Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

[SuzukiChopper]

I figure for reference for everyone that is planning on re-pairing, modifying, building, or just buying new toys we should have a thread that lists everyones favorite on-line stores and what they offer. Also e-bay users you have purchased stuff from and have no problems with. Brick and morter stores may also be listed with what they offer as well.<br /><br />**** PLEASE NOTE ****<br />The links posted should be for unique items that you cannot find by clicking on the Marine Mega Mall link up above. We need to support the site that brought us this awesome forum! They offer great prices on the stuff they do have, but it's impossible to offer everything so the links you provide should offer unique items not found here!<br />**** PLEASE NOTE ****<br /><br />Here's the few that I know of that may come in handy.<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com (Marine Mega Mall blue link up above)<br /> http://www.uscomposites.com (resins, fiberglass, 2-part urethane foam)<br /><br />E-Bay users:<br />easyabc (ebay store - dadsboatstuff)<br />kendarling<br /><br />(if this is a bad idea, the moderators may delete)

 

[Realgun]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

Thas Cool but I wil tell you I tried to get somethings cheaper than iBoats and it is damn near impossible.<br />As soon as i have some money (after X-mas) I will be perusing the megamall hard!

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

iboats has a TON of great stuff at really good prices, but I was thinking more along the lines of stuff that iboats doesn't have like foam, epoxy, fiberglass, wood, etc. All the construction type stuff and the hard to find parts.

 

[swimmin' for shore]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

I've purchased nearly 1,300 dollars worth of items for my boat, and I've bargain shopped really hard, especially through ebay. A couple of sellers who have worked particularly hard to sell the items to me at way below regular prices:<br /><br />For all of my pedestal bases and floor bases, midwestmarine put together the whole package of what I needed. They sold it to me at roughly 40% of the price I would have paid on a popular website that carried all of the exact same items. All of the items I purchased are swiveleze aluminum bases, though I checked and see that they carry many other items. They can be emailed at: midwest.marine@juno.com<br /><br />For all of my epoxy resin, I've gone through Dale Bennion at orionspyramid(ebay store name). He's selling at significantly less than the price of even the other ebay sellers. I'm sorry to say that I cannot verify how good his products are yet, as I'm still far away across the world. His other buyers have had nothing but great things to say about the resin, though. He can be emailed directly at: benniondale@hotmail.com <br /><br />Good idea here, and thanks for posting it.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

i have to go the other direction...<br /><br />iboats.com is much more expensive than all the prices i get either here locally or on the web.<br /><br />for instance:<br />i was looking for a fixed hieght jack plate, and i found it locally for 89.99 and iboats wants 129.99 and its from the same manufacturer.<br /> http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cgi?prod_id=21825&current_category=jack plate&*******=843042002 <br /><br />most items i see are more here, but i DO look, just to say i tried,although i have never found a better deal here.<br /><br />places i use to save some cash is:<br />www.mercruiserparts.com<br />www.outboardparts.com<br />www.seatemp.com<br />www.ebay.com<br />www.westmarine.com<br />www.boatersworld.com<br /><br />and if you wanna get ripped off, go here:<br />www.vikingmarine.com<br /><br />he still owes me either 820$ or a motor, from last january!

 

[ED21]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

Somebody still owes me $5 too.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

I’m like PmMike and Swimming, I shop. More often than not I vacate the iboats MegaMall long before I even locate an item. The search engine for the MegaMall really sucks! <br /><br />You also have to consider the cost of shipping and taxes, if any. I was after a Ritchie Globemaster compass. Got it from boatersworld for $299 inc shipping. Same one from iboats is $437.05 + $12.46 shipping ... $$449.51 total! WM sells it everyday for $485. Boatersworld special ordered a 24v version for me, and had Ritchie install a special 2 deg card at not add'l cost (as it should be), then had it shipped free, they paid the sales tax since we're both in California.<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cgi?prod_id=14866&current_category=globemaster&*******=791434014 <br /><br />I just looked and I think iboats currently has a deal going with DHL for free overnight shipping. Don’t know what the limits are (if any), but that’s a big plus for the MegaMall, if you can ever find what you are looking for there.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

I gotta say, yeah it is a little tough finding stuff in the Mega Mall, but from what I've seen the prices are cheap, atleast compared to what I can pick up locally. We have the most lakes per capita here and a VERY crappy selection of Marine shopping <br /><br />I like the idea of posting places to REALLY stay away from, especially places that owe people motors and large amounts of money. One of the bike sites I frequent has it's own forum dedicated to this specifically and it's the FIRST place I go before looking for anything. If scammers do it to one person, they'll potentially do it to everyone.

 

[DJ]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

All,<br /><br />It seems many of you hate the iboats Mega Mall.<br /><br />Seems to me you have got allot of mileage, and free advice, out of the free forums though.<br /><br />Shop as you will, just remember the support you'll get out of your deep discount houses.<br /><br />I tend support those who support me. And, I'm not an iboats employee. But, I fully understand what supports this wealth of FREE information.

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

Actually this wealth of free information that flows here is GREAT on-line advertising for iboats. Every single one of the messages in the forum gets indexed by all the search engine spiders, the biggest being Google as most people rely on their database to index sites. What this means, especially with links provided to other sites, is that the ranking of iboats goes up, meaning their index on the search engines goes up, meaning people find them first when searching for stuff. Their "word" count also increases, meaning an increase in the chance of being found. Even if it is a link to a message in a forum, people will still visit and potentially see what's up above any post. If 1 out of every 10 or even out of every 100 people purchase something (I can gurantee this site receives more than 1,000 unique visitors a day from web searches alone), that adds up quick. So while at the surface it doesn't look like anything is being contributed by the "free" information, there really is quite a bit of reciprocating support from both sides. I know out of all the places I shop locally, the reason why I go back to them, and tell everyone I know about them isn't because the prices they provide, it isn't because of the products they sell. It's because the owner or employees are willing to spend time with you to make sure your questions are answered, and the RIGHT advice is given, even if they don't make a profit off you the first, second, third, or even fourth time. <br /><br />Now don't get me wrong, anyone who uses the forums should support iboats financially one way or another atleast once, even if it is just purchasing some iboats apparel to wear proud. Have to pay the bills somehow. It may also help clean-up their online shopping section and provide an easier, more enjoyable shopping experience for everyone.

 

[BillP]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

I tend to agree with SuzukiChopper. The way I see it..."free" advice is coming from the posters. Iboats has the business smarts of using that "free" advice and feedback to generate a customer base from forums. If "free" forums didn't make money they would be gone in a flash. Without "free" forums iboats would be just another web site advertising products...and none of us want that.

 

[G DANE]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

Have to mention it, I dont like anyone bashing Iboats on their own site. Dont bite the hand that feeds you ! <br /><br />I've had so much advise and education, joining this site, I would prefer buying from here, even at a little higher prices, now and then. Remember, the lowest price isnt all there is. Shipping, availabililty in stock and service are good to consider too when placing an order.

 

[G DANE]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

I have to mention, I once bought a set of tach, speedo, trim indic. and water pressure meter from one of the "discount" houses, paid in advance, including freight to Denmark and freight insurance. When it arrived, the pionter on the speedo was floating around in the meter. I E-mailed them to hear how to get a replacement, noone ever replied my mail. Now it isnt much money, so I never did more, but shows the difference in the service you get from a good supplyer like Iboats, and discount. When I bought a new speedo, i paid more than I saved in first time.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

ed, what is your email? if you are the ed i am thinking of? rudder? i thought your name was wayne. i sent wayne a check for 5 dollars in maryland and he cashed it.... if you are who i think you are and he was NOT you, then i have 2 questions:<br />1. who are you<br />2. who did i send a check to?

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

DJ – I think you have it exactly inverted. These forums act as a solid base from which the MegaMall and the other paid services on iboats receive visitor traffic/exposure. iboats gets its return form self-promoting products and services. Other ‘free’ forums get their return on commissions for referrals to their supporting advertisers. Some forums aren’t entirely free (boatdiesel.com) but are worth the $25/annual fee for the excellent information.<br /><br />G Dane – not bashing, just honest discussions. I used to run in circles that included people that had successfully started their own businesses. A couple of things they all had in common; (1) they were all adamant about being honest in the dealings. None of them was looking rip anyone off. They wanted to provide a quality product or service for a fair price. (2) They all craved feedback on how they could improve their business model to provide better services and pricing. You can be sure the fine folks at iboats are paying attention to this thread and will consider suggestions made here, tho a private email may be preferred. And any post with bashing (unfounded negative criticism) should appropriately be poof’d by any of the mods.<br /><br />SuzukiChopper has a good point. I have noticed (but failed to mention) that Google does a better job of searching the MegaMall than the MegaMall’s own search engine.<br /><br />Back to the original topic of this thread ... yes, it would be a great idea to maintain a database type FAQ that has resources for the commonly used stuff like fiberglass matt, foam, full line of Ancor products...<br /><br />Edit: PhatManMike - make that $5 check payable to 18rabbit ...

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

l8rabbit has it exactly right. Anything that is posted that is blatent outright bashing of iboats, this forum, or any of the users should be removed without question. As I said in the first post, if this was a bad idea the moderators could delete it and I wouldn't become upset. I completely understand if they don't want this kind of resource floating around, but at the same time, anyone that has a great resource for boat restoration stuff, etc should use some discretion when they post and realize their post may be deleted. Also if the moderators are watching this, even if they aren't the web designers for iboats, I hope that they take any of the suggestions, comments, etc and pass them along to help improve the site. A catalog that is easy to use and find stuff in, even if the product is more expensive, will generate more business then a catalog with deep discounts that is hard to use.

 

[Realgun]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

18 rabbit how do you get Google to do the mega mall without all the other sites popping up?

 

[SuzukiChopper]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

Do a google search for the part you're looking for, then scroll to the bottom, click on the "search within results" link and type in www.iboats.com

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

Yup. Or just add iboats as a word in your search; i.e. bilge pumps iboats. Of course you can refine your search, just make iboats one of the words.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Buying Stuff On-Line (link reference)

Here's a few links for ya..<br /><br /> http://www.fibreglast.com/ (anything related to fiberglass)<br /> http://www.tapplastics.com/index.php? (more fiberglass, plus other plastics, ect.)<br /> http://www.ultratuff.net/ (non-skid coating for decks, ect.)<br /> http://www.worldpanel.com/ (Wood,/lumber. Teak, ect.)