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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.video,net.consumers
Subject: Re: cheap VCRs by mail order
Message-ID: <6722@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 21-Dec-84 12:06:22 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.6722
Posted: Fri Dec 21 12:06:22 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Dec-84 00:18:50 EST
References: <123@magic.ARPA>
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Xref: watmath net.video:828 net.consumers:1593

> 
> A place called 47th Street (47th Street Photo?) in New York is
> advertising Beta hi-fi vcrs by mail order at about $100 less than
> their discount prices in this area, even taking into account shipping.
> Anybody know anything about this place?


47th St Photo has been around for some time, and seems to have a generally
reliable reputation amongst the New York discounters. I've bought stuff
from them a couple times, via 800-number and chargecard, and had no
problems. A few words of advice, applying not only to them but to any
of these mail-order houses:

1) Watch what they charge for shipping. They try to make up for low
profit margin on goods by excessive shipping charges. Try to get them
to commit to charging you ONLY what UPS charges them for shipping, not
a percentage of the order or a overly-large flat rate. Also make sure
you specify "regular UPS" and they don't charge you extra for "blue-label"
UPS (which only gets stuff to you 1 day sooner [here in St. Louis] and
isn't worth the extra cost).

2) Watch about accessories. On many items, these types of dealers pull
standard accessories out of the box and charge separately for them. (A
common example is AC power supplies for portable radios.)

3) Get a Sunday New York Times and look at the ads (I think in an
"entertainment" section or the like). The prices here are often better
than the ones in catalogs or phone quotes, as this is their main
competitive exposure, and each is trying to beat the other. 

4) Don't expect warranty service and be prepared to eat the costs of
shipping back goods that are bad out-of-the-box for exchange. This is
what you are risking in order to save on the price. If after-the-sale
hand-holding or advice is important to you, you better pay more and
buy locally. Think of these sources as warehouses; you tell them 
exactly what you want and trade them money for goods. That's all.

Caveat emptor and all that! Happy holidays!

Will Martin

USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin     or   ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA