Buying from Amazon better than Chandlery?

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

I had bad luck recently with the purchasing of electronic equipment/VHF. I bought electronics from a big marine supplier and also from the big marine chain chandlery.
In both cases I was messed about when I needed to return goods that failed to operate properly; customer service in both cases was very poor initially, despite that the electronic goods were returned within two weeks of purchase. Eventually, I received replacements, however, next time I will buy from Amazon mainly because they replace faulty goods without any quibbles and hassle free.

 

[Dellquay13]

I buy nearly everything from my local chandlery/marine engineers. If they can't get the specific item/brand I want, they suggest where I can get it.
Because they know I go to them first, they often help me out in other ways, like when I had a couple of blakes seacocks to service, they didn't just sell me a full tub of blakes grease, they got their tub from the workshop and told me to use what I need. The same with antifoul spray for my prop. Those two occasions saved me more than £45 according to the price stickers.
They also bump me up the priority list when I need something fixing, usually dropping everything to help me straight away.
That's why i never buy boat stuff from Amazon...

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Just to add that I have noticed the quality of equipment has dropped dramatically. Perhaps this is something to do with Covid19, where production has picked up but people and expertise is still missing or gone and therefore quality control during manufacturing is falling behind. I recently bought a new American Fender guitar, this particular specification was difficult to find in the UK so it had to be shipped from abroad, one weeks later I had to sent it back because the quality was appalling.

 

[harvey38]

I like Amazon for price, delivery (Prime), returns policy but I try to support UK based suppliers where possible if the price is comparable and acceptable delivery times.

 

[Bouba]

It’s like anything else...if we all buy on-line will you be happy when your local chandler goes out of business?

 

[Bobc]

Amazon is a parasitic company, and I refuse to use them.

Their business model is to sell things at a loss in order to put all of the competition out of business. These losses are bank-rolled by investments from the likes of sovereign wealth funds.

If you want your local high street and suppliers to survive, and you want a cohesive community, support them and ditch Amazon.

 

[Stemar]

It’s like anything else...if we all buy on-line will you be happy when your local chandler goes out of business?

Seapost at Quai Lane's gone because he couldn't compete with the big mail order places, Arthur's will be gone in the next few months, because of "decreasing customers and increasing prices", plus the couple at Fareham. Who's next? Where will you go to buy an odd nut and bolt if you don't use your local place for the big ticket items?

Sure we grumble about the prices and call them swindleries, but I'll bet their margins aren't great, and their costs are way higher than the online bloke working out of his living room and carrying no stock.

 

[Bobc]

Seapost at Quai Lane's gone because he couldn't compete with the big mail order places, Arthur's will be gone in the next few months, because of "decreasing customers and increasing prices", plus the couple at Fareham. Who's next? Where will you go to buy an odd nut and bolt if you don't use your local place for the big ticket items?

Sure we grumble about the prices and call them swindleries, but I'll bet their margins aren't great, and their costs are way higher than the online bloke working out of his living room and carrying no stock.

Exactly. It's the old "knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing" syndrome.

 

[Minerva]

Amazon is a parasitic company, and I refuse to use them.

Their business model is to sell things at a loss in order to put all of the competition out of business. These losses are bank-rolled by investments from the likes of sovereign wealth funds.

If you want your local high street and suppliers to survive, and you want a cohesive community, support them and ditch Amazon.

An alternative view is that products bought on Amazon come at a slight premium over other online retailers.

However, the delivery logistics side is spot on - you know exactly when it will be delivered and can easily track your package. If the product is not up to scratch then the free, easy and no quibble returns policy make it far easier to return substandard goods, just download a QR code and hand the item over at your local corner shop.

Amazon isn’t undercutting other retailers, they are setting the benchmark in what customer service should be.

 

[Bobc]

Amazon isn’t undercutting other retailers, they are setting the benchmark in what customer service should be.

Look at their last financial statement (las month). They make an average loss of around $2 per sale. The only part of the business that makes a profit is AWS.

 

[Daverw]

The last few items I’ve bought via Amazon actual came from chandlers, most I’d never heard off from quite remote locations of the uk, seems an alternate way for them to do business

 

[Bouba]

Seapost at Quai Lane's gone because he couldn't compete with the big mail order places, Arthur's will be gone in the next few months, because of "decreasing customers and increasing prices", plus the couple at Fareham. Who's next? Where will you go to buy an odd nut and bolt if you don't use your local place for the big ticket items?

Sure we grumble about the prices and call them swindleries, but I'll bet their margins aren't great, and their costs are way higher than the online bloke working out of his living room and carrying no stock.

I also don’t think that your local chandler is earning a fortune...perhaps not even earning a living...certainly not if they are paying rent to the marina

 

[PetiteFleur]

I will try and buy from my local small chandlery who are competitive and will often match prices from other much larger chandleries.

 

[Hoolie]

Not long ago I bought some minor items from local UK chandleries. Their prices were well below the best prices I could find online ... ...

 

[[70521]]

I had bad luck recently with the purchasing of electronic equipment/VHF. I bought electronics from a big marine supplier and also from the big marine chain chandlery.
In both cases I was messed about when I needed to return goods that failed to operate properly; customer service in both cases was very poor initially, despite that the electronic goods were returned within two weeks of purchase. Eventually, I received replacements, however, next time I will buy from Amazon mainly because they replace faulty goods without any quibbles and hassle free.

I have several excellent suppliers. I prefer to put food on their table rather than a company that does not contribute to the UK economy.

Because I use the same suppliers I they know me and I know them. We can talk over what I am buying and then can offer advice, which may or may not be taken.

 

[Babylon]

I'm all for supporting traditional chandlers, except when they take the effluent on prices like my local well-known multi-branch one (20-40% dearer)! So I've just placed a sizeable online order from a well-established East Anglian outfit for plumbing fittings and consumables, and have made a mental note to use them in future.

However where it comes to stationery, some books, electronics, some types of clothing, light bulbs, some tools, batteries, some dog stuff, some stuff I'd have bought from the pharmacy in the past, some car stuff, some kitchen stuff, etc - then Amazon is the obvious answer, and I'm not going to get all virtuous about the global economic model and waste half my life searching for alternative individual retailers.

 

[Bouba]

It is nice to walk past well stocked shelves seeing all the stuff you didn’t know you needed....
it’s even nicer to discover their discount rummage bins ?

 

[doug748]

Amazon is a parasitic company, and I refuse to use them.

Their business model is to sell things at a loss in order to put all of the competition out of business. These losses are bank-rolled by investments from the likes of sovereign wealth funds.

If you want your local high street and suppliers to survive, and you want a cohesive community, support them and ditch Amazon.

Have to agree. I have said before, what fuss there would be if America announced it was introducing a sales tax on all products supplied in the UK, that's what it will boil down to. It's not hard to guess where it would go if any one company/model got control over the distribution of goods.

.

 

[Neeves]

It’s like anything else...if we all buy on-line will you be happy when your local chandler goes out of business?

I have several excellent suppliers. I prefer to put food on their table rather than a company that does not contribute to the UK economy.

Because I use the same suppliers I they know me and I know them. We can talk over what I am buying and then can offer advice, which may or may not be taken.

No different from this forum. Its free and offers good advice (though you need to be selective at times) - but who is going to do the next batch of testing of hand held VHF radios, or Benny yacht review - if you don't subscribe to your local yachting magazine. Much of the work referenced was often conducted by a forum member - who wrote up the original work for one of the magazines and the magazine funded the work.

Some tests done by PBO, YM or ST are referenced again and again - commonly the tests were expensive to coordinate.

One day that work will be dated, the contributors will no longer be active here - where then?

Jonathan

 

[[70521]]

if you don't subscribe to your local yachting magazine.

If only the local yachting magazine was any good.

I'll get my coat.