but Be Smart
Written: Nov 08 '01
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The Bottom Line
Great place to shop for savvy shoppers. Rookies can end up over paying.
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| Full Review |
uBid is a fantastic site. It's easy to use, has some great deals. I would definitely suggest looking at uBid when you are doing your shopping. Additionally, delivery is excellent and the products are as advertised on the site.
The other two reviews do a great job so I'm not going to repeat what they said and I wholly support both their comments.
I'm reviewing uBid because it has some some practices that I consider a little suspect to a degree that my ears perk up when I hear friends or even strangers talk about uBid. I have a knee-jerk reaction to warn them. While I do not want them to avoid uBid, I do want them to be smart about taking advantage of uBid. Now, the comments/advice below may be preaching to the choir because if you read these reviews, odds are that you are savvy enough to be a careful shopper. However, perhaps the observations/comments below will help you in your purchase by pointing out something you did not consider. So, consider the following:
--How Much do you Really Save
uBid lists a "Maximum Bid Price". This is the uBid's description of the term and how it's used: "You cannot bid higher than the maximum bid price. The maximum bid price is not intended to be the manufacturer's suggested list price."
Now, I recently bought a pair of speakers for my computer from uBid. I got them for a rock bottom price of $9. Retail price for the speakers is approximately $30. Add $9 for shipping and handling and I saved $12 on this transaction. However, some individuals may be lead to believe that these speakers are worth far more than $30 because their "Maximum Bid Price" is listed at $149.
It seems to me that an unsuspecting consumer might buy the same speakers I did and think they saved much more than the $12 I really saved by using the Maximum Bid Price as an indicator of the product's real value.
I would prefer if uBid would set the Maximum Bid Price for products at their suggested retail price (assuming that the product is still available at other sites and thus paying more than suggested retail would be absurd). That said, do some research so that you can make a fair bid. I would ignore the maximum bid price if I were. Don't even look at it. It may tempt you into bidding higher than you otherwise would.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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