3/5

posted Oct-25-2011

Rustic Garden offers online what you would typically find only at a suburban or rural garden center. Their inventory includes decorative fences, arbors, trellises, gazebos, etc. They also collect and sell old, used, wooden ladders, which are typically used for decorations and displays. My order was for two of those ladders. Here are my observations:

1. Their website is a somewhat disorganized collection of pictures, item descriptions and details and overlapping pointers. In many cases, there are many different links that point back to the same item. I was able to find what I wanted, but the site could use some organizational improvements.

2. The inventory, as I described above, is unusual and offers items not typically available on the web. The prices are very good, and in many cases, excellent.

3. They provide a phone number for asking questions and handling details about availability, shipping, etc. I recommend you use it.

4. Some items can be modified to order (colors, antiquing, etc.) at very reasonable prices.

5. Shipping was reasonably fast, considering the unusual size and weight of my order.

The downsides:

6. No shipping costs are listed. You absolutely must call or email for the shipping costs. Even when you place your order, no shipping costs are shown or listed. Shipping is added later. I found this to be annoying. On top of that, an amount was quoted to me (in writing) before I ordered, but only after I paid for the items and they were personalized did I receive a phone call indicating a higher shipping charge (33% higher!).

7. Although I registered at the website, and was promised regular order status updates online, none at all were provided. The only way I got to know the shipping status was by sending multiple emails to their customer service. And email responses were slow.

In summary, I received the items I ordered and was happy with their quality and the antiquing I had ordered - so I must admit that all's well that ends well. However, the shipping and communication issues irked me a great deal, and they need much attention for this vendor to earn a higher rating from me.

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5/5

posted Oct-25-2011

wag.com, specializing in pet-related products, is part of a warehouse-based business that includes soap.com (home products), diapers.com (baby products) and yoyo.com (toys). This review relates only to their pet products business.

I ordered some hard-to-find dog food from wag.com and I was quite pleased with the entire experience.

1. Their website is relatively clean, easy to navigate and offers an enormous selection of products (among the best selection I've found anywhere!)

2. Prices are very competitive.

3. At a certain threshold, shipping was free. Considering the weight of bulk dog food, this was quite a nice bonus. Additionally, the shipping was very fast.

4. I received excellent email notifications at each stage of the process.

On the downside, I was charged tax on my purchase, but this is a matter of location and tax law, not really a flaw of the vendor.

In summary, based on my experience, I would recommend wag.com without reservation. It's a well-designed, well-run, professional business, and an asset to web-based commerce.

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5/5

posted Jun-08-2011

If you need cables (as well as some other related hardware) for your computers, TVs, audio systems, etc., then shopping ANYWHERE other than at monoprice.com would - in my opinion - be a total waste of your time and certainly your money.

Considering how long I've been doing business online with monoprice.com, it's been a terrible oversight on my part that I've neglected to add to their already large collection of glowing, wonderful reviews here at Reseller Ratings.

I'll make this short and sweet. Their website is excellent and will direct you to exactly the cable(s) you need. Their prices are so low that you'll often have trouble believing what you see (but go ahead and believe - they're all for real!). Shipping is lightning fast, shipping costs are extremely reasonable, and I've never had the slightest problem with anything I've purchased from monoprice.

If you prefer to walk into the local electronics store and pay $30 for the identical cable that you can get for $3 at monoprice, go ahead; you might save a day.

Otherwise, don't even blink. For cables, monoprice.com should be your first and last stop.

This review was modified by LarryScottB on June 08 2011 05:09:54 AM

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3/5

posted Mar-14-2011

CenterCaps.net is an unusual online vendor specializing in only one type of automobile part: hubcaps. If you can visualize one of those junkyards with thousands of hubcaps hanging on fences and strewn in piles, but with a guy with a laptop in the shack, you'd probably have an idea of what this vendor is all about.

Here are my observations based on a recent order:

1. Their website is very well set up, provides good search tools, as well as some interesting blogs. The site gives you several opportunities to identify (for yourself) exactly what hubcap you need, and also for the vendor so they'll know exactly what to send you.

2. ONLY IF YOU LOOK VERY CAREFULLY at their "About Us" page will you find out that they only sell "gently used goods." This bit of hide-and-seek seems very intentional on their part. Do not expect anything new.

3. Prices range from reasonable to slightly high, but if you have hard-to-find items to replace (like I did), the price may be acceptable.

4. They accept all forms of payment, including PayPal.

5. Shipping is free, very fast and no tax is charged. Nice.

6. Absolutely no communication of any kind whatsoever will come to you after you place your order. After you confirm payment, that's it until the package arrives in the mail. The package I received contained the hubcaps and a business card. There was no invoice, no instructions for returns, nothing else, period.

7. If you do have to return something, you'll have to pay shipping both ways as well as a restocking fee. (Gotcha!)

In summary, I recommend only using this operation if you're absolutely sure you know what you're getting (and getting into). If they're the last resort for what you need, you may not have another choice.

This review was modified by LarryScottB on March 14 2011 10:51:01 AM

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2/5

posted Mar-10-2011

This was my second order from PartStore, and it's very obvious that this vendor has fallen to the very bottom of the barrel. It can't be long before they close up shop completely. Here are my observations:

1. They do exist, and they are functioning, if only barely. I did actually receive my order.

2. There is no way to determine if an item is in stock, even after you order it.

3. There is no customer service number to call. You can reach a human by being very intrepid and looking for their SALES number. It took me three tries and
a 20-minute wait on the third try to get through to someone. That alone is reason enough to avoid this vendor.

4. If you go solely by their web site, it would seem that PartStore.com is a booming, flourishing, professional business, providing (as their name implies) parts for virtually everything in the home. Most are accompanied by the phrase "usually ships in 1 business day." Don't be fooled.

5. Email will go unanswered for weeks, if answered at all. After waiting over a week for confirmation of a ship date, I sent two separate emails requesting the order to be canceled. I received a response on the same day that my order actually shipped (2 weeks later) apologizing for the late response. Of course, since my order had already shipped, it could not be canceled, but I could return it for cost of shipping both ways and a restocking fee. You can interpret this practice as you wish, but it smacks of a shady and slimy business to me.

In summary, this business is in dire need of additional staff to handle communications, as well as a real-time stock availability tool on their website. Barring drastic improvements, I recommend that you should avoid PartStore.com and let it die a quiet death.

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5/5

posted Mar-02-2011

Battery Bob is focused on and dedicated to providing any and all types of batteries at a reasonable charge. Here are my observations based on my recent purchase:

1. They seem to carry just about every battery known.

2. Their website is very "busy" and occasionally overwhelming, but it has various search tools to find what you need. Additional, useful and informative articles (related to batteries, of course) are available on their site.

3. Prices are reasonable and in some cases competitive. Buying in bulk brings the prices down. They accept all forms of payment, including PayPal.

4. Shipping (in my case) was free, and could not have been faster. I ordered on a Saturday morning, and the shipment was in the mail an hour later. Because it was sent First Class (in a #10 envelope) there was no tracking, but that's understandable.

5. Communication was excellent (except for some very silly grammatical errors).

The batteries arrived quickly and I was very happy with my experience. In summary, Battery Bob seems to go out of their way to please their customers. For this particular niche, they've done a great job, so shop with confidence and my recommendation.

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5/5

posted Feb-28-2011

Beauty Bridge is an excellent online provider of sundries and products related to personal care, including skin care, bath & body products, fragrances, etc. Unlike many online retailers, this vendor has a brick-and-mortar presence in New Jersey and invites locals to visit their shop. This is not some anonymous person operating out of her garage.

Here are my observations regarding Beauty Bridge:

1. They carry a wide selection of quality products for men and women, and their website is easy to navigate.

2. Their ordering process is straightforward, except for the typical (and unfortunately ubiquitous) use of promotion codes. Their prices are reasonable, although not especially competetive. A five-percent discount is generally available if you want to take the time to find their "coupons" online.

3. Shipping is fast and free. Coupled with no tax charged (for non-NJ residents), that alone may be enough to recommend them.

4. They provide online chat and phone service for questions and issues. They're real people, onshore, and generally helpful. The chat rep occasionally relied on scripted, canned responses but when pressed enough finally gave a useful response.

5. The products I ordered arrived quickly and well-packed.

In summary, I recommend Beauty Bridge without reservation for body-care products, especially if you already know what you want and simply want to avoid the traffic and waiting on line at the local store.

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5/5

posted Jan-20-2011

Based in Portland, Oregon, BaseGear.com specializes in clothing and equipment for outdoor and wilderness enthusiasts. Their selection includes some of the better brands available. My experience shopping at basegear.com was nothing short of exemplary. Here's why:

1. Their website is easy to navigate, offers excellent choices of quality equipment, and substantial information about each product.

2. Prices are excellent and among the lowest I found. They accept all forms of payment, including PayPal.

3. Shipping was *lightning fast* (from Oregon to New York in 3 business days). And for my purchase, which was over $50, it was free.

4. Communication was perfect, with an order confirmation at first, followed by a shipping confirmation with a link to the tracking service.

I am extremely happy with my purchase and my entire experience with basegear.com. I can't think of a better way to conduct business online.

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2/5

posted Jan-14-2011

ivgStores.com is an internet-only business that provides an online front-end for ordering hundreds (if not thousands) of items that other vendors supply. ivgStores does NOT stock or ship anything; it simply acts as a middle-stop between you, the shopper, and suppliers who don't deal directly with the public. It's very important to be aware that whatever you're buying is going to be drop-shipped to you from the supplier, NOT from ivgStores. Your order ultimately will be at the control and mercy of that supplier. Most facets of the transaction - availability, returnability, shipping dates, etc. are controlled by the supplier, not by ivgStores.

To the end described above, ivgStores does its job fairly well. Their website is well organized and reasonably easy to navigate. Based on my particular furniture purchase, their prices are very competitive.
Their customer service (email and telephone) was very responsive and supportive.

However, there are some mitigating issues regarding my specific experience with a baker's rack from ivgStores that I'd like to share:

1. The item I purchased was not returnable - AT ALL. Be very careful to determine if what you're ordering can be returned.

2. The links on the product's description page at ivgstore.com described a U.S.-based manufacturer. As it turned out (and to my chagrin), this item was made in China.

3. NOWHERE in the product description did it say that the item I was interested in came in complete kit form. This is an egregious (and intentional?) gap in the description.

4. The quality of the furniture matched its relatively low price. At best, I got exactly what I paid for. The furniture (shipped from Cramco in Philadelphia but made in China) had cheap joint welds, inconsistent coloring, and the most minimal and insufficient assembly instructions possible. Fortunately, I am VERY handy. I can't imagine the average person figuring out how to assemble this thing from the single, 6" x 8" instruction sheet.

5. Shipping was somewhat slow. ivgStores indicated that the item was in stock and took my order on a Tuesday morning, but the item didn't ship from the supplier until one week later. ivgStores is very careful to indicate the shipping times on their website, so they're covered on this issue, but I still don't understand why such a delay is necessary.

6. After waiting a month after posting my very honest review on the ivgstores' website, I find that they have refused to post it. In fact, I was unable to find any reviews on their site that took issue with their policies. That speaks volumes for the company's ethics.

Overall, I can marginally recommend ivgStores, but only with the caveats mentioned above.

****************** IMPORTANT *******************
ALWAYS READ REVIEWS IN THIS FORUM WITH THE FOLLOWING IN MIND: EXTREMELY FAVORABLE REVIEWS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE ONLY REVIEWED THAT ONE STORE AND NO OTHERS SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT! IT IS EXTREMELY EASY FOR STORES TO "PLANT" THEIR OWN FAVORABLE REVIEWS USING BOGUS EMAIL ADDRESSES. I RECOMMEND YOU PLACE LITTLE VALUE IN THOSE "ONE_STORE_ONLY" REVIEWERS AND PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THOSE REVIEWERS WITH A LONG HISTORY HERE AND WITH MANY SITES REVIEWED.
************************************************

This review was modified by LarryScottB on February 01 2011 10:18:11 AM

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2/5

posted Jun-22-2010

EverythingKitchens.com sells (obviously) kitchen and other household items at very competitive prices, with the added bonus of free shipping and no sales tax (except for Missouri residents). My experience was based on the purchase of a coffee maker listed at the lowest price I had seen on the internet.

Having learned from experience, I checked carefully on their website for stock information. Finding nothing to indicate if it was in stock, I called customer service and was told "it was available." Here are my observations:

Positives

1. Very detailed and reasonably navigable website.

2. Extremely low pricing

3. Free shipping and no sales tax (except for Missouri residents).

4. Large selection of items.

5. Customer Service was available by phone within 10 minutes.

Negatives

1. No indication on the website of product stock or availability.

2. EveryThingKitchens.com does NOT provide out-of-stock information, and apparently does not even like to use that phrase, either by phone or email.

3. Incorrect information provided by Customer Service (I was told item was available when in fact it was out of stock).

4. No after-the-sale communication regarding out-of-stock status. After 3 days of no contact, I had to call to get my order status, and only then was told, "it will be coming from the manufacturer in about a week."

5. Order status can not be checked online unless you register in advance with a password. You can't check status with your order number and other personal information, nor can you register to get the status once the order has been placed.

6. A hold for the sale amount is placed on your credit card before the item is shipped (and when it's out of stock, and this is inexcusable).

In summary, this is another price low-balling operation with good potential but with some practices that make low-price-hunting a risky endeavor for web-based consumers. Over and over, I find that the lesson is the same: for the few dollars saved, you will pay in other ways. My advice is to be willing to pay those few dollars for a more reliable business with fewer shady or questionable practices.

A final note: I suggest you pay VERY CAREFUL ATTENTION to many of the reviews posted here for EverythingKitchens.com, but not because they're good. I noticed a very distinct common "flavor" (vocabulary, style and syntax) to many of them, and also discovered that the bulk of the very favorable reviews were written by users who enrolled at RR on the same day the review was written, and who had no other reviews posted. I tend to disregard such reviews as they seem very suspicious and hint of fraud.

This review was modified by LarryScottB on June 22 2010 05:08:54 AM

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1/5

posted May-26-2010

Entirelypets.com, as their name suggests, sells a limited selection of pet-related items. Their prices are about the same as most other pet supply vendors. Their web site is reasonably easy to navigate, though drilling down to find exactly what you want is not as easy as it is on others' sites.

EntirelyPets uses Yahoo's online vending and checkout service, a sure sign of a relatively amateurish operation. Their shipping charges are reasonable, and they accept the ubiquitous and obnoxious coupon codes posted around the internet for small discounts. (Why can't these operations simply lower their prices right up front?)

EntirelyPets is guilty of a very notorious set of business practices: selling items that are known to be out of stock, not indicating their unavailable status online, and failing to notify the buyer (in this case, me) that it may be weeks before the order will ship due to the out-of-stock situation. These sleazy and unprofessional acts are enough to justify my recommending that you shop elsewhere, but there's more.

When I discovered that one of two items had been backordered (via a phone call after no shipment notification was received after 4 days), I was told it would be "a week or two before they got the item in, and then another 3 to 5 business days for it to ship." I requested that the entire order be canceled and was told that was impossible since the other item was "already picked at the warehouse." I would have to let them ship it, refuse delivery, have it returned, and then wait for a credit to be posted. Are they kidding? This is the kind of unfriendly, customer-repellent routine that gives so many online vendors a bad reputation.

My recommendation is to shop at any of the other larger, more professional and certainly more customer-friendly operations that sell pet supplies. You're sure to find what you want at equal or even better prices and you won't have to deal with this type of garage-based, amateurish, annoying operation.

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1/5

posted Jan-22-2010

Some brick and mortar businesses need to stay out of the online arena. Kodiak Outback is one of them.

This vendor offers outdoor gear and more on its fairly straightforward website at very competitive prices. Caveat emptor, friends. Here are my experiences with Kodiak Outback.

1. Although there is nothing to indicate whether or not an item is in stock, I made the (stupid!) assumption that my credit card would not be charged if the item was not available. Wrong - it was charged immediately.

2. Ordering automatically enrolls you as a customer and a confirmation, ID and password were immediately emailed to me, along with a promise that I would be notified when the item ships.

3. Two days go by and no notification. A check of my order status on their site shows nothing but the details of the order. No status, no shipping info, nothing regarding availability of the item.

4. I call their customer service number (during normal business hours) and get a recording that they're busy and will call back. 24 hours later, no call.

5. I try their online "Contact Us" email form. No response, ever.

6. Several calls to their customer service number at various times resulted in the same recording, so I tried calling their SALES line. I got a salesman and asked him to check if my item was in stock. I was told, "No. It's on back order and expected in about 2 to 3 weeks."

7. I demanded a refund on my order, which he said he'd take care of. Next day, still no refund.

8. I emailed every address I could find relating to their business requesting my refund, and finally got it by contacting their PayPal account administrator.

This is the kind of experience that gives internet commerce a bad name. I recommend that if you're interested in buying anything from Kodiak Outback, you walk into their store. If you don't happen to live in Elk River, Minnesota, find a different vendor.

****************** IMPORTANT *******************
ALWAYS READ REVIEWS IN THIS FORUM WITH THE FOLLOWING IN MIND: EXTREMELY FAVORABLE REVIEWS FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE ONLY REVIEWED THAT ONE STORE AND NO OTHERS SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH A GRAIN OF SALT! IT IS EXTREMELY EASY FOR STORES TO "PLANT" THEIR OWN FAVORABLE REVIEWS USING BOGUS EMAIL ADDRESSES. I RECOMMEND YOU PLACE LITTLE VALUE IN THOSE "ONE_STORE_ONLY" REVIEWERS AND SIMPLISITC, ONE-LINE REVIEWS AND PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THOSE REVIEWERS WITH A LONG HISTORY HERE AND WITH MANY SITES REVIEWED.
************************************************

This review was modified by LarryScottB on March 07 2011 08:34:02 AM

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1/5

posted Sep-24-2008

Before ordering anything from this company, you are advised to visit the New York Better Business Bureau's website to see their findings:
http://search.newyork.bbb.org/reports.aspx?id=57105

I was considering a purchase from this vendor based on their lowball pricing. I've placed this information here as a courtesy to potential victims of this vendor.

Caveat emptor.

This review was modified by LarryScottB on September 24 2008 08:03:52 AM

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4/5

posted Apr-02-2008

Sean James Enterprises, dba Garment Racks Etc. is a Georgia-based, small business selling (obviously) garment racks and related hardware. This review is based on two separate experiences with SeanJames, and is a true example of having to put up with the bad to get the goods.

PROS:

1. They sell very good quality merchandise. You won't find the cheap little throwaway racks typically sold by Target, KMart, etc. at SeanJames. SeanJames' hardware is sturdy and built to last.

2. They offer enough variations of the racks to meet most needs (and budgets).

3. Their customer service is pleasant and responsive, via telephone or email.

4. Their website is easy to navigate and informative.

CONS:

1. SeanJames provides absolutely no after-the-sale information whatsoever, period. No shipping information, no tracking numbers, no email other than one auto-generated (via their online host, Yahoo) confirming the sale. The only way you're going to get shipping info is to ask for it by phone or email.

2. Some of their racks require assembly, but are not accompanied by any documentation at all. Again, you'll have to call or email for instructions if you need them.

3. Their website mentions UPS as their shipper, but they use FedEx Ground, one of the worst shipping services in the industry. Don't expect a word of any "Special Shipping Instructions" - if you provide any - to be followed. They won't be.

4. Shipping rates are high. True, the racks are heavy, but it seems that their rates are inordinately expensive, and may be padded.

5. Shipping is slow. First time, the items were shipped 3 days after the order was placed. Second time, they were shipped 8 days after the order was placed.

In summary, SeanJames is a good resource for garment racks, and for the quality offered, they seem to have little or no competetion in their price class. However, you need to put up with their amateurish, non-existent communication and low-end shipping practices to get the goods.

This review was modified by LarryScottB on April 02 2008 12:22:59 PM

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5/5

posted Feb-06-2008

Plumbersurplus.com is a supplier of various home-related and commercial hardware and building supplies, and certainly not limited to plumbing related items, although they do offer a fairly good selection of those as well.

Their web site is well designed, and easily navigable among the various types of hardware (bathroom, kitchen, lighting, etc.). They seem to stock an enormous selection of items. Prices are very competitive. Sales tax is collected for California addresses only.

Unfortunately, they don't accept PayPal for payment, my preferred method of doing business online.

No online inventory status in displayed. I used their realtime chat to determine if the item I wanted (a steel access door) was in stock. The person at the other end was intolerably slow, and it took 20 minutes to get the answer to a single question. However, they provide a phone number for what I suspect is faster service.

Ordering was very easy, shipping fees were very reasonable, and shipment was actually lightning fast (I received my order in two days and paid for ground service only).

I received an email confirmation of my order, but no shipping notification or tracking information, a serious flaw in their otherwise excellent service.

The item I received was well packed, and exactly what I ordered.

In summary, PlumberSurplus.com is a very good resource and, as far as my limited experience with them, reliable and professional.

This review was modified by LarryScottB on February 06 2008 11:57:34 AM

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