Ordering PC components from Online Stores such as Amazon

leviathan1701

leviathan1701

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Hi,

I am looking to build a new PC and I have been doing extensive research into the estimated costs involved. Personally I feel that the local franchise / chain stores are out as their mark up % is massively high, and I've also seen that the local online stores are also in the same boat, so they are out as well.

I've been looking at Amazon for a while now and to the naked eye, it seems that even if the estimated shipping costs and customs duties are factored in, then it would end up being a lot cheaper than purchasing these components locally. According to several sources, all other estimated costs are calculated into the final cost that Amazon provides.

Am I correct or are there other costs, hidden or otherwise that I am not aware of such as VAT etc?

Any advice is greatly appreciated, as I have never ordered anything from overseas before.
 
First off, you are very likely to have issues with RMA for under warranty replacements.. be aware..

Secondly, yes, the price you pay Amazon is the final price including shipping and customs etc, but the customs part of the price can change when your package arrives in SA.. if this happens, Amazon will either refund or charge you the difference..

Other than those two things, you are good to order from Amazon..
 
WAslayer said:
First off, you are very likely to have issues with RMA for under warranty replacements.. be aware..

Secondly, yes, the price you pay Amazon is the final price including shipping and customs etc, but the customs part of the price can change when your package arrives in SA.. if this happens, Amazon will either refund or charge you the difference..

Other than those two things, you are good to order from Amazon..
Click to expand...
Have you actually tried to RMA something to Amazon? I wish local stores were as efficient...
 
There are suppliers in SA who do not overcharge

I feel you have not done your homework. Evetech, Scoop for example. Why not set yourself up as a VAR or a dealer? Then you can buy from Rectron

Also check Carbonite and computer resellers on Gumtree. Not all are shady

If you do more than 3 overseas purchases in a 12 month period, you will need an importers code from SARS
 
chrisc said:
Yes, it was unfortunately not the same with Evetech. I got messed about for 8 weeks and they thought the CPA did not apply to them
Click to expand...
Haven't heard good things about evetech, in fact a lot of the opposite.
 
I have never had issues with Evetech, except that they are damn slow with RMA. Although contacting them is not an issue, RMA process takes longer and longer and they wanted to charge me R400 courier fees one way (in the past it was R200 both ways) . For that reason I will try not to use them anymore. Again, I have had no issues rerturning or refunding, but that they take their time with returns and pathetic courier fees, including charging you courier fees to return the item under warranty, or you must organise yourself. I guess they try to make up the low prices with slower returns and high courier fees.
 
With Amazon you can expect to pay +-R200 to slow ship it there with Sapo, takes about 10 days to reach them. They will FedEx the rma to you in about 3 days so all in all give or take 3 weeks. I've had longer wait times with local stores...
 
I read that if the customs fee are higher, Amazon covers the difference or am I incorrect?

So just to confirm, VAT is included in the estimated costs?
chrisc said:
There are suppliers in SA who do not overcharge

I feel you have not done your homework. Evetech, Scoop for example. Why not set yourself up as a VAR or a dealer? Then you can buy from Rectron

Also check Carbonite and computer resellers on Gumtree. Not all are shady

If you do more than 3 overseas purchases in a 12 month period, you will need an importers code from SARS
Click to expand...

What do you mean by a VAR or dealer? So Rectron sells more to companies than individual clients?
 
chrisc said:
There are suppliers in SA who do not overcharge

I feel you have not done your homework. Evetech, Scoop for example. Why not set yourself up as a VAR or a dealer? Then you can buy from Rectron

Also check Carbonite and computer resellers on Gumtree. Not all are shady

If you do more than 3 overseas purchases in a 12 month period, you will need an importers code from SARS
Click to expand...


I have looked at Evetech and I've just noticed that certain products such as higher spec Intel CPUs have a major price difference between purchasing it from there and Amazon. I don't have an issue with waiting, just as long as the parcels don't go through the SAPO and potentially get lost. Also, the budget is quite tight so I'm just trying to get the best deal possible.
 
A lot of my pc is carb purchases. Not a single issue. Only bought from high rep sellers. Thats the key.

Bought some stuff off Amazon. Not too risky but wouldnt spend 10k or more
 
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