EricPost wrote:So you're saying you admit that it's a better deal but you consider a third part unreliable so it doesn't count. I used to use Newegg too, till I got so much crap and tired of paying to send it back. Newegg is far worse than most 3rd parties I've dealt with.
I'm not saying it is a better deal or not. I'm neutral on this deal. That wasn't the point. I saw CharlieCarroll and one other person put up the price in question, and since Charlie is relatively new, I thought I'd respond.
Personally, I used NewEgg as an example of a long-established (you could use Tiger Direct, Best Buy, etc.), big company because I've not had problems with them that I can recall, but I figure every business is going to have screw-ups.
I actually buy as much stuff from third parties with Amazon as Amazon itself. What I was trying to do is remind people who wonder why they can occasionally find a lower price/woot won't lower the price when they can find better prices elsewhere.
The answer (as ThunderThighs and other staff occasionally will explain) is it depends on who's selling it. Woot considers the bigger companies their competition and peers, such as a Target, Toys R Us, WalMart, CDW, etc. Companies that you won't wonder if they'll still be there the next day/less likely to pull a fast one (but again, anyone can get a bad product/service from any company)--woot considers these companies their comparison scale. I've personally see posts from others for businesses that seemed too good to be true (one time it was a recent startup from China, complete with spelling errors, with a price much below anything else on the internet--multiple people posted it, but TT explained why they weren't allowing it--and checking the site out, I agreed with them on that call).
If you want my personal opinion, which is a separate issue entirely, I won't buy anything from a purely online company (i.e., no local presence) that's going to be hard to return or quite expensive except for a computer (and only then if it's a company with a good track record, whether by personal experience or reputation). I don't mind helping y'all figure out whether the TV, etc. is a good deal or not by providing links when I have time. I don't work for woot, and sometimes I link to things which don't show the product in a favorable light, and woot leaves the post alone if it's reasonable.
I just don't plan on ever buying a TV strictly online--I want that from someone local, that I can see and touch myself. Similarly, with third party Amazon agencies, I keep the purchases limited to cheaper, smaller things with less risk.
