btb@ahuta.UUCP (Bruce Burger) (12/23/84)
I agree with Will Martin's comments about discount mail-order electronics houses such as NY's 47th Street Photo. A little more detail: The best prices I know of for all sorts of electronics components, tapes, etc. are in the following places in the Sunday NY Times: - back of the Arts and Leisure section - middle of the *second* main news section It's worth the $2.60 you have to pay for the Sunday Times if you aren't near NYC. I echo Will's general theme, that most of these places are OK, but you give up service for their discount prices. --Bruce Burger AT&T Information Systems Freehold, NJ {...ihnp4!}ahuta!btb
abeles@mhuxm.UUCP (abeles) (12/24/84)
Regarding discount mail-order houses: Caveat emptor; before committing yourself to a purchase you must verify everything (all is negotiable). In my personal experience, I was told in person when I bought an answering machine that once I paid for it it was mine and any repairs were the responsibility of the manufacturer (Sony). The only thing I could check was that there was indeed an answering machine (or something resembling one) in the box. The seller washes his hands completely of the product and does not stand behind it at all. I find that the discounters are worth dealing with if you are prepared to take some risk and suffer some inconvenience in exchange for some money (less than 10% under what careful shopping could otherwise uncover). For someone living far from New York or whereever the discounter is, I would think the inconvenience and risk are higher. I did not deal with 47th Street Photo in the above, however, and my comments are not specific to any particular dealer. Another article in this newsgroup correctly describes the New York Times and which sections of its Sunday edition are valuable for finding these dealers. Again, shipping and extra charges for standard accessories are likely to be hidden in the advertising, so you have to know exactly what you want. Shop around, look at what acquaintances and friends have purchased for themselves, and if you have the patience to wait for what you're buying you can earn some cash. But with these dealer, it cannot be overemphasized, you are on your own--you're a big boy (or girl) now. --J. Abeles