Where to buy plasma online? (1 Viewer)

[andrewPeterson]

Im new to buying electrical stuff online.
Im after a plasma and im guessing bestbuy etc are considered quite expensive for these. Can anyone recommend the best top 5 online stores from where to buy one?.

Also if there is a problem is it normal that i will have to mail it back or are they usually covered for free collection/repair?

tia

 

[Mort Corey]

TV Authority, a forum sponser, has gotten some pretty good reports from buyers that have been satisfied with their purchases.

Mort

 

[andrewPeterson]

thx. i did look at them but the cheapest they sell is 5k which is out of my budget.

If anyone has a list of their top 10 online stores for Av stuff id appreciate it.

 

[Mort Corey]

Not sure of what your budget is, or what screen size you're looking for, but TVA has several 50" HD displays at the $4K mark which is pretty reasonable. The Panasonic is a really nice unit. 42" ED displays are pretty cheap these days at around $2.5 and HD units at $3K.

If there's a Costco nearby, they usually have quite a few panels on sale at costs that rival anything you'll find on line.

Good hunting,

Mort

 

[Kevin C Brown]

These are the ones I've found:

TVA, as mentioned above
Visual Apex
OneCall
Amazon
ebay

Obviously, you have to know what you're doing to buy from ebay, but all of the others have gotten good reviews.

One thing, if you come across a place that has a price that's *really* good, make sure to check them out at www.resellerratings.com

For example, you can find lots of cheap places from a places like shopping.com pricegrabber.com froogle.com but a lot of them are all very poorly rated. They give you a really low initial price, but then they hard sell you expensive accessories. They will also charge your credit card on order placement, not on shipment. And a lot of them will charge your credit card even though they don't currently have the unit in stock.

Bottom line is be careful when you buy online. Lot's of horror stories out there. Some places won't take a unit back even if it arrives to you in pieces. In that case, you have to inspect the outside of the box like a hawk to look for shipping damage, and then refuse to accept it if there's anything that looks suspect.

 

[andrewPeterson]

>If there's a Costco nearby, they usually have quite a few panels on sale at costs that rival anything you'll find on line.


Just looked on their website, i can get a 37" LCD for less than $2,000!, looks like Costco might be the best place to buy from.

 

[Arthur S]

Andrew

Are you within driving distance of a BJs Wholesale?

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Be careful- The LCDs that Costco has for less than $2k are more than likely Syntax Olevia, Westinghouse, Sceptre, or some other no name brand. Poor quality. Poor blacks, poor contast, and suspect reliability.

 

[andrewPeterson]

Hi Arthur - Yes seems there is one at sarasota according to their site, although i've never heard of them. Is it worth a look?

Hi Kevin - You're right, i've never heard of any of those brands which means reviews will be slim and it would be a risky buy. Panasonic, Sony etc would be nice but i can't bring myself to commit so much money. I may end up having to go with a big bulky RP but I really want a flat panel for the wall if i can find a decent one at a good price.
I had hoped prices on the panasonics etc would all have come down in price more than they have by now.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I have seen the current Panasonic 42" ED plasma for $2100. I agree though, they are not cheap. Here's how much I have spent on CRTs over the last 10 years: $500 for a 25" RCA (piece of junk), $800 for a 27" Panasonic (s-video), $1000 for a 32" Toshiba (component video, HDTV compatible). I am also having a hard time ponying up the more than $2k it's going to take to get a name brand set.

For kicks, I went and looked at the Syntax Olevia a few weeks ago. 37" LCD for $1500 at my local Frys. Maybe it was how it was set up, but it couldn't do blacks at all. Deep purple was the best it could do.

 

[Norm]

What about this Ebay place & is it a deal?

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Ahhh, this is a "commercial" or "professional" display.

A lot of people do buy these, and like them very much, be aware though:

1) Is an ED set, not HD. But a lot of people feel that further away than 10 ft, the difference is minimal.

2) Because it is a professional set, it does not come with speakers, a stand, or a DVI/HDMI input.

3) This is last years model, equivalent to the consumer model 42pd25u/p. This year's commercial displays will be out soon. (Instead of 7uy, they'll be 8uk, a la the 42pd50u.)

You can use little bookshelf speakes, $50 - $100/pair. The DVI card costs about $135 (if you want DVI/HDMI), and supposedly you can also find the stand for it on ebay for around $55.

The dude has pretty good feedback, but also note the $300 shipping charge. A little high. Also be aware that a plasma can easily be broken if it's shipped down flat rather than right side up on edge. But he also seems pretty good about returns. And he says it does come with a manufacturer's warranty (make sure he's a dealer though. You cannot get a manufacturer's warranty from anyone other than an official Panasonic plasma dealer.)

Might be worth a look!

 

[Norm]

The new 42pd50u has HDMI, the 7uy doesn't.

 

[Parker Clack]

Andrew:

Give the guys at TV Authority a call and tell them that you are a member here and they will give you a great deal on a plasma set. This will also include their own 5 Star Warranty that will allow you to return the set if you aren't happy with it an more.

Ask for Kirk Punches and tell him that I sent you to him.

Parker

 

[Kevin C Brown]

You buy a HDMI card for the 7uy. About $135 if you look around.