Brick and mortar more expensive than online?

Raz

That was the general impression I had but today I've had reason to call that into question.
I selected a number of products on a combination of 3 websites, Komplett.ie, elara.ie and hitide.ie. I then took this list to IT Direct and asked them for quotes on the lot. Surprisingly they had the most expensive items of the list in stock.
The list is as follows,

Case - Antec P180 (Elara €164, IT Direct €172) Released later this month

PSU - Antec Phantom 500W (Elara €197, IT Direct €164)

LCD - Samsing 19" 913N (Komplett €399, IT Direct €372)

HDD - Western Digital 250GB Sata2 (Komplett €138, IT Direct €161)

GFX - Gainward GeForce 6800GT (Komplett €350)
- Alt - HIS X800XT (IT Direct €345)

CPU Heatsink - Thermalright XP90 (HiTide €53, IT Direct don't stock )

NB Heatsink - Zalman NB cooler (HiTide €7, IT Direct don't stock )

Fans - 92mm Papst silent (HiTide €18.90, IT Direct don't stock )
- 102mm Papst silent (HiTide €19.90, IT Direct don't stock )

Out of that list, if you take the alternative GFX you get the following totals from the 5 items that IT Direct stock,
IT Direct price: €1214
Online Price: €1263

The online price doesn't take into account shipping which would add, we'll say, €20 but realistically it would probably be more considering the case and monitor.
That's almost €70 less. I have to say I was pleasently surprised.
The only website to offer something that can't otherwise be gotten is HiTide and to be fair that's pretty good on IT Directs part.

I have to say, before I pay for any more computer equipment online again I'll be checking with them first.

CuLT

Yes.

I think the moral of the story is: shop around.
There's an epiphany for ya.

Creamy Goodness

CuLT wrote:

Yes.

I think the moral of the story is: shop around.
There's an epiphany for ya.

yes what cult is saying is true it pays to shop around no matter what you are buying be it clothes or computer parts.

still there are 4 items that you're brick and motar shop didn't stock, so i still think online havea greater varity in products which simply can't be done in a high street store.

zuma

What about those of us who live in small towns???

Petrol...day off work...etc!

Its fine if you live in Dublin/Cork/Limerick...etc...but otherwise online is always cheaper.

KdjaCL

Umm arent those It direct prives pre vat and the online ones after vat?

Or is that without any vat as in business customer?


kdjac

Ri_Nollaig

where is Ry and his wise (baised) words on retail shops vs e-shops?

zuma

KdjaC wrote:

Umm arent those It direct prives pre vat and the online ones after vat?

Or is that without any vat as in business customer?


kdjac

It Direct is probable pre Vat...case closed...online wins for purchases over €100!!!

Raz

KdjaC wrote:

Umm arent those It direct prives pre vat and the online ones after vat?

Or is that without any vat as in business customer?


kdjac

No those prices are after vat. I was in the shop getting those prices, not using their website. I had the GFX, HDD and PSU in my hands.

Zuma: Living in a small town isn't that much of of a problem. IT Direct open on Saturdays, so you could drive to Dublin then and get the stuff there and then. Petrol would probably cost you the price of delivery anyway and plus you could bring your wife/girlfriend/friend/family member and have a day in the city so everybody wins. Hell, you could even get them to pitch in for petrol and you're laughing. (Just remember to call first to make sure they have the things you want ordered in!).

zuma

Raz wrote:

No those prices are after vat. I was in the shop getting those prices, not using their website. I had the GFX, HDD and PSU in my hands.

Zuma: Living in a small town isn't that much of of a problem. IT Direct open on Saturdays, so you could drive to Dublin then and get the stuff there and then. Petrol would probably cost you the price of delivery anyway and plus you could bring your wife/girlfriend/friend/family member and have a day in the city so everybody wins. Hell, you could even get them to pitch in for petrol and you're laughing. (Just remember to call first to make sure they have the things you want ordered in!).

Hahahaha

I live in west Cork!!!
You couldnt get any further from Dublin and some people dont have Mon-Fr 9-5 jobs.

KdjaCL

Raz wrote:

No those prices are after vat. I was in the shop getting those prices, not using their website. I had the GFX, HDD and PSU in my hands.

Well i was about to check their website and got this in IE and Firefox.

Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'

[Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified

/functions.asp, line 203

They are great prices just doesnt seem right , have you an account with them as a business customer?

Might have alook in their on saturday meself, mad a computer sales company with a broken website


kdjac

jesus_thats_gre

OMG, something that is generally correct has been proven to be incorrect in some circumstances.. gasp..

CuLT

KdjaC wrote:

Well i was about to check their website and got this in IE and Firefox.


They are great prices just doesnt seem right , have you an account with them as a business customer?

Might have alook in their on saturday meself, mad a computer sales company with a broken website


kdjac

I am totally sitting in there morning to dusk to see if I can spot any obvious boardsies ¬_¬

Khannie

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

OMG, something that is generally correct has been proven to be incorrect in some circumstances.. gasp..

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Wettin' myself here in work.

Raz

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

OMG, something that is generally correct has been proven to be incorrect in some circumstances.. gasp..

Hehe fair point. But it's still nice to see it proven wrong.

KdjaC: That error has been there a long time now, though one of the guys in the shop mentioned they had something shown up on the website. I thought they must have gotten it fixed. Obviously not. I might send them a mail.
I'm not a business customer, just your regular tech enthusiast who wanders in off the street.

Spunog UIE

ye you always have to shop around for the best price. Just gotta ask yourself how much is your time worth to you.

Should be noted that you can collect things from Elara.ie if you want, even if you don't their shipping is only around 12quid.

Komplett have GLS for 10quid, OMG and An Post for 10. didn't see that till just checked now for heavy stuff. Cool, go An Post.