SHOPPING ON THE INTERNET - BE SUPER CAUTIOUS - EVEN ON THE BIG WEBSITES! !

[llowry61]

I'm about 5050 inet and brick and mortar. I am fortunate that we have a midsize local outdoor retailer just a few miles east of me. They have a few stores in other areas of the city and in the state.

The small-town main street was killed off by large retailers offering lower price as well as convenience. You could go to one store and buy everything from auto parts, groceries, electronics, outdoor goods and clothing all at a lower price.

Look at what happened to Sears. They did not keep up with the times and they got left behind.

I believe in competition. The strong survive and the weak do not.

As far as counterfeiting, it a real problem and it is not getting better. I believe that the on-line retailers know it and try to prevent it when they can, but as we know the crooks are always coming up with new ways to beat the system.

I don't really buy into the we will only get what they decide to sell us theory as long as we have competition the market will ensure availability of items in demand. Where we run into problems is when the markets are manipulated by outside forces. I am not going to get into that subject.

 

[Krogen]

One of these days, if we aren't careful, we won't be able to "get it" if it ain't on amazon. They will just supply us with the products that make $en$e
to them.

I think this is becoming the status quo. We're seeing a brick and mortar death spiral. It's a degenerative process. While I would like to buy at the local brick and mortar store, I often can't find what I want. Many times I know the manufacturer produces the item, but the local store just doesn't carry it. So I go online and buy what I want. I kick myself thinking I should have just gone online to begin with rather than waste time and gas shopping locally.

The death spiral is when people don't even bother with local stores and immediately go online to avoid poor local selection. The resulting lack of sales means the local store starts to stock even less. As a result, people increasingly go online.

I don't see how brick and mortar stores can compete, with the exception of stellar customer service. That would be the differentiator. Cost and selection favor online.

 

[Rustyt1953]

If cancer hadn't forced me to close up shop the onslaught of online and big box retailers had me circling the drain.

 

[Engineer1911]

China "knock-off"

Exhaust manifold / catalytic converter is one-piece welded unit on my 2012 Colorado with 4 cylinder engine. My son changed out the engine for me. The exhaust manifold had 3 separate holes in it that my son was convinced it could not be repair 'welded'.

Genuine GM part is clearance priced at $1,700 + freight + sales tax. Amazon has same GM part number for $200 + tax, free shipping. When the Exhaust manifold / catalytic converter arrived, things became obvious. There were 3-hole defects in the manifold casting that were repair Mig welded. The two assemblies were visually and dimensionally identical except for the repair welds on the new one.

My son learned that cast iron can be welded, and I saved $1,500.

 

[Yaworski]

Look at what happened to Sears. They did not keep up with the times and they got left behind.

Sears died because the man who bought the company was more interested in stock manipulation and real estate than retail.

When Amazon was new, Sears.com could out Amazon Amazon. However, the owner didn't want to invest in a better website or promote Sears.com.

I shop online because of choices. I needed mags for my Walther P-1. The guy at local gun shop didn't even know what a P-1 is (is that like a Beretta?). I can get them online and have them in a day.

I don't buy clothes or shoes online. I also won't buy anything major online. I've dealt with too many customers who dropped a good amount of money for something based on a picture and regret it.

 

[Fishinfool]

Does it work as well as the US badged version?

Yep, it is the same light.

Larry