You Can't Overstock.com Too Much For Me Since I Save Money
Written: May 28 '02 (Updated May 29 '02)
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You may know that my daughter’s main graduation gift was a laptop computer. I wanted to get her other items, though, and I thought she might still use her backpack in medical school, but I pictured her also needing something more professional looking without it being a briefcase. I am reviewing Overstock.com.
What is on the site and how it works:
~On one of the pages I will mention in a minute, you will read all about how this company offers products at reduced rates, “Welcome to Overstock.com, an Internet leader for name-brands at clearance prices. At Overstock.com we help you shop smarter, by offering top-quality name-brand merchandise at 40 - 70% off, every day of the week. Here's how we do it….”
~When you go to the site you will see a lot of information but it is organized well, I think, and for me it was very easy to navigate once I got used to it.. You will see Departments with listings from A-Apparel and Accessories to W-Worldstock Global Designs with many, many items in between. It was one of the in-between items I chose.
~Also on the page you will see Special Features with topics such as What’s New, Clearance and Coming Soon.
~The page with the quote about is from Let Us Help You where you can get information on setting up an account, your shopping cart and various policies such as shipping returning items, and how to order by phone.
~You will also see pictures and the beginning of descriptions of their top sellers in various categories. Note, and this can be confusing at first, if you click on the heading that says, top seller in Electronics or top seller in Apparel you will be brought to a page that says, Gifts, Gadgets and Toys no matter what you click on. I do think this is a bug and I did contact customer service about it and asked them to get back to me to reassure me that it is a bug and not the way the site usually works. When I used it I didn’t go to Top Sellers. If you click on “click for more information” that will bring you to the product being shown.
~I went right to Luggage and Business under Departments assuming that is where I would find briefcases and it was along with other items such as duffels and backpacks. I looked around a bit at backpacks but then decided that it was a briefcase I really wanted for her so I clicked on that link. Under Briefcases there are several choices: leather, fabric and computer cases. I knew I wanted leather, but for fun peaked around at the fabric site also. If you like to browse and window shop this site is a lot of fun. There is a huge inventory. It took me a while to decide on the 3 I narrowed the many down to.
~You will also see Top Sellers on each page as well as the first page on this site.
~You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and see what, for example, the briefcase looks like inside. You can also Read/Write Customer Reviews on this page as well as see links to the policies, request more information or e-mail the page to a friend.
~There is a wonderful description of the product. I knew my daughter would want black so that helped me narrow it down to "As durable as it is beautiful, this genuine top-grain cowhide leather portfolio keeps your important papers and items safe while you're at work or on the road.
It features interior and exterior zippered compartments, while a side flap-over has two magnetic buckle snaps that reveal two deep storage compartments. A side flap hides three Velcro-close pockets, one open pocket, three pen/pencil slots, and a business card holder. The other side has a Velcro flap that opens to reveal three compartments.
Shipping: Ships within 2 business days
Warranty: 90 days - distributor
Materials: U.S. top-grain cowhide leather, silver-plated hardware
Model No: 42
Origin: Imported
Dimensions: 13 in. x 6.5 in. x 16.5 in."
Price, shipping and returns:
~The prices are truly remarkable. The briefcase above which can be seen at http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=20010 lists at $179.00. Overstock.com’s price is $59.99. Even if the list price is inflated or the highest price you would ever pay for it, $59.99 is a terrific price for this product.
~Shipping is free at the moment. We are told that this is a promotion and I hope it is not. Oftentimes, it is the shipping charge that keeps me away from buying products online.
~There is a whole page on returns, “You have up to 15 days after the Overstock ship date to initiate your return. Your items must reach us within 30 days from ship date. Items received after 30 days will not be accepted for return. We will ship late items back to you. At Overstock.com, we charge a $4.95 handling fee on each returned item. We charge a 15% restocking fee (instead of the $4.95 handling fee) on all returned items from the Electronics & Camera, and Computer & Home Office departments.” Personally I rarely buy anything online if I think I will be returning it.
~All major credit cards are accepted as well as PayPal.
~We are told that the product usually ships in 2 business days. I ordered this on a Thursday and she received in on Tuesday – a couple of days longer than 2 but still within a decent range, I think. I ordered it before her graduation so I saw it when we went to Altanta, GA and it is gorgeous. It is worth $59.99 and more. If she doesn’t use it next year, she will use it someday and I found that the company’s inventory included both “classic” products as well as “trendy” ones. I thought this was classic looking so I didn’t have to worry about her not using it right away.
My final thoughts:
My experience with Overstock.com was excellent. I would certainly use the site again and recommend it. There are a lot of products and I found it easy to navigate. If you aren’t used to sites like this you may be a bit overwhelmed but it will only take a moment to figure it out. The prices are amazing. It was shipped in a reasonable time and in excellent condition. The product was exactly as described. Other than that glitch in links it is, in my opinion, a site to use.
Recommended:
Yes
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