Think of it like the Price Club on the Web, with a twist
Written: Sep 01 '00
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After hearing about a promotion to get $100 off of a Mercata purchase I figured it was maybe time to try this site out. I'll admit that upon entry I was a bit disappointed in finding out you can't use the $100 in total unless you were buying $500 worth of stuff. Basically, it can be used to be up to 20% of the purchase price of the item. Regardless, I trudged on and went in search of a new laptop bag.
The basic premise of Mercata is pretty simple and actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Basically, the offer a range of products (not a terrific range, but we'll get to that later) that all start at a specific price. As more people offer to buy these products the price drops due to the fact that Mercata can purchase them getting a bigger bulk discount. Basically, Mercata is managing a buying group for you, finding the hundreds of people you would need to drive the price down on the object you want. Of course if no one else buys the product but you, you'll pay the original price for it. Mercata also throws in a bit of a pricing twist that allows you to put in an order if the product drops down a certain level. Assuming enough people buy it and it drops to where you like, you will automatically buy it as well. The beauty is that it is like a reverse auction. Even if you said you'd pay $90 for something, if the price drops to $70 you only pay $70.
So what can you buy at Mercata? Well, they have a pretty decent range of categories of products ranging from Electronics to Luggage to Jewlery and Appliances. However, the selection of products within these groups is not the greatest. In a way this is why I think of them like the Price Club/Costco/BJs. If you are shopping for a very specific brand of product, you go to these stores hoping they happened to buy it in bulk that week. If it's there you're lucky and you get a great price. If not, well then, you're off to the specialty stores. Mercata is certainly more suited for shoppers who want, say a DVD player. You don't want a specific brand, but instead are just looking for features. In this case, chances are great that Mercata will have something that suits your needs.
If you do happen to find what you are seeking, the prices are outstanding. Obviously, some products attract a lot more interest. From the several times I've been there, Electronics seems to be one of the hot categories. If you happen to get into a good Powerbuy with a lot of people, the prices are unbeatable. Even without a good purchasing group they are very competitive. Throw in the $100 certificate I mentioned about that is available to all new customers, and you're first few purchases are looking very very nice. To give you an idea, I bought a $130 leather laptop bag on Mercata. I bid $65 which was the price at the time. The price wound up slipping to $60 buy the time the offer was up. With my 20% off, I saved another $12. Even with the extra $5 for shipping (they offer a nice selection of shipping options as well), this is an outstanding deal, and to be honest you're not going to find it anywhere else.
The site itself is very easy to navigate through. It feels pretty Amazon.comish. All in all, if you are in the market for a fairly popular item, do yourself a favor and just price it at Mercata first. Chances are the prices will beat anything else you have seen. The $100 certificate is just gravy on top of that. I've now made several purchases here and am yet to be disappointed.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
hbomb
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Location: Cambridge, MA
Reviews written: 210
Trusted by: 124 members
About Me:
I'm an avid reader of science fiction & fantasy.
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