i-Deals "sale"

[Scarpia]

Recently absurdly low prices for some classical items were listed on Amazon Marketplace by i-Deals store.  The availability of the stock at the low prices (in some cases $1 for large multi-disc sets) was somewhat intermittent, and now the i-Deals storefront at Amazon is unavailable.  Amazon's web site has accepted some orders and listed them as "shipping soon" but no one has reported that they have actually shipped.  What is the explanation?

[kishnevi]

I'll throw this bit of data into the brew for whatever it's worth, but will draw no conclusions myself from it.

I very recently made a purchase from I-deals (and I believe Karl also bought the same item--the DHM Leonhardt plays Bach box) after an alert on the SuperDuper Cheap Bargains thread.  It wasn't a bargain on the scale of this "sale" but it was well below the usual price.  When I received the purchase--the transit time, btw, was on the quick side compared to other Amazon MP purchases--I noticed the shipping address seemed to be Amazon's Kentucky warehouse.

[Mirror Image]

I'll throw this bit of data into the brew for whatever it's worth, but will draw no conclusions myself from it.

I very recently made a purchase from I-deals (and I believe Karl also bought the same item--the DHM Leonhardt plays Bach box) after an alert on the SuperDuper Cheap Bargains thread.  It wasn't a bargain on the scale of this "sale" but it was well below the usual price.  When I received the purchase--the transit time, btw, was on the quick side compared to other Amazon MP purchases--I noticed the shipping address seemed to be Amazon's Kentucky warehouse.

Hmmm....interesting observation, Jeffrey. The best I can remember is I-Deals is based out of Kentucky.

[Scarpia]

I'll throw this bit of data into the brew for whatever it's worth, but will draw no conclusions myself from it.

I very recently made a purchase from I-deals (and I believe Karl also bought the same item--the DHM Leonhardt plays Bach box) after an alert on the SuperDuper Cheap Bargains thread.  It wasn't a bargain on the scale of this "sale" but it was well below the usual price.  When I received the purchase--the transit time, btw, was on the quick side compared to other Amazon MP purchases--I noticed the shipping address seemed to be Amazon's Kentucky warehouse.

I don't think that's right.  I found an i-Deals shipping envelope in my recycle bin and the return address is 300 Omicron Court, Shepherdsville, KY.  If you look it up on Google maps, you'll see some big warehouses off I-65, but otherwise in the middle of nowhere.  A recent package from Amazon was from Louisville KY.  The i-Deals packaging is also of a different style that when I typically get from Amazon (a corrigated cardboard affair that is folded over the CD, rather than a box).  Very similar to the packages that come from importcds.  i-Deals store seems to be a renamed "blowitoutahere," which has been an amazon marketplace seller for a while.

I think the i-Deals stuff comes from a wholesale/fulfillment center.  The sort of business that allows you to open a generic on-line or mail order store, and which ships stuff directly to your customers for you. 

[kishnevi]

I don't think that's right.  I found an i-Deals shipping envelope in my recycle bin and the return address is 300 Omicron Court, Shepherdsville, KY.  If you look it up on Google maps, you'll see some big warehouses off I-65, but otherwise in the middle of nowhere.  A recent package from Amazon was from Louisville KY.  The i-Deals packaging is also of a different style that when I typically get from Amazon (a corrigated cardboard affair that is folded over the CD, rather than a box).  Very similar to the packages that come from importcds.  i-Deals store seems to be a renamed "blowitoutahere," which has been an amazon marketplace seller for a while.

I think the i-Deals stuff comes from a wholesale/fulfillment center.  The sort of business that allows you to open a generic on-line or mail order store, and which ships stuff directly to your customers for you.

I may well have been confused by the Kentucky address.  On the other hand, I'm pretty sure the packaging was the same as what I get when Amazon ships something directly to me.    My initial assumption was that Amazon was warehousing and fulfilling the order for I-deals.

I've gotten stuff from "blowitoutahere" but don't remember the address or packaging they used when doing business under that name.

[Scarpia]

I've gotten stuff from "blowitoutahere" but don't remember the address or packaging they used when doing business under that name.

I have looked up old blowitoutahere order acknowledgements in my e-mail folder, and now they are listed as i-Deals store when I locate them in my Amazon order page, so I am 100% certain that blowitoutahere renamed itself i-Deals store.

I am sure i-Deals items I have purchased were not fulfilled by Amazon.  If something is fulfilled by Amazon, it is subject to Amazon shipping policy (shipping discount when you order more than one item, super-saver shipping, prime shipping).  My i-Deals store orders were shipped with the flat $2.99 per disc that Amazon applies to Marketplace shippers.

Note added:  a little Googling revealed that a company called gsi commerce has a fulfillment center at the Shepherdsville KY address.

[hemmesjo]

Just an FYI.  I placed an order with i-deals on Friday (12 Oct) and then five orders on Sunday (14 Oct).  The Friday order included at least one $1.00 item and the other was cheap too.  The Sunday orders were after I found out about the 'sale'.  Anyway, the Friday order now shows shipped.

Dan

I don't know if this means anything or not but of the 32 items I ordered Sunday early AM only 11 of them have any listings at all on i-deals page.  Everything on their site shows currently unavailable.  Might they have been trying to dump lots of low inventory items?  And figuring on our type going ballistic and their at least making out on multiple shipping charges?

[TheGSMoeller]

Same here, I made several orders and the first one is in shipped status. Now that it's starting to seem legit, I'll probably share my purchases in the "purchased today" thread. Didn't want to get too excited until I saw that status change.

Although there's another part of me that won't be completely convinced until they arrive in my mailbox.

[DavidRoss]

One of my orders -- the Angeles String Quartet Haydn box set, purchased Friday night for $5 + $2.98 shipping -- has shipped, according to Amazon.

[Karl Henning]

One of my orders -- the Angeles String Quartet Haydn box set, purchased Friday night for $5 + $2.98 shipping -- has shipped, according to Amazon.

Sweet!

[Scarpia]

The first of two orders I placed has shipped, and I have a tracking number.   Pleasantly surprised!

[The new erato]

Seems like an ideal outcome!

[DavidRoss]

Sweet!

Aye!

Now if only my other, larger orders come through, I'll be amazed at my stroke of luck.  I stumbled on this stuff late Friday night, just before bedtime, and spent half an hour searching and ordering when suddenly all the ideals items left in my cart showed as unavailable.  Probably a good thing, since I had already spent most of the money earmarked to recarpet my office! And if the blu ray concert films come through, then I guess I'll finally have to buy a blu ray player, too!

Re. Scarpia's poll -- my guess is that it was an inventory reduction and cash generating scheme prompted in response to action by whatever taxing authority might also have prompted the seller's business name change.

[DavidW]

I would feel bad about taking advantage of an obvious mistake.  That store provides the best bargains AND ships within the US.  They also have amazing customer service, I love 'em!  There is obviously no sense of loyalty here since many of you jumped at the opportunity to exploit the pricing mistake.  Well at least I have a sense of loyalty, and I will buy from them only when their prices are like they were again, competitive but reasonable.

[DavidRoss]

I would feel bad about taking advantage of an obvious mistake.  That store provides the best bargains AND ships within the US.  They also have amazing customer service, I love 'em!  There is obviously no sense of loyalty here since many of you jumped at the opportunity to exploit the pricing mistake.  Well at least I have a sense of loyalty, and I will buy from them only when their prices are like they were again, competitive but reasonable.

And if it was not a mistake then buyers benefited this merchant by purchasing these offerings.

[Scarpia]

I would feel bad about taking advantage of an obvious mistake.  That store provides the best bargains AND ships within the US.  They also have amazing customer service, I love 'em!  There is obviously no sense of loyalty here since many of you jumped at the opportunity to exploit the pricing mistake.  Well at least I have a sense of loyalty, and I will buy from them only when their prices are like they were again, competitive but reasonable.

If I were certain it was a mistake I would not have ordered.  But who could say it was not an urgent liquidation sale.  If it was a mistake, presumably they would notify us that the orders can't be filled.

[Karl Henning]

I think the event was unusual enough that it is natural to wonder if something is amiss, and that the business may be at a disadvantage.  But not all the facts are in, either, and it may have been an unusual-but-aboveboard event, after all.

[Scarpia]

I think the event was unusual enough that it is natural to wonder if something is amiss, and that the business may be at a disadvantage.  But not all the facts are in, either, and it may have been an unusual-but-aboveboard event, after all.

I know someone who used to work at EMI classics and heard a lot of stories.  Typically they will ship CDs to distributors on consignment, with the agreement that the distributor only has to pay for the portion that they don't return within a set period of time (maybe six months).  Sometimes sales are much poorer than expected and almost all are returned.   Keeping stuff in the warehouse is expensive, so sometimes the returned stuff goes to the grinder, or maybe the distributor is advised not to bother even returning it, and asked to destroy it.  (Sometimes the distributor might illicitly sent it to Berkshire instead of destroying it.)

Maybe this time they decided to sell if for a dollar, rather than grind it.  The issue for the bean counters is whether the super-sale suppresses future sales.   Perhaps not, because probably the people who scoop it up are the ones that send their entire paycheck to Amazon marketplace, regardless of how many thousands of CDs they already have.

[Mirror Image]

So far only one order has shipped for me which is the Haydn Paris Symphonies set with Harnoncourt on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi. Keeping my fingers crossed that the rest of the orders will ship as well. I'll keep this thread updated.

[Mirror Image]

If I were certain it was a mistake I would not have ordered.  But who could say it was not an urgent liquidation sale.  If it was a mistake, presumably they would notify us that the orders can't be filled.

+1 I agree and is what I said yesterday.