Are Online discount retailers legit? (1 Viewer)

I am about to purchase a Pioneer Elite SC-27, and it's about $2000-$2200 from a local shop like ultimate electronics or best buy.

Alternatively, I could buy it online from 6ave.com camerakings.com amdv.com ecomelectronics.com pcrush.com powersellernyc.com tvcity.ty or centraldigital.com for about $1400.

Most of these sites offer an extended warranty up to 4 or 5 years for $150-$200, and some even say it comes with a US Warranty.

Is this a good deal, and should I worry about any of these retailers? I'm thinking that spending $1600 may be worth it to get a receiver with 4-5 years of warranty vs. paying $2200+tax for only a 1 or 2 year warranty from a local brick and mortar retailer.

I'm curious if anyone has purchased a high priced item from any of these retailers, and what your experience has been.

Thank you...

I wouldn't put much stock in Best Buy's prices, as even Amazon usually beats them. On the other hand I wouldn't be swayed by a warranty offer from one of the on-line merchants; I'm going to assume they won't be around to honor the warranty. The only warranty issue that I'd consider is when the manufacturer doesn't consider the merchant an authorized dealer and says they won't honor the warranty. (I only break this when purchasing from Costco, who backs the products themselves.)

6ave is the only one I've ever heard of and even they are dicey. Give places like onecall.com and newegg.com a try. Deals on Pioneer seem to be harder to find than Denon and especially Onkyo. You might try one of those brands instead.

Here's a list of Pioneer authorized dealers. Pioneer Elites are generally not available on-line but J&R and 6thave sometimes offer them.