Warehousedeals.com Is Sadly Useless

June 11th, 2008 · No Comments · Subscribe to this feed

I received an email the other day from Amazon.com (you probably did, too, if they have your email address) advertising their new site Warehousedeals.com. Normally, I hit the delete button without even reading such advertisements, but this one caught my eye. I’ve long been a fan of Amazon because of their reasonable prices and the fact that you don’t have to pay sales tax (or shipping, if you don’t mind waiting 5 days) so I was actually interested when I saw their Warehouse Deals advertisement. Supposedly, it’s a site where Amazon groups all it’s lightly-damaged, scratch and dent products all in one place.

Save Money With Scratch And Dent

Buying products with minor cosmetic damage that are otherwise fully functional is a great way to save money. Who really cares if that dvd player has a scratch on the top so long as it works fine? It’s in the entertainment center where nobody can see it, anyway. Ditto for the book with the torn cover. It’s what inside that matters, right? That’s why I was initially excited about Amazon’s new site. On closer inspection, however, I noticed something: the prices aren’t any cheaper than on Amazon’s main site.

Where Are The Savings?

After inspecting the “Incredible Deals” on the front page and a few random products deeper into the site, I discovered these “deals” are already available on Amazon’s main site. They are simply the used products Amazon already has listed for sell for every product. The best price on Warehouse Deals, in most cases, is exactly the same as the best price on the main site. It makes me wonder what the point is. Amazon already prominently displayed its used and second-hand products. Why the new site? I can only guess they figure people will simply assume they’re getting a deal they couldn’t get elsewhere and perhaps entice them to buy more than they otherwise would. It’s the oldest trick in the book, really. This could have actually been a good idea if there were actually any savings involved but alas, it is not to be. That said, the prices are still pretty good on both sites: probably better than you could get anywhere else. I’m just worried little stunts like this could spur unnecessary impulse purchases. It only goes to show, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always triple check any time you think you’re getting really good deal. Chances are, it’s not nearly so good as it looks on the surface.

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