Should read as online theft the way the scam goes..

First, let me inform you that this review is not about Dell, but regarding all the scamsters online. Now read on.

Considering that it has been more than 15 years that online shopping has actually come to the World. Is it a gift? Is it cheaper purchasing it online then from your local shop? Nada..

These guys actually fleece you just as you were sheep. Be prepared to say “Baa” in case you do. The fact is online shopping is supposed to make the product itself cheaper. They were supposed to cut down expenses by way of sales staff, billing staff and other maintenance staff besides being available 24 hours. But where is the cost benefit? The only advantage is see is that I can sell any old electronic garbage online and earn. And I can do that by selling at Big Bazaar also. But as a buyer I would think twice. My experience is aptly illustrated with the eBay site.

I often used to purchase items worth its salt from the eBay site. However now, you get these junkie dealers, who sell anything online. For ex., I was supposed to purchase a cassette to CD conversion software at the eBay site. Though the software is free online and if you search has the complete information including a manual, it was for sale from a price of 500 to 1 Re. I was wondering how he made a profit from one buck! But when I looked at the shipping costs, it came down to 151 bucks. The shipping alone was 150 bucks! The actual shipping costs (Private courier - 60 bucks) through the most reliable Indian post are approximately 50 bucks… similarly the case with any junk.

Never purchase any electronic items, clothing, food, or any software unless you have verified the prices at your nearest local vendor. Most hood you on the shipping or hidden costs. It’s the same the world over.

Let’s take another aspect. For ex., let’s take sites such as Tiger direct, HP shopping, Dell shopping, Wal-Mart or other big online retailers. They offer mail-in rebates which is a huge scam. If for ex., the cost of a product is about 1000 (Whatever the currency unit) they offer a rebate of 100, the actual cost comes to around 900. The advertised cost of the unit is 900. It is only when you click on the more info or details, that you notice that the actual cost is 1000. This form of marketing has performed well in the US market. The reason being that, most tend to get carried away by the lower price of the product. After paying the actual price for the product (without the discount) they have a run around to get at it. But when you actually send the mail in rebate coupon, there are various details asked. A few do not fill it for privacy reasons. A few are just too lazy. And most rebates under 100 USD are often unclaimed. This goes directly to the company’s pocket. There is no way of tracking this money. The ones who have orders in excess of 2000 USD and who have a huge rebate (for, ex., 400USD) actually do send in the rebate coupon. But it is more often a run around and it takes no less than 30 – 60 days for the money to be rolled back to your account. (Mind you not cash, whether to your credit or banking account) And if it is debit banking account, be sure to complete a few more forms otherwise you are in more trouble with the IRS. (Tax returns)

Let us check if these sites actually offer any other significant advantages. Review a few products at the say for ex., Tiger direct site.)

The cheapest SD card is advertised as 10 USD while its actual cost is 13 dollars. Do you think any idiot would fill in a form for getting back 3 dollars? Next when I actually checkout, I notice that the shipping costs are 7 dollars. So in the end I am paying 20 dollars for an SD card whose actual cost is 10 USD. Now how much would it cost in the local shop. It would be around 12 dollars in the local shop. Cheaper? Yes it is. (It is around 500 in India) So there is no significant advantage. This is true regardless of whether you shop at eBay or at any online site. Besides the fact that you cannot trust these people with your credit/debit card information. (Look at the number of online thefts of recent occurrence) Considering the fact that you would actually need to wait for the product to arrive I am sure by that time, you would at least pass by one of your nearest shop to purchase it from there. (So no hidden “shipping” or “transportation” costs.)

The only advantage is the not so endless list of items offered by sale online. They try to sell more products online though they may not be relevant. Check out eBay for example. They offer items for sale right from gardening to cars! I wonder if anyone has actually purchased a car at eBay…

But again, the online auction system at eBay is a farce… When I do find an item which is worth it, (for ex., a 500 MHz laptop for 5k- 8k, the seller often takes various nicks to overbid your quote often making it to 20k. At that price, I would consider getting a new laptop.. (24k is the cheapest current laptop)

I recently received a shirt (a gift from a friend) for which he paid around 900.. The sticker price was not even removed from the shirt! It was 299/- See?

Also if a site claims they are the most visited site, there is a difference. Are they actually purchasing it at that site? No. Most online enthusiasts usually compare three to four sellers before settling for one.

My personal experience
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This happened in June 2004. I remember trying to book a hotel room through the internet as I thought making a call would be costlier. The hotel room stated that the rooms cost around 2450 +taxes as it came under the star hotel category. (Besides the service tax) I didn’t book at the time due to the wise counsel of my parents. I was skeptical as it was a happening tourist destination. Besides, I was going on a Friday to Sunday trip. But when I actually reached the location, I was able to book a room at the same hotel for 1200 +taxes! See? So my entire tour cost came to around 8k inclusive of the flight (Thanks to Deccan Airways) and food costs. If I had paid it online only the hotel bill would have been that much.

Why they loot?
There is so far no regulatory body on internet practices. The internet even after 20 years is still “evolving” for them. And any legislation passed would affect these retailers in a big way. So they themselves are in no hurry to legislate. And the consumers, (us) remain lackadaisical though we do not realize the extent of the scam. However if you can take no action, I would recommend you not to shop online. If you intend to do that, consult your near retailers and check if the price is worth it after including all the hidden costs..

They should first set up a body which allows sites to post only the Indian post information at the site. (Cost per gram as India posts follows) That would weed out half of these junkie dealers. Once the cost of post is standardized at all sites, they should also avoid false pricing and avoid mail in rebate practices. This alone would weed out the big sellers also to come in terms to reality. That the consumer is the King!

And at sites like eBay, people would be able to make a choice if the postal charges are included in the price. (Not excluded) So the pricing would be more realistic and the customer database would include only the actual number of transactions.

Again before anyone jumps the gun, there are a few sites which are worth it. This review is in general regarding the scamsters on the net.