pros & cons of buying tv's online? best buy? online company advice?

obsurd · 05-03-2008, 05:30 PM

hey guys...im about to buy that panasonic 50" plasma 77u from last year due to hearing great reviews.

The problem is, I can save up to $300 by buying online, as opposed to buying from Best Buy in the store. My question is: is it worth it to buy online? what happens if it is broke during shipping? any online stores that people have used and recommend? does a company like panasonic offer support on their tv's years after their purchase?

sorry guys but this is basically the final step that i must figure out!!!

oh and should i wait a couple weeks to see if these prices plummit?

Loves2Watch · 05-03-2008, 05:48 PM

Since it is last year's model, I wouldn't wait much longer as they will not be available much longer. When buying on-line, make sure to choose a reputable seller that has a good return policy and will replace a unit damaged during shipment. I know from experience that www.onecall.com is one of those dealers.

obsurd · 05-03-2008, 07:22 PM

well thank you! anyone else have any experience that they can recommend!

WTF?? · 05-03-2008, 09:47 PM

I bought locally, and thank God I did...

I bought a Sony 52xbr4- locally it was on sale for 2995, onl;ine i saew it as cheap as 2600. I went to Ultimate Electronics and asked them to match price w/ online- they were willing to go to 2700+tax and I said fine, it was worth it to me to deal w/ a b&m store.
Long story short- the first 2 units were defective- I called the store and thye exchanged them w/in a couple days. if I had bought online, i would have had to have the TV repaired by Sony service instead of getting a new set. Worth the extra $ to me if I can get the price close to the online pricing...

Just my $.02, others may disagree

Loves2Watch · 05-03-2008, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WTF??

I bought locally, and thank God I did...

I bought a Sony 52xbr4- locally it was on sale for 2995, onl;ine i saew it as cheap as 2600. I went to Ultimate Electronics and asked them to match price w/ online- they were willing to go to 2700+tax and I said fine, it was worth it to me to deal w/ a b&m store.
Long story short- the first 2 units were defective- I called the store and thye exchanged them w/in a couple days. if I had bought online, i would have had to have the TV repaired by Sony service instead of getting a new set. Worth the extra $ to me if I can get the price close to the online pricing...

Just my $.02, others may disagree

Well you are talking about a Sony...The OP is considering a Panasonic which is a different story altogether.

obsurd · 05-04-2008, 12:53 AM

^^^^well i feel like panny is the way to go thanks to the help of everyone on this board.

im gonna wait a couple weeks because this price drop thing is amusing...if it happens it would be awesome!

jrod2183 · 05-04-2008, 07:23 AM

You should check out Nextag.(just google it). You can search for your tv there, and the prices are great. You can look at all the reviews from buyers, and many of the sellers there have great ratings.

s2mikey · 05-04-2008, 08:48 AM

Buying online for large-ticket fragile items is a risk that you are either willing to take or not willing to take. Buying from a reputable dealer, like Invision Displays is a great way to go since if there is an issue you wont get the shaft. Realize though that no matter where you buy online if there is a problem and you have to ship the TV back then it is a ROYAL pain in the ass. This cannot be denied. Otherwise, you WILL save money buying online.

So, stay with reputable dealers and do NOT get sucked into a cheap price from some half-assed internet shop that you've never heard of. Remember the old "if its too good to be true then it probably is" saying. It applies here.

Personally Im old fashoined I guess and prefer to get TVs locally. Many others have had great luck buying online so dont let an old fart like me deter you.

hardeight · 05-04-2008, 11:36 AM

I bought from Tweeter over the phone (They don't have a webstore) and had no trouble at all. I got my Pioneer Elite for $200 less than I could have got the non-elite model in stores. Not only was teh base price quite a bit lower but I also paid no sales tax since it was out of state. The TV came in 4 days. Fed-ex called me to schedule a time that would be convenient for me to be there to inspect and sign for it. The Fed-Ex guy helped me get it up the stairs into my apartment. I opened the box and inspected for any damage, then signed the papers and he was on his way. Fed-ex themselves had a 30 day policy for items damaged during shipping and they would have handled anything if there was something wrong with it. but I've had no problems at all.

obsurd · 05-04-2008, 01:25 PM

^^^^

great idea...im about to check out both of these places asap! i think online is the way to go for sure.

iserum · 05-04-2008, 06:19 PM

for $300 saving it is not worth buying online. local stores have very liberal return policy, there is always chance you don't like something about set, online stores mostly exchange sets if it is defective with same model.

MrSimon · 05-04-2008, 06:55 PM

Don't forget that b&m retail stores will often negotiate on large ticket items like TVs. And they almost always have a price matching guarantee .... some places will guarantee 10% lower than any other store. So go to the more expensive store and see if they will beat the price at the cheaper store.

Plus, be patient and watch for sales. A good sale at a retail store will usually be very close to an online store, once you factor in shipping.

roscoe93 · 05-04-2008, 07:43 PM

Bought the50" Panny from Amazon with the lowest price around.The second a 37"Olevia from Buydig also lowest price. Both came double boxed and in perfect condition.
I did keep the box from the Olevia due to all the negative replies on the forum but so far even with all the bouncing around in the RV it still plays great.
Also don't forget the sales tax thats not charged.

kgriffioen · 05-05-2008, 04:51 PM

Bought 46" Panasonic on line (ebay), lowest price anywhere, bought on a Friday night and it was on my wall on Tuesday morning. One of the best shopping experiences that I've had in a long time.

ActionPoint · 05-05-2008, 07:00 PM

I highly recommend Vann's. I've done quite a bit of business with them and they've always taken good care of me. Also, Panasonic's customer service is top notch. They do a very good job of taking care of any defects/issues.

05-03-2008, 05:30 PM	#1
obsurd High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 31	pros & cons of buying tv's online? best buy? online company advice? hey guys...im about to buy that panasonic 50" plasma 77u from last year due to hearing great reviews. The problem is, I can save up to $300 by buying online, as opposed to buying from Best Buy in the store. My question is: is it worth it to buy online? what happens if it is broke during shipping? any online stores that people have used and recommend? does a company like panasonic offer support on their tv's years after their purchase? sorry guys but this is basically the final step that i must figure out!!! oh and should i wait a couple weeks to see if these prices plummit?

05-03-2008, 05:48 PM	#2
Loves2Watch SPAM Police Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: AZ, NM, TX, MX Posts: 13,972	Since it is last year's model, I wouldn't wait much longer as they will not be available much longer. When buying on-line, make sure to choose a reputable seller that has a good return policy and will replace a unit damaged during shipment. I know from experience that www.onecall.com is one of those dealers. __________________ Theater 1 - Panasonic TH-85PF12U Plasma TV, 6 Conrad Johnson LP275M Amps, Anthem Statement D-2 Pre/Pro, 6 Thiel SCS4 Speakers, 2 REL T-1 Subs, Infinity Interlude 120S Sub, Simaudio MOON Orbiter Universal Disc Player, ELP Laser Turntable, 2 Dish Network ViP 622 DVR's, Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Player, Onkyo DV-HD805 HD DVD Player.

05-04-2008, 08:48 AM	#8
s2mikey Flat Panel Luvr Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 972	Buying online for large-ticket fragile items is a risk that you are either willing to take or not willing to take. Buying from a reputable dealer, like Invision Displays is a great way to go since if there is an issue you wont get the shaft. Realize though that no matter where you buy online if there is a problem and you have to ship the TV back then it is a ROYAL pain in the ass. This cannot be denied. Otherwise, you WILL save money buying online. So, stay with reputable dealers and do NOT get sucked into a cheap price from some half-assed internet shop that you've never heard of. Remember the old "if its too good to be true then it probably is" saying. It applies here. Personally Im old fashoined I guess and prefer to get TVs locally. Many others have had great luck buying online so dont let an old fart like me deter you. __________________ Pioneer KURO 5080HD Sharp LCD 32" Toshiba A30 & A2 PS3 80gb Sony STRDG810/All Polk Speakers

05-04-2008, 06:19 PM	#11
iserum High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,955	for $300 saving it is not worth buying online. local stores have very liberal return policy, there is always chance you don't like something about set, online stores mostly exchange sets if it is defective with same model. __________________ Panasonic 50PX80U/Pioneer BDP-51FD /Toshiba HD A1/Tivo HD SAMSUNG LNT-4661F/ Pioneer BDP-51FD/Dell XPS, Nvidia 9500 GT SONY BRAVIA 40V2500/40 GB PS3, WII, Intel Core 2 Duo with Nvidia 6800 Yamaha RXV1700 Def. Tech. Mythos III, V & Gems, Super Cube III Harmony Remote One Power Conditioner: Belkin PF40

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05-03-2008, 07:22 PM	#3
obsurd High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 31	well thank you! anyone else have any experience that they can recommend!

05-03-2008, 09:47 PM	#4
WTF?? XBR me Baby! Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 50	I bought locally, and thank God I did... I bought a Sony 52xbr4- locally it was on sale for 2995, onl;ine i saew it as cheap as 2600. I went to Ultimate Electronics and asked them to match price w/ online- they were willing to go to 2700+tax and I said fine, it was worth it to me to deal w/ a b&m store. Long story short- the first 2 units were defective- I called the store and thye exchanged them w/in a couple days. if I had bought online, i would have had to have the TV repaired by Sony service instead of getting a new set. Worth the extra $ to me if I can get the price close to the online pricing... Just my $.02, others may disagree

05-04-2008, 12:53 AM	#6
obsurd High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 31	^^^^well i feel like panny is the way to go thanks to the help of everyone on this board. im gonna wait a couple weeks because this price drop thing is amusing...if it happens it would be awesome!

05-04-2008, 07:23 AM	#7
jrod2183 One milksteak, please Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 13	You should check out Nextag.(just google it). You can search for your tv there, and the prices are great. You can look at all the reviews from buyers, and many of the sellers there have great ratings.

05-04-2008, 11:36 AM	#9
hardeight High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 121	I bought from Tweeter over the phone (They don't have a webstore) and had no trouble at all. I got my Pioneer Elite for $200 less than I could have got the non-elite model in stores. Not only was teh base price quite a bit lower but I also paid no sales tax since it was out of state. The TV came in 4 days. Fed-ex called me to schedule a time that would be convenient for me to be there to inspect and sign for it. The Fed-Ex guy helped me get it up the stairs into my apartment. I opened the box and inspected for any damage, then signed the papers and he was on his way. Fed-ex themselves had a 30 day policy for items damaged during shipping and they would have handled anything if there was something wrong with it. but I've had no problems at all.

05-04-2008, 01:25 PM	#10
obsurd High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 31	^^^^ great idea...im about to check out both of these places asap! i think online is the way to go for sure.

05-04-2008, 06:55 PM	#12
MrSimon What is HD? Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 3	Don't forget that b&m retail stores will often negotiate on large ticket items like TVs. And they almost always have a price matching guarantee .... some places will guarantee 10% lower than any other store. So go to the more expensive store and see if they will beat the price at the cheaper store. Plus, be patient and watch for sales. A good sale at a retail store will usually be very close to an online store, once you factor in shipping.

05-04-2008, 07:43 PM	#13
roscoe93 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: NY Posts: 140	Bought the50" Panny from Amazon with the lowest price around.The second a 37"Olevia from Buydig also lowest price. Both came double boxed and in perfect condition. I did keep the box from the Olevia due to all the negative replies on the forum but so far even with all the bouncing around in the RV it still plays great. Also don't forget the sales tax thats not charged.

05-05-2008, 04:51 PM	#14
kgriffioen A couch and an HDTV to go please. Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 12	Bought 46" Panasonic on line (ebay), lowest price anywhere, bought on a Friday night and it was on my wall on Tuesday morning. One of the best shopping experiences that I've had in a long time.

05-05-2008, 07:00 PM	#15
ActionPoint High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Indiana Posts: 124	I highly recommend Vann's. I've done quite a bit of business with them and they've always taken good care of me. Also, Panasonic's customer service is top notch. They do a very good job of taking care of any defects/issues.