Buying advice for cheap speakers on Ecost

ski · 01-09-2004, 01:02 PM

Has anyone ever ordered from Ecost.com? I felt this should be in Off Topic since this thread focuses more on the store than the home theatre part. Anyway! I found some Factory Refurbished Onkyo 5.1 speakers for $79 + $60 shipping, so under $140 total. These things retail at Circuit City for $300, which is way over my budget. They claim to be an Onkyo Authorized dealer.

Linky to speakers at Ecost.com

I read through some reviews from Reseller Ratings with 5.96 6-month rating, which got me kinda worried.

However, Bizrate lists then as an excellent rating.

I would be more worried about buying a receiver since it's such a complex device, but factory renewed speakers... if something were blown out, I expect they just replaced the cone... nothing that would screw the buyer over too much in the future that I can see.

Parts Warranty: 1 year
Labor Warranty: 90 days

Should I be wary? I need help pulling the trigger on this one, since I'm on middle ground here. What's your take?

Thanks!

whitak24 · 01-09-2004, 03:57 PM

general rule: never trust bizrate.com evaluations. imo, because of the way bizrate is structured and how they obtain their revenues, they are skewed toward giving everyone good ratings. (on the flip side, reseller ratings is probably slightly skewed toward responses from those who have had poor experiences).

that said, i would be particularly suspicious of any site that charges almost as much for shipping as they charge for the item itself. additionall, i would be doubly suspicious of any site that charges "additional processing fees" to help maintain their warehouse.

another point of caution is that i know there are a number of shady places out there that sell refurb stuff and screw a lot of people over.

however, i don't know anything about eCost in particular, so if anyone has first-person experience, that would be helpful.

ray · 01-09-2004, 04:06 PM

I have purchased from ECost many times. They have never overcharged me, if an item was undeliverable by mother@$@%@#% FedEx, ECost refunded me. Their prices are usually pretty competitive and overall they conduct business legitmately and professionally.

IrishSS · 01-09-2004, 04:18 PM

I too have purchased from Ecost without issues. I have found some rather good deals on things there.

ski · 01-09-2004, 08:16 PM

Bah, thread got moved to Home Theatre. Since it's here, NOW I'm allowed to ask about these speakers.

<rant>
I guess I'm just kind of bitter since I'm leaving to go back to Virginia in a week, so I want to make up my mind fast, and the Off Topic forum is a much faster place to get an answer about an online store (if I had left out what I was buying, it would have stayed there and I probably could have gotten more opinions

)
</rant>

ANNNYWAY!

I'm looking for places online to find reviews. Does anyone know any customer review sites?

I usually check Amazon or Newegg for product reviews, but neither sell these speakers.

As long as the product gets to my house in one piece and they work, I'm still saving $160

Ustas · 01-09-2004, 10:04 PM

Onkyo speaker packages are one of the best values in audio under $300.
Here is the review from CNet.

cheapie · 01-09-2004, 10:32 PM

www.epinions.com

01-09-2004, 01:02 PM	#1
ski Admiral Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Utah Posts: 5,420	Buying advice for cheap speakers on Ecost Has anyone ever ordered from Ecost.com? I felt this should be in Off Topic since this thread focuses more on the store than the home theatre part. Anyway! I found some Factory Refurbished Onkyo 5.1 speakers for $79 + $60 shipping, so under $140 total. These things retail at Circuit City for $300, which is way over my budget. They claim to be an Onkyo Authorized dealer. Linky to speakers at Ecost.com I read through some reviews from Reseller Ratings with 5.96 6-month rating, which got me kinda worried. However, Bizrate lists then as an excellent rating. I would be more worried about buying a receiver since it's such a complex device, but factory renewed speakers... if something were blown out, I expect they just replaced the cone... nothing that would screw the buyer over too much in the future that I can see. Parts Warranty: 1 year Labor Warranty: 90 days Should I be wary? I need help pulling the trigger on this one, since I'm on middle ground here. What's your take? Thanks! __________________ And closer...

01-09-2004, 04:18 PM	#4
IrishSS Rear Admiral Lower Half Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: NoVa Posts: 2,644	I too have purchased from Ecost without issues. I have found some rather good deals on things there. __________________ Spigs, you MFR#1N!

01-09-2004, 08:16 PM	#5
ski Admiral Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Utah Posts: 5,420	Bah, thread got moved to Home Theatre. Since it's here, NOW I'm allowed to ask about these speakers. <rant> I guess I'm just kind of bitter since I'm leaving to go back to Virginia in a week, so I want to make up my mind fast, and the Off Topic forum is a much faster place to get an answer about an online store (if I had left out what I was buying, it would have stayed there and I probably could have gotten more opinions ) </rant> ANNNYWAY! I'm looking for places online to find reviews. Does anyone know any customer review sites? I usually check Amazon or Newegg for product reviews, but neither sell these speakers. As long as the product gets to my house in one piece and they work, I'm still saving $160 Last edited by skiAtomic : 01-09-2004 at 08:23 PM.

01-09-2004, 10:32 PM	#7
cheapie Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: raising my pimp hand strong Posts: 13,038	www.epinions.com __________________ 70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders

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01-09-2004, 03:57 PM	#2
whitak24 easily amused Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: my office Posts: 9,781	general rule: never trust bizrate.com evaluations. imo, because of the way bizrate is structured and how they obtain their revenues, they are skewed toward giving everyone good ratings. (on the flip side, reseller ratings is probably slightly skewed toward responses from those who have had poor experiences). that said, i would be particularly suspicious of any site that charges almost as much for shipping as they charge for the item itself. additionall, i would be doubly suspicious of any site that charges "additional processing fees" to help maintain their warehouse. another point of caution is that i know there are a number of shady places out there that sell refurb stuff and screw a lot of people over. however, i don't know anything about eCost in particular, so if anyone has first-person experience, that would be helpful.

01-09-2004, 04:06 PM	#3
ray captain awesome Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 7,054	I have purchased from ECost many times. They have never overcharged me, if an item was undeliverable by mother@$@%@#% FedEx, ECost refunded me. Their prices are usually pretty competitive and overall they conduct business legitmately and professionally.

01-09-2004, 10:04 PM	#6
Ustas Lieutenant Junior Grade Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 133	Onkyo speaker packages are one of the best values in audio under $300. Here is the review from CNet.

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