Are we over the deals at Overstock.com?
These days, most of us have heard of Overstock. What many haven’t heard is that, if they don’t have it one day, they might have it the next. That’s kind of the point of the whole “overstock” thing: what one of their suppliers might still hope to sell one day could be marked as “overstock” the next, so keep going back!
A caution, though: Overstock feels more and more like your average online store and less and less like people who are trying to help you get the biggest BANG! for your buck. A little price-comparison research is in order, especially on big-ticket items.
What's your experience with Overstock?
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I really like Overstock's customer reviews. Reading customer reviews is a good idea when you shop for any online store, but it is especially the case when you are shopping on Overstock, where there are some terrible things mixed in with great items.
Don't forget to price match! Overstock has a best price guarantee, so take advantage if you find the same item cheaper. There are, of course, some restrictions but they seem pretty reasonable -- no sale items, exact model match, yada yada yada.
Be sure to approach Overstock.com the way you would any factory outlet store and be sure read the fine print to be sure what you are getting and compare it against comparable items of the same quality.
Some items are not just overstocks, they are factory seconds or have minor flaws, but they are listed if your read the complete item description. A very high percentage of the electronics are factory reconditioned factory rejects or returns. If you comparision shop and find a new, top quality camera in a local store that is only $20 more than what Overstock.com has a factory reconditioned model, you are likely better off paying the extra $20 local store and if something does go wrong, you can visit the store and work with a live person as oppossed to call center and have to hassle with return shipping, etc.
On high dollar electronics, strongly recommend purchasing any extended warranties that are offered. I bought a high dollar reconditioned all-in-one fax/printer/scanner for $150 and it only came with a 90 day warranty; it conked out about 2 months after the 90 day warranty ended and I found out to pay to get it fixed would be nearly what I had originally paid for the printer.
If you are not one that has to have the latest and greatest in electronics, you can get some good bargains, some which are not reconditioned but factory firsts, because they are no longer sought after items. I did get a very good deal several years ago on a new analog Sony Hi-8 video camera (which I convert in to VHS tapes) after digital camcorders started hitting the that has served me well for several years now with no problems.