EveryThingOutlet.com has been a trusted online seller of digital products for over 10 years. The website is focused on computer hardware, software, as well as consumer electronics for both [...]]]> It’s not always easy to find cheap software online. However, the EveryThingOutlet.com superstore is making it easy to shop for the most affordable products in software.

EveryThingOutlet.com has been a trusted online seller of digital products for over 10 years. The website is focused on computer hardware, software, as well as consumer electronics for both the wholesale and retail markets.

EveryThingOutlet.com is able to offer low prices by keeping in close contact with its worldwide vendors who purchase directly from the manufacturers. Any discount by the manufacturer is passed down to the consumers, so you essentially pay a wholesale price for your purchase.

Right now the website offers cheap software deals on such products as microsoft office software, antivirus software, etc’

Payment options include all major credit cards and Paypal, if you choose to pay directly from your bank account. Electronic checks and wire transfer are also acceptable as a form of payment.

Naturally the website is secured with the latest 256-bit encryption technology.

If you wish to return a product, the website offers a 30-Day No Haggle No Hassle return policy. The caveat is that the product must not be opened and returned in the original sealed condition.

Currently, the following countries are offered shipping: USA, Canada, UK, australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea.

My last two laptops have both been Dell. I had always loved the fact that I could customize my laptop fairly specifically at the same time as getting a great price. At the time, other companies generally could only offer one of those options: a prepackaged bundle with a good price or customization [...]]]>

My last two laptops have both been Dell. I had always loved the fact that I could customize my laptop fairly specifically at the same time as getting a great price. At the time, other companies generally could only offer one of those options: a prepackaged bundle with a good price or customization with a premium.

During that same time, however, Dell was not without its faults. Its computers often weren’t as aesthetically pleasing (more utilitarian and clunky looking than some of its competitors more slick and glossy offerings). And the phone support system was (and still is, to a certain degree) a nightmare of touch tone loops which felt like its sole purpose was to make sure you never spoke to a human.

But those disadvantages never bothered me specifically. My laptops’ boring looks were good enough for me. And I went years at a time without ever needing tech support (though I had plenty of friends with Dells that had serious issues). Bottom line: I need a shopping model that provides me the best price on the exact configuration I specify.

This past month I decided it was time (it’s been almost three years) once again to get a new laptop. So I, of course, started at Dell’s website. But it didn’t take long before I was confused and annoyed. Any of the consumer models with a decent price also has pretty obvious limitations in their customization options (i.e., no option for a dedicated, rather than built-in, video card).

I could, of course, customize to my heart’s content if I were to select the appropriate higher-end model. But then the price seemed especially inflated when the only reason I was looking at the particular model was because it has one or two more features available when compared to a perfectly acceptable lower model.

So that’s when I began exploring alternative brands (including HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, and Acer). And that’s also when I discovered just how well HP has taken the Dell model and made it work better than Dell itself (all while keeping its existing model of selling through retail).

I got exactly what I wanted for a price hundreds of dollars less than the Dell equivalent. I’m sure Dell could offer me a similar competitively priced laptop. But it chose instead to gamble with my loyalty by focusing more on the upsell than on the specific customization I needed.

So for me, at least, HP is the new Dell.

I should note that I’ve kept details intentionally vague because in a matter of weeks hardware configurations will change. What I wanted to capture here is a principle that won’t go out of date as quickly as the hardware used to illustrate it.

[phpbay]HP(s), 10[/phpbay]

There are already plenty of deal sites out there (SlickDeals.net,

                                                    
Buxr is a site that aggregates shopping deals automatically via its own Internet-scouring technology while at the same time incentivizing community members to submit deals they find via daily and monthly competitions.

There are already plenty of deal sites out there (SlickDeals.net, TechBargains.com, and CheapStingyBargains.com being three of the bigger players), but Buxr tries to differentiate itself in a number of ways. For one, the deal listing area looks nicer and is easier to scan/read (it remind me a little of our own Amazon Price Drop Tracker but obviously more broad in focus).

Buxr’s main draw is its method of building a community in a number of ways. To do more than just scan through deals, you need to setup an account. The sign up process is simple enough with your basic three requirements of username, password, and email. As an added bonus, they pass the first test for credibility in that they don’t send your password over email.

Once you’re logged in, you can fully participate. It’s like a social network or Digg-like site that’s focused around deals. You can submit deals, comment on deals, vote on deals (vote them up or down), etc. If a deal you submit is picked as the best for the deal, you get $10. If over a month’s time, you acquire the most points (by submitting good deals and voting actively on deals that turn out to be considered good), you win a free iPhone (current prize, it could change).

All in all, it seems like a fun site. Although, I don’t really know what it takes to make sites like these take off. I’m guessing that first and foremost the deals themselves have to be better than what can be found elsewhere (which is a difficult comparison to make objectively across these sites). But the “social” side is done well and seems like a nice addition.

For more details, check out the FAQ and the separate section which explains the contests and give aways.

Disclosure: The owner of Buxr did contact me and compensate me for reviewing the site. I accept compensation for reviews only with the understanding that I will openly state any such agreement and be as candid as I please in any review.

My top issues with eBay: Prices aren’t that competitive, service is inconsistent, time is wasted, and the shipping is a wild card. It’s no wonder then that, due to lackluster growth, eBay recently announced changes including “holding sellers to higher customer-service standards.” But I gave [...]]]>

My top issues with eBay: Prices aren’t that competitive, service is inconsistent, time is wasted, and the shipping is a wild card. It’s no wonder then that, due to lackluster growth, eBay recently announced changes including “holding sellers to higher customer-service standards.” But I gave up on eBay years ago when I discovered Amazon has all the same stuff at around the same price but with real customer service.

Just for fun, I thought I’d revisit eBay and see what kind of deals I skipped out on by searching for the last few items I ordered on Amazon. Here’s how the process works: you search for your item and get excited when you see an amazing deal! Oh wait, that auction still has 12 hours before it’s over. So you save it to your watch list and waste more time searching for other deals.

Here’s one! And this time it’s a good price with a “Buy It Now” option, no bidding. But shipping is $39.95, for a box the size of a book? Well, considering the original bargain, that’s still not that bad of a deal, so you decide to add it to your watch list. This process goes on and on with each item that you add to your “watch list” having some caveat: no warranty, small defect, only accept X type of payment, shipping from the U.K., required handling charge, etc.

The list goes on; you get the picture. By the end of your day, you’ve added to your eBay watch list two dozen versions of the same product. You watch anxiously as those low price auctions skyrocket in the last five minutes. You then have to weigh in the pros and cons of each of the other items based on the relative annoyance of the aforementioned caveats. You settle on the discounted, used item with the ridiculous shipping. In the mean time, you’ve accomplished next to nothing during your day.

This used to be me a few years back… Until I had a problem with a seller who delayed my shipment by three months. What did eBay do when I called them? Nothing. So I started shopping at Amazon but still held on to the bargain hunting itch of eBay. But then, I noticed Amazon had the following: competitive pricing, 30-day price guarantee, real customer service, and no shipping charges. Suddenly, it hit me. Wasting an entire day to save a few bucks wasn’t worth the time and hassle.

For an example of Amazon customer service, check out this NYTimes piece about how Amazon replaced a customer’s Playstation 3 after it was stolen off his doorstep before he could even touch it. What would have eBay done? Nothing.

Note: This article is cross-posted at BobCaswell.com.

I [...]]]> It wasn’t too many years ago that people wondered whether or not anyone would really buy things over the Internet. If you are still wondering, then you just might be an idiot. There should no longer be any question. Let me share two stories to illustrate why online shopping is here to stay.

I wanted to buy my wife pajamas. Since I’m a), a guy, b) have no taste, and c) don’t want to stand around comparing colors, patterns, and textures, my wife and I have this little agreement. When I buy her an outfit, the clothes are nothing more than a token. So when she unwraps the pajamas I bought her, and she knows I would like her to have a new pair of PJs. She then pulls out the receipt, packs them up, and takes them back to pick out a pair she really wants. She gets the pair she wants, I don’t have to think about it, everybody wins.

I went to the local fancy pants store to buy the token gift. It took me 2.5 minutes to find the PJ section. There is nobody around to help me. If I wanted to ask about sizes or quality I would have been out of luck. I decide my wife can probably come back and find a good pair for $30, so I pick up the first pair that costs that much and head to the register. Not too bad, I’ve been in the story maybe 4 minutes so far.

There are 6 days until Christmas so the lines are long. I settle into the shortest one and immediately regret it. I start my watch.

The current customer is trying to buy her items. There is a mixup. The ad says one thing, the register says another. Clerks converse, a bag boy is sent to verify the price, the rest of us groan. I’ve been in line for 4 minutes 29 seconds when the total is finally given to the first customer (I’m third in line). We think the end is nigh when the clerk tells the customer, “You can save an extra 10% if you sign up for our credit card.”

Oh my goodness, this is not a decision to be taken lightly! The customer asks what this would entail, the clerk explains. The customer asks what happens if she’s denied, the clerk tells her that won’t happen. The customer doesn’t know about putting it on a credit card, the clerk says if she signs up, she can get the discount, and still pay with a check.

After 2.5 minutes of healthy debate and discussion, the customer decides to take the brash move of signing up. The line groans.

In order to sign up, the customer must answer six simple questions on the keypad device.

Great.

If this woman was comfortable with technology, she would be shopping online. She struggles with with the punch pad device, the clerk tries to help. The rest of us in line are forgetting Christmas spirit, and instead wondering how much damage could be done with a roll of wrapping paper.

At 12 minutes I give up and move to another line. I not only beat the lady in front of me out of the store, I beat the first customer out of the store. In fact she followed me out. I did what any gentleman would do and pushed her cart over and ran for the parking lot. OK, I didn’t, but fantasized about it for a long time.

Now, take as a second example, the purchase I made after returning from the pajama debacle.

I frequent a board game website, and saw a great deal for a particular game. It was $12. It sells for $40 in the store. With a quick click I find a review of the game. Hmmmm, looks like people like it. I send an IM to my sis-in-law.

“Hey, this looks like a good deal, want in?”

“Sure. Let me check with Stacy… *pause* Stacy is in, get three.”

*click* *click* *click*

Done.

Access to research. Access to a community. No lines. No paper coupons. No parking. No driving. 3 games for the price of one.

What’s not to like?

I’m not predicting big box retailers are going to go out of business. Lotteries demonstrate quite clearly that there is still a sucker born every minute, and these suckers will always need somewhere to shop. As for me and my house, we will shop online.

Toward the end of last week, I pointed out a deal on Amazon for an HD-DVD player with 10 movies for $174. Interestingly enough, I purchased the player online during Black Friday. That is, the day where all the good deals are supposed to be in stores at early [...]]]>

Toward the end of last week, I pointed out a deal on Amazon for an HD-DVD player with 10 movies for $174. Interestingly enough, I purchased the player online during Black Friday. That is, the day where all the good deals are supposed to be in stores at early morning hours.

Since I had a few other gadgets in mind (not to be named, as they might be for some who may be reading this!) which weren’t offered at any discount during Black Friday, I thought I’d wait until the infamous “Cyber Monday.” For the uninitiated, Cyber Monday is the Monday after Thanksgiving that is supposed to be the online equivalent of the day-after-Thanksgiving sales. Here is a good article on CNN Money.

But to my surprise and frustration, I have found less interesting online deals today versus Black Friday. In fact, Amazon actually raised the prices on a few of the items I had my eye on. And that HD-DVD player deal? Here it is again for those who missed it the first time, but this time it’s priced at $179 and only comes with 7 movies (update: now two months later it’s only $132). Still a pretty good deal even if I’m glad I didn’t wait till today for mine.

CyberMonday.com is supposedly the site to check for the deals today. It may have some good listings of the deals out, but I wouldn’t know. The site is too convoluted and busy looking for me to dig through it. And the only Cyber Monday specific Amazon deal I could find was this deal for DVDs. Try the deal pages at Gizmodo and CrunchGear, which have some good compilations of other available deals. One thing most these deals have in common: dollar off or percentage off something.

These deals rarely wow me when compared to all the door busters during Black Friday. From what I can tell, Cyber Monday doesn’t have the equivalent time table like Black Friday. Some may argue that’s for the best, that is, no long lines / early hours / stock outs. But I must say that my best Black Friday finds have almost always been something priced ridiculously low and only available in a limited quantity.

And when I see a ridiculously low price tag for a limited quantity item, I take a look. Whereas free shipping coupled with a percent off? That does little for me. Ever heard of Amazon? Every blasted thing the site sells has a percent markdown off retail and the potential for free shipping (most any order above $25).

Sorry, Cyber Monday, you’ve gotta do better than that… For both online and offline shopping, Black Friday is the clear winner for me. But I realize much of my reasoning is ancedotal even if accurate. Anyone have a story to share that makes Cyber Monday shine?

And for those interested in stats and stuff, here are a couple resources that discuss the increase in online holiday shopping overall.