I’m giving strong consideration to buying my next tv online, probably from Amazon.
Anyone done this? I’m looking between for something around 42-50 inches.
How does delivery work? Does it just get delivered like I order a book from Amazon? If so, that wouldn’t work since there is no way I can carry it myself from our apartment’s package delivery area all the way to the freight elevator and then from the elevator into my apartment.
I did this several years ago. At the time (and perhaps now), Amazon included “white-glove” delivery with the purchase of these things. Two guys delivered it on a truck and brought it into my apartment, unboxed it and set it up on my TV table. The price was several hundred less than Best Buy for the same model TV.
Depends on the size and weight. If they can, they’ll ship it UPS or FedEx (most 42" and smaller probably go this way). That would go through however normal packages are in your building. Just get a neighbor to help carry it or something, an LCD, and especially and LED-LCD, won’t actually be that heavy in a 42" or even a larger one.
If it is too heavy it goes freight - that can include the “white glove” they unbox it for you, but it doesn’t have to - it should say on the page with the TV.
Some things to check:
Reviews, of course. But it need to be on the list. Pay attention in particular to the most negative reviews. Some can be filtered out due to bad buying choice or such. But if several people say the sound is crappy or that it died within 6 months, move on. (And never buy the cheapo brands. Colby and all that.) If there aren’t many reviews for a model since it’s new, check on reviews for similar models by the same maker.
The specs. Find and download the product manuals. Make sure it has the connections, features, etc. you want. Be completely informed.
Make a decision on your ethics of going to a store and look at the models and then buying online. Don’t want to start a debate, but be aware this is a decision you want to be comfortable living with.
I’ve bought one from Amazon. Smaller one, but it went okay. I know others who’ve done it. Lot’s of people do. A small fraction have a problem with delivery or some such. Life is full of small risks.
Amazon is quite good at taking care of problem returns for an item of this scale.
I bought my 60" Sharp via Amazon and it was a good experience. In my case it was not delivered by Fed Ex or UPS but rather a local company that (according to the guys that brought it) only delivered TVs. They also delivered the stand I bought along with it. It was a while ago so I don’t remember all the specifics but I remember it going much much smoother than I feared it would since I kind of ordered the TV on an impulse.
I bought my 42" TV from Sam’s Club online, because it wouldn’t fit in my car. It was delivered by FedEx and was in perfect condition.
I bought a 42 inch Vizio a couple of years ago from Dell. High def, beautiful picture, great sound. I use it as a computer monitor.
Pilot freight was the delivery company, and they were supposed to bring it to my complex rental office where they receive packages. They claimed that they attempted delivery, but no one was in the rental office. After a couple of days of this, I called up Pilot’s warehouse, drove down and picked it up from the loading dock myself.
As for carrying it to your apartment, you may be able to buy or rent a furniture dolly.
Home Depot and Uhaul also rent hand trucks. Might work better than a dolly. YMMV.
Amazon. That’s what I did. If it’s freight, they’ll carry it up. If not, you should be able to with a friend. And it should have those plastic things on the box, too, to help grip/slide on the floor.
Amazon will also offer 30 day returns for most of their electronics.
This was exactly my experience as well. Everything went perfectly.
One additional piece of advice: check the Amazon listing every day for a few weeks. The prices tend to fluctuate. One day it was down about a hundred dollars for some reason. That’s the day I bought it.
When I bought mine, the price dropped by over a hundred dollars after I placed the order but before it was delivered. So I called Amazon. It wasn’t automatic, but I was able to get the new price for my order.
I’ve had good experiences with ABTonline.com. I think they’re in Illinois. Both tvs came in original packaging, delivered fast, worked fine, no problems.
I bought my last TV (a 47" LG) from Newegg a couple of years back, and had no issues with the experience. I’m extremely likely to use either Newegg or Amazon again in a few years when I get my next TV. I’d be willing to pay a little bit more to get it at a Best Buy or other in-person location, but the difference tends to be more in the $300+ range, so… shrugs
Make sure you go through and read the entire thread on that set over on AVSForum. That’s a far more important step than reading reviews on Amazon.
Definitely second AVSForum, and I’ll up the ante by telling you to make Monoprice your new favorite cord, cable and accessory store.
I got my 61" Samsung from Crutchfield … 4 years ago, maybe? It was shipped freight, and they also delivered the stand I’d ordered. They brought the tv in, unboxed it and took the box. I had to call someone over to help lift the television onto the stand once I got it put together. I was very satisfied with the experience.
You know, if you don’t mind waiting a few months, hit up Amazon for their black friday sales. Last year there were a lot of great tvs like 50% off.
I bought a 42" plasma from Amazon. A delivery guy brought it in, unboxed it, plugged it in and had me check to make sure everything was in good shape and fully operational, then I signed some papers and that was that. Totally painless!
Yup - if you’re looking for a deal and can wait, you’ll get far more television for your $700 if you wait for Black Friday (or Cyber Monday, or whatever).
We bought a 50" from Amazon several years ago. Delivery was fine and they brought it up the stairs to the room we wanted it in.
Even better was Amazon credited us when the price dropped a few days later. (Had to call them or something, I don’t remember.)
They even credited us a second time when the price dropped AGAIN a few days after that. Obviously, there is a limit to the price drop guarantee (if they even have that anymore). But I’m certainly not complaining.