Almost every tool I am looking at now (miter saws/routers) have this avalability status: "In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served."
Shouldn't be that hard to keep items in stock. Are they stopping selling tools or what...?
JES
JES More likely their inventory system is having some issues,
I noticed the same thing over the last few days. I have horrible problems ordering out of stock items from Amazon in the past so I purchased from Woodcraft.
I've bought a few tools lately and have found small dealers through eBay are beating Amazon by a considerable amount and shipping quickly. I always check there first since it's the best way for the little guy to compete in a big pond. Amazon hasn't been getting my money for more than a year now.
J.
I always find if I can get a competitive price from a local vendor I come out the best. When Sh** happens my woodcraft store has stood behind the product.
Mike M
I have gotten some good deals lately at amazon (Hitachi M12V for $129), and I was planning to buy a miter saw now, but if it's not in stock... I have to go elsewhere. Too bad since I have a Prime mempbership that gives me free 2-day shipping.
JES
I still shop Amazon. It's just they don't really have the advantage they used to have, or so it seems to me. Since I'm a hobbiest, I have to shop price. Most of my internet purchases are for items that are not readily available from local sources.
Buying locally is a real chore in my area. The big box has killed almost everyone. The ones that survive do so by not going head-to-head with the Box. Plumbing supplies, hardwood lumber, wire, masonry materials, all can be had from locals. Ask about a tool and they'll tell you that they just don't really do enough to keep much of an inventory. They'll cheerfully special order for full retail if that's your thing but they don't try to nor can they compete on price. In order to survive they tailor their business to support one or several of the trades and leave the small tool and hobbiest markets to Box. The nearest Woodcraft is over two hours away. This is just one of the things one deals with in Small Town America.
J.
I'm in the market for a oscillating spindle sander. Amazon shows the unit I desire for $299.99. When you click "BUY", the price becomes $349.95, AFTER a factory rebate. What gives ????.
I tried the search 5 times. Same result. Back to Woodcraft.
John
They do have a nice guarantee though: (If they keep what they promise)
"Lowest Prices Guaranteed: If you find a better price elsewhere on any Tools & Hardware product offered by Amazon.com, we will match that price and beat it by 10% of the difference."
JES
Two of my very successful local guys ship lots of stuff:
Don't expect silly sales gimmicks from either.
What I can't get there is at Woodcraft, Highland Hardware, Lee Valley, or McFeeley's.
Barry
Yep, I like coastaltool. Lee Valley is my main fix these days. Those darn catalogs...
J.
I've ordered several items from them in recent months and each time, they give me an expected ship/delivery date and then it comes in several days earlier than expected. That's actually a good thing but it leads me to believe they are covering their asses with " out of stock" and "delayed shipping" notices.
Of course, Murphy's Law says that the first time I order something that I really need fast, it WILL be out of stock for months.
Vic
I just went over there to poke around and I was looking at plunge routers. Now why in the world, if 60% of the routers they have on the page are no longer available, do they still have them on the page?
Just curious, it makes no sense to me.
Those two dealers complement each other very well, I can't think of more than 5-10 items that they both sell. The only duplication is silly stuff like Glu-Bot glue bottles and maybe a few Kreg items...
Come to think of it, , NOBODY sells what Lee Valley sells like Lee Valley sells it.
Coastal doesn't try at all to deal in fine woodworking hand tools. The only hand tools they have are better to high-end rough construction and contractor items, and a few crappy Stanley woodworking tools. It's nice being able to walk in and buy things like Kreg screws in large quantities at a discount, or Jorgensen pipe clamps at 1/2 of BORG prices.
Coastal and Tools-Plus both sell far more than is shown on their sites, and both are excellent about letting you finger and feel-up the stuff you're interested in. Oddly enough, both are physically located directly across the street from Home Depot stores!
I don't know, I'm a walk-in for them.
My only guess is that they pull the site from a database, and the part numbers are still in the store POS system. My guess is that they still might have the display model, or they might plan on carrying the tool again in the future, so the part number still exists. That doesn't make it better, but they're a small shop.
For instance, my buddy's bicycle shop still has part numbers for 2004 Trek bikes in the store's cash register computer, even though they don't have any. Some web sites simply run a query when they paint the page.
Barry
It's worse than that. Of the routers not marked as no longer available, only four of them are available if you 'add to cart'.
How about to draw in the hits from folks who DAGS looking for, say, the Binford XL56Y 12½ hp plunge route in the Tim the Toolman edition? They haven't had it for six years but you're there at their site and just below the "Out of Stock" or "No Longer Available" is a list of links to other, current models?
It ain't about the hits, it's ALL about the hits.
Only once. I bought a Dremel kit in 1986-7. I was a sound guy living in a tiny apartment back then, so I didn't have much use for tools. I was at Coastal yesterday, and it looks like they're now carrying the full line of Freud saw blades. They have a very nice display set up (rare for them! ) and every blade in stock. I also think they now carry EVERY DeWalt, Bosch, Milwaukee, Makita, Hitachi, PC, and Fein tool available. I've always thought of them as very well stocked, but it's filled in even more.
I'd love to see them grab Whiteside and sell it at a discount!
It also appeared that they're preparing more space in back for retail use, with an entrance just to the right of the Makita section. Maybe a big 'urn room?
Excellent theory!
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