Amazon Prime program has rekindled the way I purchase everything online. AEI80DW-O Entry#5
Written: Jan 23, 2010
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Amazon.com is great because they are always improving their product selection and available services to keep me coming back for more. Over the years, I have bought everything from a Sylvania Led Mini Lantern to a massive Samsung PN63B550 63 inch HDTV Plasma TV from Amazon.com. I have never had a complication with their service and was always fully informed about order or shipping status changes. As follows are the ways that I use Amazon.com to maximize my buying dollar. Enjoy!
The Trendy Amazon User Interface
The search engine is a marvel of accuracy. You can type in the words “Viewsonic 17 LCD” and quickly get a list of all Viewsonic monitors. At the top of this list is the ViewSonic VA703B 17 inch LCD Monitor with a bright, full color photo of the product and underneath are other suggested offerings that may interest you. Within the description is the sum of the ratings given by other members so you can easily spot the bad apples. Once you click on the item, if you like it and are signed in, just click the “Add To Shopping Cart” button. Just remember this does not buy the item yet, so you can go browse around so more to see if there is something else you like more.
Almost all the product pages also the “Customer Who Bought This Item Also Bought” scrolling control that lists some other very cool products with little color photos. For example, the Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 processor listing shows Artic Silver 5 and the Intel Core 2 Quad 9650 which all fall within areas of interest for this type of buyer.
What Products Are Missing From Amazon Today?
The product list offered by Amazon is mostly new products that have been just released to some items over fiver years on the market. They have a broad selection of books but have full video game offerings as well. The trick is that Amazon has integrated a resellers program that links directly to their existing listings. If you have Who Killed The Electric Car? on DVD in good condition, then you can enter their program and post it for sale. I buy many of my books and video games this way since a new copy is not necessary.
READ THIS: The difference between the shopping cart and check out forms.
As a business software developer, I have patterned my steel company sales around this customer oriented and effective concept. The shopping cart is your real-time, updated, market price for the product you are buying. You tell us, opps I mean Amazon, what you quoted last year and they will return the new price with detailed price changes. With this type of service you can check with your shopping cart every day and consider is now is the time to seal the deal. My own shopping cart extends for over 10 pages. I have saved over $100 for the year of 2009 by just waiting for a price drop or closeout on an item.
Once you realize it is time to buy your products in the cart, I select all the items I like into my shopping cart and click the Proceed To Checkout button. You can give the payment for the order specific detail like, FROM SAVINGS ACCOUNT FOR Christmas, so that when it appears on your bill you can know exactly the funds were removed your credit card. I find this so helpful in making decisions about where I pulled the dollars from in two seconds rather than having to wait while you research which invoice had this on it.
The other great option is being able to store multiple digital savings accounts with your Amazon account. Registering all those wire, credit card and debit account sources will let you spend less time discussing how you want to pull the money from with the website.
Payment Options
Amazon accepts all major credit and debit cards. I even used a VISA gift card to pay for a product! You can also use your checking account directly, in a pinch. I once had five payment methods stored in the site which made buying way to easy. For example, I was given a rare 0% financing for 24 months offer on my Samsung PN63B550 63 inch HDTV Plasma TV but only wanted to finance the first $1000 because I also had saved the rest in cash. I simply used my existing account billing details to activate the offer and then made a payment for the remainder using my Debit card. Two payment sources for one sale is sweet.
How Exactly Does The Amazon Prime Program Work?
On July 2009, I paid $79 using the online shopping cart and my VISA bank card for Amazon Prime. Instantly and for one year, all the stocked items in my shopping cart now have a FREE Two-Day shipping tag! If you want the item even faster, a $3.99/item One-Day Shipping option is available and it really works! For example, I bought a Black & Decker CMM1200 Cordless Lawn mower using the Amazon Prime program and paid the extra $3.99 for one day shipping. I ordered the heavy lawn mower early on a Wednesday morning and wanted it for the weekend. Thursday afternoon when I arrived home from work, my new eco-friendly toy was sitting in my garage!
Are There Any Flaws With Amazon And Their Prime Program?
You can only ship items that do not require a special carrier with this program. Large screen televisions require shipment by a motor carrier. The real catch is that for used books or anything not stocked by Amazon is not eligible for the program. Luckily, if you are shopping for movies, games or electronics most are in stock and can use the program. I have never had a problem with their shipping if the Amazon Prime program was used.
Customer Reviews
Amazon also has customer reviews published on their site to help you make purchasing decisions. However the reviews are not actively moderated on a community model so they tend to be very brief. I am also a leading reviewer for the site and a member of their exclusive, invitation only, Amazon Vine program.
Customer Service
Amazon does not provide a direct phone number or email address on their site. Instead, you are encouraged to visit your main account page and file an appropriate complaint under the “Your Orders” page. You can Track the shipping of the item, return the item or leave packaging feedback. I sometimes have problems getting books that have backordered and will file a question for the order. Amazon.com or the seller always respond to me in 12 hours or less with an acceptable answer.
Return Policy
Amazon.com will accept returns on items that you have not opened without question. I have only returned one item, an extra M-UAE96, Logitech Optical USB mouse, that a friend did not want. Since the box was still sealed, I used the “Return Item” feature and followed their instructions. Days later, a refund was indicated on my bank account. Easy!
Summary
I like Amazon and will keep buying a majority of my video games, books and DVD content from them. The Amazon Prime program is a huge motivating factor for me since I get all stocked items shipped two day speed for free.
In all I would give Amazon two thumbs up.
Here are some other online services that I use frequently on my ASUS 1005HA netbook:
Ebay.com
Paypal.com
Gmail.com
This is my Online Stores & Services – Tehran entry into the Around Epinions In 80 Days Write-Off.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Samsung PN63B550 63 inch
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About the Author
Member: Reuben Gathright
Location: Lake Charles, LA
Reviews written: 547
Trusted by: 222 members
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