Shopping in all the wrong places getting you down this year? Your not alone.
This year will end in what we would categorize as a bland and none exciting online shopping year. Where were the deals this year? Who had the items you were looking for? Back in September all the big online players in retail started the advertising blitzes, and told shoppers they are ready for the Holiday season. All we hear anymore is the competition from the Platform sites like eBay and Amazon that toot their own horn on Pricing and shipping. Ad’s and ad’s of commercials and infomercials telling shoppers what to look for and were to go. We have found that Google now is a big driver to these ad’s and are paid quite well from all the big players like eBay and Amazon including Target, Kmart and Wal-Mart who are all making record profits.
Amazon and eBay are cash driven and have no respect for conventional shoppers. Both are designed to squeeze more money out of the pockets that feed them. Their profit and greed is now driven to their customer unfriendly policies that squeeze both the sellers and the customers alike. Both are making record profits for the last 6 quarters. How can company’s like these spend so much money advertising for your patronage and when it counts not care for you with the simplest courtesy and kindness and customer support?
So we went looking for the deals this Holiday season, and with very little effort found them. They were always there but were hidden. It seems in today’s online shopping world you need to dig a little deeper.
When you do a Google search for that special gift for grandpa, friend or family member and press enter you can see that the first page is dominated by paid ad’s and the large players like eBay and Amazon and the number 1 retailers. They are the ones that drive Price and availability. They are there because they pay to be on the first page of search results. They also pay additional for their advertising on those same pages. When you click on them you think you are getting the best deal and it seems that way. The truth is they get you in a lot of other ways. Additional shipping charges are a big profit maker. They capture your shopping and online habits and structure the search results to cater to your interests. They pay big Bucks for this placement and positioning. So how do they pay for all this you ask. They charge you the shopper all year round on most of your purchases.
The next time you shop for that special gift online, try scrolling to the bottom of the page and click page 2 or 3 and see all the small companies that sell the same item for less and most of the time offer free shipping. We have found that most to all of these small retailers have great customer support departments and most have a complete Free return policy. The savings is tremendous. Most use safe shopping carts and most use PayPal which is a safe and respected ecommerce platform for buyers and sellers world wide.
So the next time you find yourself looking for a specific product online give other companies a change to prove themselves to you by scrolling down after your search results and choosing one and compare the cost and the customer service you will receive. Happy Holiday’s and a Safe New year!
Island Heat Products, sellers of new & pre-owned clothing and accessories. Clothing Products of designer Jeans, men’s fashions, women’s fashions and swimwear. Home goods with Vintage and Collectibles for the home or office with toys, Movies and DVD's.
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