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The Tao of Boat
Rigging (Part I)
Setting up a boat for ocean use requires some careful planning. Materials,
products and tools can be critical for long-term reliability. The Internet has
made shopping both a treat and a chore. Read what we learned through rigging
Toy Boat 2
Equipment Plan | The
10 Laws | Selecting
Gear | The Results
| Misc. Notes | Caveat Emptor
Our final note involves on-line shopping. We have mixed feelings about
buying on the Internet. We have a lot of sympathy
for smaller brick-and-mortar stores that try to compete with larger
or on-line stores by offering superior customer service and product
knowledge.
On the other hand, if we can get good customer service and product
knowledge (or don't need the help), plus a better price and product
selection without having to get our butts out of the
office, it's likely that we will buy on-line. It's a tough call.
We will not endorse either way of shopping as the total solution.
Everyone finds their own "happy place" where they balance loyalty to a
store and the need for immediate gratification against cost. Instead, this
section deals with some of the things we discovered about on-line shopping
while setting up Toy Boat 2 that may help make you a smarter on-line
shopper.
Are You Two Together?
Many companies have both on-line and physical retail stores. It
is tempting to think that the stores work together as a unit, but that
is often NOT the case for the biggest
retailers. Here are some questions we posed to the biggest on-line stores
during the course of buying stuff for Toy Boat 2 (this info was
reconfirmed July, 2005):
| Does your retail store accept
returns on items purchased thru the on-line or phone-order store?
|
Store |
Yes or No |
| Bass Pro Shops |
No |
| West Marine |
Yes |
| Boater's World |
No |
| Cabela's |
No |
| Can the on-line store
have items in stock that the retail store will not? And vice
versa? |
Store |
Yes or No |
| Bass Pro Shops |
Yes |
| West Marine |
Yes |
| Boater's World |
Yes |
| Cabela's |
Yes |
| Can the on-line store check
retail store inventory? And vice versa? |
Store |
Yes or No |
| Bass Pro Shops |
No |
| West Marine |
Yes |
| Boater's World |
No |
| Cabela's |
No |
What do these things mean to you?
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If you buy on-line, you may not be able to return a defective item to a local
retail store, even if they are owned by the same company.
-
If the online store is out-of-stock on an item, check the nearest retail store,
and vice versa. There is a fair chance they may have the item in stock.
Look at Total Cost, Not
Just the Price of the Item
-
Some online stores operate in areas where they do not have to
charge sales tax. If you are in California, for example, this
could result in more than a 7% savings.
-
On the other hand, someone has to pay for shipping. Often, shipping
charges can more than make up for savings from discounted prices or lack
of sales tax .
-
BUT some on-line stores pick up the tab for sales tax and/or shipping when
the order exceeds a certain amount. Boater's World is a good
example.
BOTTOM LINE - be sure
that you add up everything before you push the
button. Also, see the next section "Let's Make a Deal"
Let's Make a Deal
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It doesn't hurt to ask for a discount if you are buying a lot of stuff. This
obviously requires that you speak to a real person, as opposed to ordering
on-line.
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People complain about West Marine prices a lot, but be aware that the West
Marine stores will match competitor Internet pricing. You will
need some sort of proof of the price, such as website URL or a printout of a
web page, and it has to be a legitimate business. Clearance and closeout items
are not included.
Beware the Bait and
Switch
There are a few on-line stores which make constant changes to their pricing.
If you see a price you like, but aren't ready to buy, print the page
. You may find that the price has changed when you return. You might be able to
get them to give you the original price, if you can call their order desk.
But don't be surprised if they won't do it - "That was special
pricing, we're out of stock at that price".
We had this happen to us when trying to buy a backup handheld GPS. We
found an on-line store with an incredibly low price, but when we came back
2 hours later, the price was much higher. We called to complain,
and were informed that they were out of stock at the original advertised price
(there was a disclaimer about "subject to stock on hand" on the
page).
The new price was still reasonable, so we ordered anyway, then reconsidered and
called back to cancel the order. Guess what? "Some more discounted units
had arrived", at a price not quite as low as before, but
close. We left the order in place with the revised pricing, but it sure was
annoying...
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