Rarity Amoung Online Stores
Written: Aug 26 '02
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Many of us bought from online sources for computer components because we try to save as much as we can. We go to pricewatch.com and get the item from the retailer that has the cheapest price on the list. However, most people do not consider some important things before they order:
1. If you order multiple components (as if you were building a PC), getting every component from the cheapest retailer also means going thru different retailers. What's the problem with that? Shipping prices. Retailers pad the price in the shipping. You will over pay if you buy several components already.
2. Trustworthiness in a small merchant. Some have very bad policies that tip everything in their favor (such as high restocking fees and selling OEM items as retail items).
Newegg.com and mWave.com seemed to me to be on the top of this kind of shop. But after a price comparison, I decided to go with Newegg. I rolled the dice, and crossed my fingers.
Experiences
My first order was a D-Link 5-port switch with router and print server. It came quickly without a problem. It was very uneventful. The item came promptly via FedEx. I like they fact that they use FedEx instead of the unreliable UPS.
My second order involved a huge order which made me worry about buying online. This from a computer/internet geek! Either case, the order consists of multiple components that will be assembled into four computers. The total cost of the items were roughly $1600. As you can see, that is a pretty good amount to risk. However, it was the cheapest price for all of the components...shipping included! Nonetheless, based on my first order, I held my breath as I hit the SUBMIT button.
Of course, the order came through without a hitch, and faster than I would have expected (even using thier cheapest shipment option). It came two days quicker than I expect!
Very uneventful, yes. However, this next order will forever make me a Newegg fan:
I ordered an Enermax case with black and silver trimming over the weekend. Afterwards, I figured that the black and silver combo won't look nice with the white and beige drives I will (always) be getting, so I wanted to change the color scheme (same model, different colors). I emailed them, but did not get a response Monday morning. So I gave them a call. After a short wait (no "please push 1 for..."), I caught a customer representative. Good call, Newegg! The only thing I would say I hate about the experience was the announcement I will always hear when I call them which lasts about half a minute. Either way, I was informed that the item was already shipped, but I can refuse to accept the delivery and they will credit back my card. All orders have to be taken over the web site, however, so I couldn't complete my order over the phone. (Yea, that sucks). However, because they felt that they should have read the email eariler, they were willing to "express process" (it takes them 1-2 days to process the order before they ship) for free (usually $2.99), AND upgrade my shipping option to 2nd Day FedEx, no charge!
Although the representative said that it may be too late in the day for the item to ship the same day, she assured me that it will ship the next day, and will come around the same time as the other item I order earlier.
What surprised me, however, was the next day, I recieved an email from Newegg about my tracking number (they always email your tracking number...sweet!), and I was shocked to see that it was already shipped...YESTERDAY.
Needless to say, I actually recieved the right case before the wrong case came. :) In fact, I even warned the FedEx delivery guy about the botched order, and he told me he could refuse it right away so he didn't have to deliver it to me. (FedEx rules!). Newegg and FedEx are a tough tag team to beat!
I later wrote a letter to Newegg about my experience to share my apprieciation. Another surprise Newegg pulled on me came today! I recieved another FedEx package, and was wondering "gee, well, what else did I order that I forgot about?" The small box had Newegg's address on it, and whe I opened it, it contained a thank you letter and a free gift. :) A Benwin cap!
This is MY thank you to them: a positive review in ePinions, and hoping this will provide them more business to come.
Prices
When you become as big as Buy.com, you would not expect to be ripped off. However, customer service may be impersonal, and prices are not competitve with small merchants. However, Newegg's competitors ARE small merchants, which drive their prices down. They are one of the most listed retailers in Pricewatch.com whenever you search for the lowest price for a computer component.
The four computers I built using their components were the cheapest after shopping around. But this was NOT a isolated incident. I tried building PCs with different configurations and Newegg consistantly come up on top for being the cheapest with shipping included.
This bodes very well for a shop of its kind.
Web Site
www.Newegg.com
Go there yourself and see! It is very nicely laid out. Like most shops, they try to sell you on things you don't need on the front page with Specials of the Day, or clearnace items. But the best part is the way they arrange their items in catagories so you can find everything with ease.
There are also two views. A detialed view with a brief description of the item, or a summary view with just the item's name and a small picture. I find both views great for differnt kinds of items.
For example: when I look for processors, RAM, hard drives, or motherboards, I don't care for what it looks like... they all look alike one way or another. So detail view is perfect for these kinds of items. However, when I was shopping for a PC case, and heatsink/fan combo, I find the summary view to be the best method of browsing, so I can see the item in a small thumbnail. If it interest me, I click for the larger pictures.
The pictures are great! They are not stock photos from the manufacturers. They are actualy photographs NewEgg takes themselves, so you KNOW they will show you exactly what the item looks like, and not what the manufacturer wants you to THINK it looks like (for example: McDonald Big Macs... or Creative Lab's sound card - they both look different on the box...haha!). NewEgg must've taken a cue from eBay auctioneering - photos taken yourself usually sell better because it says "you actually have the item and this is proof".
Another good example is the full glory pictures of OEM software: no boxes! Most stores will show you a picture of the full box, or a stock photo of the Windows logo. Not NewEgg... they show you a 3 pack of XP Home Editions as is: in a brown plain box. Of course they also open most of the items up to take pictures (you can see the manuals and CD, etc).
Their shopping cart is also very easy to use. My favorite part is the Shipping Calculator. There are a lot of items that are free to ship (currently, I tried to buy a Celeron CPU and was pleasently surprised that shipping was $0.00). This calculator feature is great because it allows you to find out the out-of-pocket price before the actual check-out.
So NewEgg's policy on internet orders only isn't all that bad, really. :)
Conclusion
I do wish more internet shops take a cue from NewEgg. They provide freindly customer service and genuine gratitude for your business, ships quickly, and are actually HONEST about the products they sell.
Recommended:
Yes
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