Online Hardware Shopping

[McBain]

As a matter of research, I'm interested in knowing who you shop with when buying hardware. If you could please answer the following it would be greatly appreciated

1) Do you tend to shop with just one website or do you scout around to find your item at the best price.

2) Do you rate price more important than customer service and reliability?

3) Who are your favourite online shops?

4) Are there any sites you wouldn't use regardless of how cheap they are?

5) Have you yourself (not people you know) have a bad experience with an online shop? What happened?

6) If you had to choose one website for all your hardware shopping, which would it be?

Thanks for you help.

[spoodie]

1) I tend to shop at one website, whoever has what I'm looking for amongst my preferred suppliers.
2) No, service is usually more important unless there is a significant price difference.
3) For hardware: dabs.com & insight.com
4) I've heard some bad things about ebuyer but my few experiences were good so no, I would shop anywhere.
5) No bad experiences for me.
6) Probably dabs.com as I've been using it for about 10 years and no problems so far.

[Dog Pants]

1)I have a few website that I'll compare, but I'll usually get everything from whichever one turns out cheapest.
2)I'd rate customer service as more important within reason.
3)OCUK, Dabs, Microdirect, Scan. Off the top of my head.
4)Ebay. I don't trust it.
5)Only that OCUK will only deliver by courier. This means that I have to chase a depot 30+ miles away if they arrive and nobody's in (which generally they aren't).
6)Probably Microdirect. They've got a massive range and are pretty cheap.

[webclam]

I tend to shop about for best price/spec once I know what I need

cclonline are ok for stuff and I've not had any troubles with ebuyer. Maplin are pricey for some stuff.
Generally, for me, it's about price over service, and especially delivery costs.

[Hehulk]

1) I tend to scout around on the interweb thing to find the best price I can from the sites I trust.

2) Generally, with a few exceptions (ie my local computer shop who are fairly expensive, but they are as nice a bunch of chaps as you could wish to meet)

3) www.overclock.co.uk, www.scan.co.uk, www.ebuyer.com

4 & 5) Overclockers. Paying for express delivery at 9am one morning (which added about £10 to the bill) only for it to turn up 3 days later. Piss poor.

6) Probably overclock. They've never done me wrong and are generally quite cheap. Delivery is usually quite prompt too

[Stoat]

1) I tend to compare a few sites that I know. If I find somewhere new I'll try and find someone who's used it.

2) Service has to come first. There's no point paying a great price for things that arrive damaged, faulty or not at all. Make sure you check returns policies.

3) I have bought swifty and reliably from:
www.ebuyer.com , www.scan.co.uk , www.quietpc.com , and www.dabs.com .
I've bought slowly and unreliably from overclockers.co.uk. They've got great bundles, but I wouldn't trust them too far.

4) So long as I know someone who's had good experience with them, no.

5) Amazon forgot to ship a new mouse once, but since they don't charge until shipping there wasn't really a problem.

6) Hmmm. Probably ebuyer. I bought lots of stuff from them for my new PC. They're super quick, have good order tracking and some top deals.

[FatherJack]

1) Do you tend to shop with just one website or do you scout around to find your item at the best price.

Always have a look around, but prices are usually pretty similar. Sometimes spot a good deal.

2) Do you rate price more important than customer service and reliability?

No, if I had a poor service I'd be unlikely to use them again.

3) Who are your favourite online shops?

Overclockers impressed me with very prompt delivery close to Christmas. Dabs have been almost as competitive, with a much wider range, reliable - but don't deliver to work on first order (I get other people to use their accounts for me).

4) Are there any sites you wouldn't use regardless of how cheap they are?

I haven't had any major issues with eBay (apart from addiction) but TGTBT deals usually are. Sticking to people with good feedback and ebay stores is safer, but doesn't usually save you much money.

5) Have you yourself (not people you know) have a bad experience with an online shop? What happened?

Two people I know have had wrong items from EBuyer, which took a while to sort out. Other people have had no such issues. I usually go with outfits that most people haven't had trouble with, so haven't had any bad experiences myself, apart from slightly delayed deliveries due to weekends/bank holidays.

6) If you had to choose one website for all your hardware shopping, which would it be?

Overclockers, although it could do with a wider range and a better website.

[mrbobbins]

1) Do you tend to shop with just one website or do you scout around to find your item at the best price.

Always shop around the usual big sites, ebuyer, scan, microdirect, novatech, overclockers

2) Do you rate price more important than customer service and reliability?

Depends on how much cheaper it is, if it's only a few quid more I'd go with a site I trust and have used several times before

3) Who are your favourite online shops?

Ebuyer, Overclockers, erm... EBay! I buy cheap PC stuff now and again, never had a problem (I've even bought a TV and GFX card from Ebay in the past, again no problems)

4) Are there any sites you wouldn't use regardless of how cheap they are?

Probably not

5) Have you yourself (not people you know) have a bad experience with an online shop? What happened?

Not a bad experience as such, got a case from Ebuyer and it arrived damaged, the return was simple and painless though so wasn't too bothered, these things happen and I was impressed with the ease of the return

6) If you had to choose one website for all your hardware shopping, which would it be?

Ebuyer I guess, I usually end up using them, plus I always go for the super saver delivery and most of the time stuff turns up a day early.

[pixie pie]

I don't like your questions so I'm going to make a loosely related point. I always try looking for stuff through http://www.kelkoo.co.uk because it searches a large amount of the usual retailers and lets you compare prices between them (Including the shipping prices).


And also, Ebay also gives me the fear, I've bought a couple of cheap things through them, but it just seems like there is very little that could be claimed back on something that goes wrong, so I don't dare buy anything expensive.

[Dr. kitteny berk]

1) Do you tend to shop with just one website or do you scout around to find your item at the best price.

I Scout around a handful of known decent shops usually, then go for the best overall price

2) Do you rate price more important than customer service and reliability?

Price over service usually, but will avoid really poor service

3) Who are your favourite online shops?

www.Ebuyer.com www.overclockers.co.uk www.over-clock.com www.tekheads.com along with scan and dabs at a push

4) Are there any sites you wouldn't use regardless of how cheap they are?

ebay.

5) Have you yourself (not people you know) have a bad experience with an online shop? What happened?

no truely bad ones, but dabs have been shitty enough in the past for me to not use them as a primary shop

6) If you had to choose one website for all your hardware shopping, which would it be?

www.overclockers.co.uk - often a little more pricy than ebuyer, but have a better range of higer-end hardware

[deject]

As I'm a dirty colonist, I have access to diferent vendors than you guys do.

In my opinion, the best online hardware store is by far Newegg.com. They have a great selection of current generation, and previous generation parts. Their prices are just generally the best you can find, although there are 4 or 5 other sites that have similar prices, but Newegg just works. I've never had a problem with them. They ship fast and your order is correct every time. I pretty much order from them without comparison shopping. There are a few other places I check if I want to see a bigger variety than what newegg offers, like mwave.com or monarchcomputers.com.

[Stuk]

I buy from eBay. Not only is it the premier online marketplace(tm), but with its easy to use search, you can find almost anything, all at low, low prices. With it's unique My eBay, you can not only track items, but bid on them as well! Why you would want to use anyone else?

Buy it. Sell it. Love it. eBay.

100% lies

[spoodie]

As I'm a dirty colonist, I have access to diferent vendors than you guys do.

In my opinion, the best online hardware store is by far Newegg.com. They have a great selection of current generation, and previous generation parts. Their prices are just generally the best you can find, although there are 4 or 5 other sites that have similar prices, but Newegg just works. I've never had a problem with them. They ship fast and your order is correct every time. I pretty much order from them without comparison shopping. There are a few other places I check if I want to see a bigger variety than what newegg offers, like mwave.com or monarchcomputers.com.

But I thought all electrical hardware in the US of A was bought from Radio Shack?

MOVIE FACT!

[deject]

Fact: Radio Shack owns the U.S. Government.

[Sheriff Fatman]

1) Do you tend to shop with just one website or do you scout around to find your item at the best price.

Scout around definitely, PriceRunner has saved me hundreds, but you have to keep your guard up for shifty looking retailers. If the site looks crappy I usually avoid it.

2) Do you rate price more important than customer service and reliability?

Depends how much cheaper. I usually buy the more expensive items from more recognised names, even if that means paying a bit more.

3) Who are your favourite online shops?

Komplett, Aria, dabs, CCL, Scan

4) Are there any sites you wouldn't use regardless of how cheap they are?

Overclockers UK. I have had some shocking service from them in the past and the owner (Spie) is a biggot and one of my least favourite people on this planet. I refuse to give that oxygen-thief another penny.

5) Have you yourself (not people you know) have a bad experience with an online shop? What happened?

See above. Buying my first TFT I was a bit excited so I had decided that myself and a friend who was buying the same screen, would drive up to OcUK to collect in person. The morning we set off I phoned them to make sure they had them in stock, telling them I would be "making a 5 hour round-trip and I don't want to get there and be dissapointed", guess what? - no screens in stock.

Also on several occasions I have made large orders, paid a premium for delivery at a certain time and had the order delayed through lack of stock despite the site listing items as in stock, understandable perhaps with the high stock turnaround they have, but not once did I receive an email telling me my items were out of stock. I had to go through their god-awful phone system to find out for myself.

/endrant

6) If you had to choose one website for all your hardware shopping, which would it be?

Scan or Aria

[Dr. kitteny berk]

Just IME

The problems most people have had with ocuk were a year or 2 ago.

I agree the guy is scum, and no doubt they have some problems here and there.

However, they are a *lot* better these days, less horrific on postage and their prices are still some of the better.

[Sheriff Fatman]

Yup agreed.

I actually got a few things from them last time because they were the cheapest, and despite the site being far from imaginative it is very easy to find what you want.

Having read what goes on in the private admin/mod forum area though I simply can't, in all good conscience, spend anymore more money with them.

[Dr. kitteny berk]

honestly doesn't surprise me, they are a bunch of chavs.

[Stuk]

Having read what goes on in the private admin/mod forum area though I simply can't, in all good conscience, spend anymore more money with them.

After reading this, I "ran" (clicked quickly?) over to their forums, but of course couldn't find anything.

Can you enlighten me? I've used them before without trouble, but this has got me interested (/worried?)

[Sheriff Fatman]

Having read what goes on in the private admin/mod forum area though I simply can't, in all good conscience, spend anymore more money with them.

After reading this, I "ran" (clicked quickly?) over to their forums, but of course couldn't find anything.

Can you enlighten me? I've used them before without trouble, but this has got me interested (/worried?)

It's nothing that relates directly to the shop or their business ethics, just a personal opinion on the owner and some of the senior members of staff (some of whom are mods or admins on the forums).

Besides, I don't want to get WEY into trouble for posting anything that could be considered libelous

However; if you are really interested, try Googling 'overcockers' and see what turns up