Isle Royale Forums

Has anyone ever bought gear on amazon.com? Is it a reliable source? Any other sources on or offline?

I have bought many books and tools on Amazon.
I have never been dissappointed with the service.
I have never bought Outdoors Gear there, it has generally been in a Gear store (independant) or REI.

I bought a stove and fuel bottle from Amazon this Christmas. Great service, saved about $12 compared to REI. Ordered the stove on a Monday got it on Wednesday, no shipping cost!

I've made numerous purchases from Amazon and have been very happy with my product, price, and service. However, I give you two cautionary statements:

One big thing you need to be leery of on Amazon, and that's third-party vendors. Many stores use Amazon's web site technology to sell products (Target stores even use Amazon's web engine to sell stuff!), so there's a lot of mom-and-pop stores that sell stuff via Amazon. You won't really notice that you're buying from Amazon until you're about ready to make the purchase, and it says that you're buying from a "select Amazon retailer" or such. This means Amazon handles your order, but the product quality or return/refund process isn't guaranteed by Amazon. Although I've never had a problem in my few incidents with third-party vendors on Amazon, the possibility is there. Also, be aware that it is possible to buy used goods from Amazon from third-parties, so double-check your order before placing it.

The other thing is: don't go to Amazon if it's only going to save you a few bucks. Don't cut out the little guy: if it's a few bucks more, go to your local gear store and make the purchase (hell, even do it through their website if you want). Unless the savings is big-time from Amazon (my personal threshold is 25% or more off from the local gear store), buy local. You'll feel better, have a better time, and be doing a good local deed at the same time.

The interwebs aren't that scary for shopping, so if you pay attention to these two items, I'd say open up the wallet!

Amazon rocks! There are great deals to be had if you look for them. I've bought through Amazon many times and never been disappointed. As with any online or mail order, look carefully at shipping costs. Amazon has 'Super Saver' free shipping if you spend a certain dollar amount.