INTERNET SHOPPING - A VIEW OF ONE OF THE BEST
(Part 1 of 2)
By Ron Hirsch - Boca Raton Computer Society

It’s probable that everyone who uses the Internet has purchased online at one time or another. Of course there are many sites where one can shop. Some are well known, such as Amazon. But there are also many sites, possibly numbering into the millions, where one can purchase items of every description. And, it is difficult to know what is really behind the web pages that one can view while on an unknown site.

Remember, anyone can design (or have designed for them) a very elaborate and impressive site, even when there is very little behind the front that is displayed. So, sometimes it is hard to evaluate with whom you are dealing. There are various services where one can get “ratings” of many of these sites, but not all sites are listed or rated. So, what is one to do?

Usually, getting recommendations from friends, or reviews from known sources will aid in this activity. And, your own personal experiences should serve you well here.

The purpose of this article is to give you my recommendation for a particular company with whom I’ve dealt for many years. While I have always had a high regard for them, my recent experiences totally solidify and enhance my feelings about them. This company is NEWEGG.

NEWEGG  - AN EXTRAORDINARY  COMPANY

This is the first time I’ve ever written an article about a supplier that I use. But this company, Newegg, is indeed a one in a million, and I feel that my experiences with them do rate the praise that I will be bestowing upon them. Even though I have been dealing with them for years, recent experiences have given me an added new perspective on their operation, and dedication to customer service, and customer satisfaction.

WHO IS NEWEGG??

If you never heard of Newegg, then you probably have not bought many computer parts in the past. And, if you have bought one or more computers or computer components since you got interested in computers, then they were either bought at local retailers such as Costco, or large online sellers such as Amazon, or Buy.com.

WHAT DO THEY SELL??

The company probably started out selling parts mainly to home computer builders, but has since expanded to cover far more than that. Their offerings now include just about every computer part that one can conceive, in addition to complete computers. Plus they offer TV’s, digital photography items of all kinds, and also many electronics devices currently in the marketplace.

Newegg is a company that only sells online, and only via placing an order on their site. They do not have any retail stores, nor can you place an order verbally by speaking with a representative. But they do have staff with whom you can talk to on all appropriate matters. And, they do have a web site which is actually a great experience. And below I will explain why this is so.

WHY IS THEIR SITE SO GREAT?

When you first log onto their site, their home page will be presented, and you can use their search box to start your activities there. You can type in a product’s model number, a manufacturer’s name, a product’s type, such as “monitors”, or a general area such as “cables”.

When the search results come up, you can then refine them via a variety of sorting choices, such as “lowest price”, “highest price”, “most popular”, “manufacturer”, etc.. 

Up to this point, other sites do have similar features, but here’s where it gets much better.

REVIEWS -  on every product page, on the right, there will be an area where you can bring up product reviews, and there will also be a display indicating the average review score of all the reviews listed. And, each reviewer rates the product in question, on a scale of 1 to 5. At the top of this section is a summary of the scores from all the reviewers, and you can also read the complete review. This can assist potential buyers in deciding about the item they are interested in buying.

IMAGES -  For most products, there is a small display of thumbnail photo images of the product. These images display the product in various views, and the other items included in the product package. Clicking on the small thumbnails provides a larger image to view.

SPECIFICATIONS - Clicking here will bring up a list of the specifications for the product involved. This is usually quite complete. 

MANUFACTURER - But if added info is wanted, there are tabs to click on, which will take you to that product page on the manufacturer’s site, or to the home page there. Also included are phone numbers for the manufacturer in question. Very often, when I am having difficulty locating a phone number for a manufacturer, I go to Newegg’s site, and bring up that manufacturer, and then note the phone number.

PRODUCT AVAILABILITY- If the product you bring up is not available because it is either out of stock, or discontinued, there will be an “Unavailable” notation alongside the product. Newegg will not accept orders for a product which is not currently available in their stock. But, you can request an email notification when it does become available, at which time you can then place your order. Often, the product is not available because it has been discontinued. And ultimately, it will then be removed from their site. 

SHIPPING & DELIVERY -  Newegg does of course have many products that include “Free Shipping”. Those that do not will note the shipping charges during the course of placing an order. Their charges are always reasonable. And the shipping time is usually only a couple of days. And if you are ordering several items, the shipping charges will usually be less the total of the individual charges.

This is the end of part 1. Next month, part 2 will offer you the more details on the cream of dealing with Newegg. There is no question that other companies may indeed share some of the great positive features that Newegg offers. But to find a single company that does all of them, is extremely rare. 

If you find this material useful, you may want to download this article in PDF format, from our web site http://www.brcs.org/hirsch.php. This allows readers to keep the material either as a PDF file, and/or print it out, and place it in a looseleaf notebook for future reference. Remember, the PDF version offers full color, which could not be used in the Boca Bits hard copy. So, if there are color elements in the original, the PDF copy will display them that way.