Do you check competitive prices?

[georgerkahn]

I recently purchased a Umarex NOTOS CRK .22 PCP air carbine, and put a Bug Buster 'scope I had on it. The pair worked well, until I read about putting a long eye relief 'scope on -- making operation sooooo much easier -- and the 'scope in the posting seemed worth a gander. I clicked on Pyramid Air, and there it was; I had a few Bullseye Bucks to apply; and it soon became headed my way. HOWEVER, when I clicked my order a couple of days later, this 'scope was listed as "out of stock" which raised the question whether I ordered their last one -- or, again, it is to be back-ordered. (It turned out I got their last one in stock.)
Anyhoos -- before I learned this, I Googled the make/model of the 'scope -- to see Amazon dot com has it -- identical model -- for an even FIFTY U S dollars LESS!
No worries for me -- money spent, and one cannot rewind the videotape of life...
But up comes the question: When you come across something you desire -- like in my case the Accushot 2-7x 'scope -- do you just buy it? OR, do you Google to find a lower/better price?
I am "mixed" as surely the lower price may be in fact the way to go... BUT -- if everyone does this sellers like Pyramid may very well go belly-up, and then there will not be ANY buying choices: "Amazon only!?"
Curious your thoughts...
geo

[dverna]

I check Amazon on almost everything I buy and find they are typically the best deal for me. but not always.

So, I check the web for other suppliers of stuff.

$50 is a quite a difference on a $225 scope.

I am not a big believer in supporting brick and mortar stores. They do not make a lot of sense for most things I buy. And I rarely buy anything at the LGS as they are not competitive.

If most of these places go belly up it would not impact me much. For the last 30 years, I have not been the type of person who buys a box of ammunition, or three trays primers at a time. Being 72, and stocked up, gives me a different perspective on the long term value of vendors. As long as online vendors stay around, and they will, supporting them does not matter.

When I got into PCP's I did buy a bunch of premium pellets from PA and others to see what my guns liked. The cheap Crosmans were only slightly less accurate than the "good" pellets and Amazon had them on sale for almost 50% less than any other place. I bought 14k .22 and 14k .177 pellets from Amazon.

[Minerat]

Contact Pyramid Air and see if they price match might be surprised.

[Txcowboy52]

I check prices on everything. It’s surprising how much you can save if you just take your time and do so research.

[G W Wade]

Multiple checks on almost everything. Same town, 2 stores had Hornady bullets at $6/ 100 difference. This was when they were under $20. Read a recommendation for a Bushnell Match Pro scope. Checked all around, was surprised Bushnell beat everyone by at least $50 GW

[Half Dog]

Google is a friend for shopping. I worked at a national sporting goods store. After the inventory was counted, one year, the managers were celebrating because they met a goal of theft reduction and were given bonuses. ~$250,000 was the loss for the year, for that store, and that amount was added into the cost of goods that were sold that year. I try not to buy from brick and mortar stores because their prices are higher in many instances due to overhead.

[farmerjim]

I check every place that might have what I want (price plus shipping)
I buy from the cheapest.
I buy a lot from Midway when they have free shipping.

[Winger Ed.]

I



I check around when making a big purchase like 5,000 primers at a time, or several pounds of powder.

Most other things, I shop the local guy. It's handy, and I get instant gratification.
If he's a buck or two higher, no big deal. If he closed up, it'd really suck.
So I don't begrudge him a few bucks to help him stay open.

This reminds me of one of my Dad's buddies.
(After getting to know him, I learned there is reason we have Texas 'Aggie' jokes here)
He was such a tight wad, if he needed something like a common staple gun:
He'd call every store that might sell them.
When he found the cheapest one-- he'd drive 20 miles to save 50 cents.

[farmerjim]

I have no local guy with decent prices. At least 50% higher than on line, plus he is a 40 mile drive. I do have 2 gun shops within 10 miles of me , but no reloading supplies.

[michael.birdsley]

it depends eventhough, $50 is $50. i’d probably do a little shopping around. i’m not looking for the cheapest deal but, i want to make sure i’m not getting screwed/gouged.

i tend to do business with the companies who ship the fastest. I want it now danget. i’ve learned that free shipping now a days means we get to it when we get to it sort of deal. where as when you pay for it it’s out the day. just depends on how much i’m saving on free shipping. if i’m saving $20-$30 on shipping i can wait.


there is a local reloading/gun store that i’m willing to spend more money at but, they can’t possibly stock everything


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dverna]

Just bought a new iPad a few minutes ago. $400 from Amazon, $450 from Apple. Took less than 10 minutes to compare prices. $50 may not matter to some, but why pay more for the same thing? Free delivery included.

BTW, I do not like Apple as a company, but my old iPad is 11 years old and has served me well. Screen is cracked in two places, and it runs slow so time to upgrade.

[CastingFool]

I also check if they have military discounts.

[pworley1]

I always check local and buy local when I can, next I just do a search for the item I intend to buy and compare delivered price. Amazon usually wins but not always.

[BLAHUT]

I check, google, amazon, e-bay, I find e-bay is usually cheaper and with free shipping.

[MrWolf]

I compare prices including shipping for a total cost. I also check for promo codes on most purchases. Be surprised what you can save at times.

[Rickf1985]

I have found that Amazon has gotten real greedy since the pandemic. They eliminated the three day shipping for Prime members and there "Free" shipping has generally been added into the price of the item. They are no longer the cheapest game in town. I find most of my stuff on Ebay anymore for basically the same deals I used to get from Amazon, but cheaper. I get free shipping and extremely fast shipping.
Amazon got too big too fast and built all these mega warehouses and bought all those delivery trucks and eliminated three day shipping and also raised the price for Prime membership. Greedy never wins. Now they are closing warehouses, cancelling contracts on new ones and losing business right and left. I cancelled my prime membership, what am I paying 119.00 for if the service gains me nothing over Ebay? I am curious to see how long it is before they go back to their old business model or just fold and sell out.

[MrWolf]

I have found that Amazon has gotten real greedy since the pandemic. They eliminated the three day shipping for Prime members and there "Free" shipping has generally been added into the price of the item. They are no longer the cheapest game in town. I find most of my stuff on Ebay anymore for basically the same deals I used to get from Amazon, but cheaper. I get free shipping and extremely fast shipping.
Amazon got too big too fast and built all these mega warehouses and bought all those delivery trucks and eliminated three day shipping and also raised the price for Prime membership. Greedy never wins. Now they are closing warehouses, cancelling contracts on new ones and losing business right and left. I cancelled my prime membership, what am I paying 119.00 for if the service gains me nothing over Ebay? I am curious to see how long it is before they go back to their old business model or just fold and sell out.

I check against HomeDepot and Walmart (both are basically free shipping when over $35). I also have issues with their returns now, especially on defective stuff. They want to charge me $7.99 for UPS to come get the return or want me to drive 45 minutes each way to a UPS place. My UPS drivers just tell me to give them the box with label and they take care of it (out here enough times). So no true Prime as it takes about 5 business days to arrive and want me to pay for returns. I complain, get an occasional credit but nothing changes. I am remote and disabled so...

[Rapier]

When you live in the woods, you make do. I buy everything I can locally, keep them in business, but on non available items I buy from good retailers, good and evil bay, used in the same sentence is a non starter. It is like Pay and Pal as a word, we do not do business, ever. Do not care to visit Wally World, but on real rare occasions it is necessary. Like my replacement 4K big screen Samsung, killed by lightning.Went to Best Buy to pick up my new TV, too busy unloading a truck, would not give me my pickup item, after driving 75 miles for the 80" they had sitting on the floor.
I stood there in their very own store, found the same make and model on my Cel Phone, at $250 less , drove by on my way home, paid cash for it and drove the 80" home. The Best Buy in Destin, may kiss my cheeks, have not shopped or been back, ever, sense that gross stupidity.
A picture from the theater system test.

[georgerkahn]

When you live in the woods, you make do. I buy everything I can locally, keep them in business, but on non available items I buy from good retailers, good and evil bay, used in the same sentence is a non starter. It is like Pay and Pal as a word, we do not do business, ever. Do not care to visit Wally World, but on real rare occasions it is necessary. Like my replacement 4K big screen Samsung, killed by lightning.Went to Best Buy to pick up my new TV, too busy unloading a truck, would not give me my pickup item, after driving 75 miles for the 80" they had sitting on the floor.
I stood there in their very own store, found the same make and model on my Cel Phone, at $250 less , drove by on my way home, paid cash for it and drove the 80" home. The Best Buy in Destin, may kiss my cheeks, have not shopped or been back, ever, sense that gross stupidity.
A picture from the theater system test.

When I was seeking a new tractor I first went to John Deere dealer who took me to check out a different model (oops.. he had no idea?) than we discussed/spec'd out in showroom. So I went to Mahindra dealer: All great but payments were a tad too high for my budget. Then the New Holland dealer which was WORSE than fellows unloading a truck. To wit, the salesman was on his computer sitting at desk and very shortly glanced at me -- saying not a word -- and went back to his keyboard. The dummy didn't realize I saw a reflection of his computer monitor screen from picture window behind him -- to see he was in fact playing a game of solitaire! I smiled, said "Excuse me, sir", and as I pulled the ten $100.00 bills out of my shirt pocket to show the cash I brought for a cash deposit on a tractor purchase -- put it back in my pocket as I wished him good luck in winning his solitaire game. (My next stop was the Kubota dealer: !!!)
An advantage to on-line shopping is not have to deal with persons unloading trucks, playing solitaire, or ???? other than waiting on customers.
...so sad!
geo

[ddeck22]

As long as your pursuit of the cheapest option doesn't lead you to a place that is not reputable, then you are fine. So, if you scan the major sites before purchasing, it makes sense. But with all the scam sites out there, it's easy to end up at a sketchy place if you get too absorbed in the focus on the cheapest price.