Steals, Bottom-of-the-Page Deals, Toy Outlet, Gold Box Offers, Segway HT & Now ==Amazon Trivia==!
Written: Aug 18 '02 (Updated Jul 30 '06)
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I came across Amazon.com a few years ago when the online reward programs were in full swing. It seemed like every program offered Amazon.com gift certificates as a reward and after looking at the site and seeing some of the cool toys they offered I cashed out for about $50.00 in certificates. Since then Amazon.com has been a site that I hit at least three times a week. The Toy Outlet and Gold Box are just two of the many perks that the site has to offer for those that choose to flex their shopping muscles in the confines of their home rather than braving the mall parking lots and sidewalk sales.
Amazon.com is an internet shopping site that offers consumers a vast array of products, well known and widely recognized manufacturers, gift certificates, blow out sales and an online partnership with Target, Toys R Us and their own online auction site. It’s extremely easy to get lost within the site and I can’t recall the number of times I wasted away the wee hours of the night digging into the bowels of the site.
While most of the reward programs have dried up and blown away in the wind, there are still a few of them that are up and running and still offer Amazon.com gift certificates as fulfillments for reaching a certain point level. I am also addicted to a site called PrizeGames.com where you play games and receive a certain number of Prize Bucks depending on your score. Thanks to this addiction most of the certificates I used for last years holiday season were from PrizeGames.com and this year looks to be just as fruitful.
The Site
For those of you who have never been to the site, it is presented in a nice fashion. The multitude of sections and links might seem a little overwhelming at first but after about 15 minutes you should have the hang of things. Since I stick with the toy, home and garden, movies and video game sections more than others that is where the bulk of this review will be headed. I’ll try to cover all the areas of the site but to do so at any length would more than likely put most readers into a somber state of sleep.
Each product listed at the site is showcased by a photo, description, shipping information, price and age recommendation. Be sure to look for the little red dots – these will let you know if a product is on sale and the percentage that the price has dropped. In some cases a photo might not be available, this usually happens when it is an older product or one just added to the site. If you have any questions about a product or what it looks like call the customer service department and they’ll be glad to help.
From the main page you’ll see a list of destinations on the left hand side. These links will take you to general areas of the site that deal with specific topics such as movies, video games, music or home and garden items. Be sure to scroll all the way down to see all that the site has to offer. Once you choose a category you’ll be taken to that portion of the site and be alerted to sale items, special announcements, pre order options and the top selling products. Each section is set up a little differently so don’t expect the same exact lay out on each and every page.
Most of the photos come with the ability to enlarge them or see multiple angles. This is nice if you are looking for a gift or need something with a specific feature. In the case of toys about 75% of the items I’ve come across have at least two photos and the remaining 25% have either no photo or more than two photos listed. The book section allows you to read a few pages of the book – most of the time the front and back cover along with one or two selected pages of text.
Once you start to work your way through the site you can jump back to the main page by clicking the Amazon.com logo on the top left hand side of the page or scroll to the bottom to see exactly where you’ve been. This is helpful if you want to see a previously viewed product but don’t want to have to use the back button on your internet browser.
Signing Up
If you think that Amazon.com might be a place that you’ll frequent – for purchasing or just checking out prices – I highly suggest that you sign up for an account. It’s free, takes about 60 seconds and doesn’t require you to list a credit card. When you sign up for an account you can bookmark products that you like, get featured recommendations, sign up for email notifications when an item is restocked and be alerted when prices drop. Signing in to your account once you have registered only requires your email address and password – everything else is safely stored at the Amazon site.
Once you sign up for an account you are treated like one of the family. When you log into the site you are greeted by your first name, shown a new list of recommendations, allowed access to you Gold box and are given the ability to track your recent purchases. Even if you don’t plan on making a purchase you should sign up to the site, this will allow you to see the items that interest you without having to weed through unnecessary pages of internet clutter.
Products Purchased
Well, exactly how much time do you have? I’ve purchased everything from cellular phones to DVD players from Amazon.com and no matter what the size of my order; I was always treated like a big shot. The bulk of my purchases have been toys, Lego sets, educational items and the occasional sale item from the home and garden section. On average the toys are priced the same as retail Toy R Us stores – which are a little higher than Wal-Mart and Target. If you have a good idea of the normal prices of toys you should be able to spot the bargains a mile away. If you can combine these with internet promotional coupons you are on your way to saving a nice chunk of change.
The technical information in the electronics department isn’t the best out there so you might want to [shameless plug] read some Epinions first to see which product would be best for you. I’ve never had any trouble ordering any electronics from the site but most of my purchases in this category have been minimal, simple things that were under $250.00.
Video games, systems and accessories are great items to look for at the site and if you are a fan of the Dreamcast system there are always tons of games on sale. You can also check the other platforms for sales or browse the used section for old school Nintendo cartridges or even 3-DO games. Be sure to read the fine print before you order – just like making a game purchase at a retail store once you open the game there are no refunds unless it is defective and even then you are given an exchange for the same title. One thing that does irk me is the way the games are shipped – they are either thrown into large boxes that are simply a waste of packing material or small CD sized boxes which could easily get crushed if a clumsy delivery worker throws a postal rage.
There’s a lot more to the site than what I have covered and even after all the shopping sprees I’ve been on at the site – I still haven’t managed to get to every section of the site. This is the first place I turn to when I need to find a gift for someone that seems to have everything – because there is always some weird little gadget or gift that suits them perfectly. Still, when all else fails, a gift certificate is always the best way to go.
Anything from lawn decorations to Halloween costumes can be found at the site – but the key is timing. You can really clean up on post season items – most of the time with free shipping. While I love to hit these types of sales it makes me question the true bottom line of an item. If a Halloween costume was listed at the site for $19.99 and November 1st it’s on sale for $4.99 – how much does the product actually cost? Even with all these brain racking things to think about – Amazon.com has a plethora of items for sale at the site – as well as the auction portion, used items and partner sites. If you are looking for something and can’t seem to find it locally – Amazon is the first place to start looking when you exhaust your retail locations.
The Message Center
A very nice marketing scheme that alerts you to new products that are linked to those you have shown interest in or those you have previously purchased. I get about 20 of these a week and tend to ignore a majority of them since I am a regular visitor to the site and know when new products are added. This is a nice feature for those that don’t plan on visiting the site very often. You can see items that have been recently added or ones that you have expressed an interest in.
Cleaning out the message center is easy and painless and takes about ten seconds. When you log into the site you will see the message center on the right hand side of the page and it will alert you to the number of unread messages you have waiting for you. When I first saw this I thought they implemented a new Instant Message program and was rather excited about getting messages from other toy and Lego lovers. A little disappointed that it was something completely different that what I expected, I have grown to like this feature even if it does throw me a few curve ball items from time to time.
Email Alerts
There are a number of email alerts that you can receive from Amazon.com. Aside from the emails you receive when you place and order and when your shipment leaves the warehouse you can also be alerted to when an item is restocked, when there is a price drop, sales and special offers and if an item has been removed from the site. The last feature was extremely helpful when I was trying to purchase some older Lego castle sets. Rather than having to check the site several times a day to see if the set was added back into the stock rotation I would receive an email letting me know. The drawback is that the only time the Lego set I was looking for was added back into the stock was when it was returned by a customer or a few of them were found in the inventory. This meant that if I didn’t get to the site right away, chances are someone else would snap it up.
The Gold Box
Recently Amazon.com started a new promotion called The Gold Box these are limited time offers that appear for a set amount of time [60 minutes]. Items vary and are not limited to products you have purchased, searched for on the site or have added to your wish list. In the past I’ve received offers for power tools, toys, DVD’s, video game accessories, home and garden items and a few strange items like Halloween products and discontinued items.
Once you open your Gold Box the timer starts ticking away. You are shown five items and asked if you wish to purchase them at a very generous discount or pass on them forever. If you elect to purchase an item you have to do so within 60 minutes or the sale price is removed from the item. This makes it a little tough to complete your shopping – especially if you are trying to reach a target purchase amount to qualify for free shipping.
So far I have only taken advantage of one Gold Box offer and – big surprise – it was a toy that was about 40% off the suggest site price. In the past I added products to my shopping cart but never completed the transaction within the allotted time and the sale price was removed. Your Gold Box is refreshed every 24 hours so be sure to check it often – you really never know what you’ll find.
== Amazon Trivia! ==
Want to increase your spending power at Amazon.com? Check out the newest perk from the online giant – Amazon Trivia! Simply answer questions that are scattered across the site and you’ll earn a nickel for each correct answer. I had no idea that this was even available at the site until I came across a question when looking for bargains in the toy clearance section. The question was simple enough to answer [With the Amazon.com Platinum Visa Card, you can earn three reward points every time you spend how much at Amazon.com?] and you are even provided with a “hint” to get the answer correct. If you get stumped or answer it wrong, don’t panic because there are plenty of questions available. It’s multiple choice and so far the questions have all been pretty easy to answer providing that you read the question and the hint.
There are some things that you do need to know before you rush over to the site to start racking up your nickels – there is a limit of five questions per day so that means that over the course of the year [awarded trivia cash expires one year after you earn it] you can save up $91.25 in your trivia cash account. You can use up to 10% of what you have saved up towards purchases so if you have $15.00 in trivia cash saved up and make a purchase of $150.00 – you’ll be able to use your banked trivia cash and save $15.00 off your total. If you have more saved up in your trivia cash account when you make a purchase don’t worry about losing it, you’ll be able to save it for your next purchase. Just remember, the cash expires one year from the say that you earn it. Some of the other little tidbits you might be interested in … you can’t use it to purchase gift certificates at the site. The trivia cash can only be used at the Amazon site – not the affiliate sites like Toys ‘R Us and Target.
You’ll need to have an account at Amazon.com to participate in the trivia program and if you don’t have one, it only takes about 30 seconds to sign up for one. It’s 100% free to sign up for an account and no credit card is necessary. You will find the questions on pages are your browse and please resist the urge to cheat the site and use your back button to go back to pages where you found questions. If you do this, you could be kicked off the site for violating the terms of service regarding the trivia program. This means that if you have an account with a gift certificate balance and try to scam the site [remember, it’s .25 cents a day folks] your could jeopardize your account and risk losing it.
The Ordering Process
Ordering from the site is pretty simple. You have an electronic shopping cart that allows you to add products for purchase or to hold them until a later date. By adding something to your cart for a later date you are not always guaranteed that the item will be available for purchase and anything left in your cart over 30 days will be automatically removed and placed back into the site inventory.
As you move around the site you can add an item to your cart or to your wish list. The wish list is a nice feature that can be sent to friends or relatives to let them know the items or products that you’d most like to receive. You can make your wish list public or private depending on the situation.
Once you find something that you would like to purchase, click the ‘add to my cart’ button located on the right hand side of the product page. This will take you to an account summary page with will show you the quantity ordered, price, shipping fee and all other information about that portion of the transaction. You always have the option to remove items from your cart or add them to the ‘save for later’ section of your account. If you aren’t done shopping there is a button that will take you back to the last item or section that you visited – this saves you from having to use the back button on your browser and getting lost in the process.
Completing a transaction is simple but involves a few steps that might be a little confusing at first. When you elect to complete a transaction you have to be logged into your account. If you haven’t already created one you will be asked to do so at this time. You will be asked for the shipping information such as name and address and if you wish this to be the permanent ‘ship to’ address. You always have the option to change this if you wish to ship something to someone else or a different address. You will them be asked for your payment information. If you are redeeming a gift certificate, look for the section that asks for the redemption code and add it there. It’s best to cut and paste the gift certificate number since they are a little long and elaborate. If you already have an existing account and have carried over a gift certificate balance, you will be given the option to use the remaining amount or pay with a credit card.
The last step is placing the actual order. Even after you added all your information, payment selection and ship to address you still have to confirm your order. Without clicking the ‘place order now’ button the order won’t be confirmed. If you experience any technical issues when placing an order be sure to check the email account that you used when you signed up for an Amazon.com account – if you didn’t receive an email notifying you of your order then it didn’t get transmitted. This happened to me once and rather than submitting the order again I called customer service and had them handle the situation.
Gift Certificates
You can order gift certificates from Amazon.com in any denomination between $5.00 and $5,000.00 however they must be paid for by a credit card, in other words - you can’t use a gift certificate to purchase a gift certificate. I am not sure if you can purchase a gift certificate using a check or money order since I have never used these payment options in the past.
You can order your certificate online and have it sent via the United State Postal Service or have it sent electronically to the recipient. Either way you will receive an email notification when your order is received and another one when it is shipped to you to the person you are sending it to. You can have it personalized if you wish and there are no shipping fees associated with ordering a gift certificate or having it personalized.
Payment Options
There are more than a few different ways to pay for your purchases at the site. The usual credit cards such as MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover cards are accepted – but guess what – so is Diner’s Club, the Amazon.com credit card and JCB International Credit Card [also known as Japan credit Bureau]. If you want to pay by check follow the simple instructions at the site and remit your payment along with a print out of your order. This will extend the overall delivery time of your order so if you need something in a hurry it’s best to use a credit card.
I’ve used my credit card several times at the site since there are some products that you can’t purchase with a gift certificate – these include other gift certificates as well as cellular phones and cellular phone plans. When I picked up my cell phone I used my Visa card for payment I was charged the exact amount quoted during the transaction. No double billing, overcharges or hidden fees here! The information transmitted during your transaction is kept at a separate facility that only accepts incoming traffic – this way there is no way for the information to be retrieved from the site and all your personal information is completely safe.
Returns
Amazon.com will accept returns on products for 30 days from the date of purchase. There are easy to follow instructions at the site that allow you to input the necessary information to ensure that you receive an appropriate exchange or prompt refund. All the information you need can be found at the site and the simple steps required are painless and stress free. Some sites make you jump through hoops to make a return or require you to email one department and call a certain operator to get a code – with Amazon.com returning your shipment is almost as easy as ordering it.
If there was an error on the part of Amazon.com they will refund your shipping fees and take the necessary steps needed to rectify the situation. From the return center at the site you can obtain a shipping label [postage provided] that you place on your package and on a predetermined date a carrier will arrive to pick up the item. From there all you have to do is wait for Amazon.com to receive the package and send out a replacement item or refund your purchased price.
The items that I have had to return were handled swiftly and exchanges were received within ten working days. A Lego set I received was partially crushed in transit and left a few of the pieces broken. After filling out the form at the site and making arrangements for UPS to pick up the package I had a new set in my hands about eight days later. The UPS driver was even nice enough to leave me a note saying he had picked up the package and left a tracking number for me.
Customer Service
Even though Amazon.com is a huge corporation they still treat each and every customer with respect and care. I’ll tell you my own personal story and then you tell me how many other sites would have gone to such lengths to make sure I was a happy customer. I ordered a DVD player, a CD burner and several sets of Lego’s about a year and a half ago. I was sent the appropriate emails letting me know when the items shipped and when I could expect them. The Lego’s and DVD player arrived within a week but the poor little CD burner was nowhere to be found. I ran the tracking number through the system and it shows that it was delivered but left at the front door. I emailed Amazon.com and was prepared to eat the cost of the burner since it was left on my doorstep and was entered into the system as delivered.
What happened next almost blew me away. I emailed several different departments about the situation and received three emails from different people apologizing for the inconvenience and reassuring me that a replacement CD burner would be on it’s way the next morning. That was a Tuesday, Thursday afternoon the Federal Express driver was ringing my doorbell and asking me to sign for a delivery from Amazon.com. Not only did they expedite my shipment but they credited me the shipping fee to my gift certificate account as well as sending me a $20.00 gift certificate! Not many companies out there treat their customers in this fashion and it’s because of this that I remain a faithful Amazon.com shopper.
Shipping Fees
The customer always has the right to choose what type of delivery method will be used to get the purchase from point A to point B. You can choose standard shipping, overnight, expedited, second day or next day. Of course, all these options don’t come cheap. Be sure to check the main page of the site for announcements on ‘free shipping’ if you spend a certain dollar amount or online promotional codes that will give you free shipping with the purchase of a certain product.
Even though I sing the praises of a happy internet shopper, sometimes Amazon.com is a little heavy handed in the shipping fee department. The shipping fees for domestic deliveries is based on how many different departments you shop from. If you order a DVD and a book you’ll get charged a $1.99 fee for the DVD plus .99 cents for each item ordered in the section and $3.00 for the book plus .99 cents for each item in the section. If this sounds confusing you can checkout the shipping rates at the site. Type “shipping fees” into the search box or click the ‘help’ icon on any page.
I have found that Amazon’s shipping fees are a little higher than most sites. This is one of the main reasons why I take advantage of the free shipping promotions or keep an eye out for internet coupons that will allow you to have the shipping fees waived if you order a product from a certain category.
Super Saver Shipping is just one of the many promotions that Amazon.com has running. Purchase $49.99 or more of items marked with the little truck logo and you will receive free shipping. What they don’t tell you is that the free shipping is only for the items that bear the logo so if you order something that isn’t tagged you will still be charged for shipping fees on those items. In addition, there are numerous categories that are exempt from this promotion – some of which include Target purchases, toys, gift certificates, baby products, video games and video game systems and accessories, third party sites affiliated with Amazon.com and oversized items. Be sure to read the details at the site before you start bargain hunting, you might think you are saving some cash but it is worth pulling your hair out?
Product Tracking
From the Amazon.com site you can access your account and see exactly where your shipment is. Almost all of the shipping companies have a one-click button that will allow you to input the number and get your information in about 30 seconds. With some online sites you have to call to get a tracking number, sit on hold, worry about being given the wrong number and end up more frustrated than when you started.
There is also a special section at the Amazon.com site that gives you a complete list of the internet address and phone numbers for the various companies that they deal with when shipping your purchase. If you are a little unsure about how your item shipping, check your online account at Amazon.com or refer to the email you received when your item or product shipped.
Online Codes And Coupons
From time to time there are codes that float around the internet that allow you to take advantage of free shipping, a certain dollar amount off your bill with a minimum purchase [example: $10.00 off an order of $75.00 or more] or free shipping if you purchase a certain product within a category. Sometimes these coupons have expiration dates that are not disclosed by third party sites – so if you do a search for “amazon discount coupons” through Google chances are most of them will be expired or have limitations that are not mentioned at the site. This is a nice trick pulled by people who want you to shop through their affiliate site so they get a percentage of your total purchase.
Contact Information
www.amazon.com
Amazon.com
P.O. Box 80463
Seattle, WA 98108
Returns@amazon.com
customerservice@amazon.com
[800] 201 – 7575 – Customer Service
[206] 266 – 2950 – Fax
The Bottom Line
Personally I have found Amazon.com to be one of the best sites for online shopping. The prices are comparable to most retail stores but as I mentioned, knowing the average price of products is the key to making a wise purchase. As an example, I know most of the basic prices of Lego sets that are currently available and – as much as I hate to admit it – Amazon.com is about 5% – 10% higher on their sets than Target and Wal-Mart. This is the same for the Lego website – you can always find the sets a few dollars less at these stores than at Amazon.com or ToysRus.com. So why do I shop there? For the sales of course! Recently they had the Technic Advanced Star Wars C-3PO sets for 25% off, when combined with a free shipping coupon I was able to pick up four sets for a little less than what it would have cost me at my two favorite stores [Wal-Mart and target]. Of course what made it even better is that I didn’t actually have to pay for it since I have a nice little gift certificate balance.
If you are looking for a way to say ‘thank you’ or ‘great job’, sending an electronic gift certificate is a great way to get your message across. This allows someone to shop at his or her leisure and avoid having to take back a mitten and scarf set. Plus whatever the person doesn’t spend on their little shopping spree gets rolled over into a gift certificate account that is valid for one year from the redemption date.
Well, in all honesty I could go on about the site for another hour – but I honestly feel that most of you stopped reading about fifteen minutes ago. After all this talk about sales, free shipping and products in the toy outlet I think I need to head over to Amazon.com and see what deals and steals I can find!
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
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What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Lego sets, video games, books, Playstation, CD's, DVD's
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