Brian T

Extremely late this past Friday night--and for what seemed like an insanely narrow window--an Amazon Marketplace seller called i-Deals Store had tons of DVDs, Blu-rays and CDs priced down to $1, $2 and $3. I stumbled across a couple at first (24 Season 7 on Blu, UK Blu-ray of Witchfinder General, HK import Blu-rays of Police Story and Crime Story), and quickly discovered even more as I clicked around. Seemed like nearly everything they stocked was reduced.

Eventually, I discovered a good three-quarters of the titles on my wish list were available from this seller for between $1.00 and $3.00, so I moved quite a few to my cart. But while I was weening out less-critical needs, Amazon started moving items to the "saved" area of my cart faster than I could blink, ultimately leaving it empty. I found and added other "New" dollar discs to my cart, but clicking "proceed to checkout" automatically threw these into the "saved" portion of my cart as well. Frustrating, but not really surprising.

So, either it was a mistake the seller was suddenly scrambling to fix (though making it in the first place seems downright impossible), or an outright scam/hacking situation, or maybe a going-out-of-business blowout that I just didn't act upon fast enough, but then, a few hours later, a selection of the titles turned up again for $1 to $3, and this time I was able to make a purchase. And most of these particular titles stayed cheap for several more hours, even into Sunday, as did untold numbers of others, I'm now certain:

Total was $73, so obviously shipping was insane, but all things considered . . .

I won't be surprised (or complain) if the order gets cancelled, but it's already at the "shipping soon" stage, so I can only assume that I-Deals Store is either honoring the pricing errors, or really is unloading stock and got cleaned out pretty quick. All the stock in their seller profile is de-listed at the moment (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main?ie...A3DJR8M9Y3OUPG).

Just wondering if anyone else happened to catch any of these deals while they were up, or might know if this seller has a history of short-lived blowouts like this? Or if I'll ever actually receive anything? They're rated fairly highly as a Marketplace seller, but I'm not entirely convinced this was a simple error.

jwstl

I believe i-deals is the new Amazon MP name for blowitoutahere....a very respectable dealer. I caught the sale very early but didn't order anything as it was obviously a pricing error and I wasn't about to take advantage of them. I expect the majority of items to be cancelled....as they should if it was an error.

Brian T

I figured they'd been around a while based on their feedback rating, but didn't realize sellers could change names like that.

I've bought tons of stuff from 'blowitoutahere' over the years and never had a problem, and many of those purchases were at rock-bottom prices. As I said, I won't be put out if they cancel the order, but I also have no regrets about taking advantage of what could just as easily turn out to have been intentional, if perhaps over-reaching (disgruntled employee, maybe?).

Something certainly felt amiss during the early stages when titles in the cart suddenly started deactivating (or whatever), but when several of those same titles reactivated at the exact same prices -- and for the better part of a day, I later found out -- I saw little reason not to take advantage. My own purchase above took place several hours after the initial round of price drops (which I was late to find in the first place) and subsequent de-listings, and most of those titles stayed at a buck or two for many hours after that (surely my order would've tipped them off that they'd missed a few?). For example, most of the Shaw DVDs, for example, had long been available from other Amazon sellers, in "new" condition, for as low as $2.50 and $4 "new", so it's no stretch of the imagination to think that another seller might trump them by going as low as a dollar on them to blow out some excess stock, especially with a name like the one they previously sold under.

g

I saw it, but I passed because I didn't want to take advantage of them. I saw blu rays for a dollar. This should be in the store forum as it is no longer a "bargain."

Brian T

Mods, feel free to move this wherever.

I'm increasingly skeptical that this situation was a simple error. If everything in their stock was the exact same price, then maybe they flicked the wrong switch in their seller control panels (if that's even possible; I know I can't do it on my account). But the prices varied; you don't do that thousands of times over by a simple mistaken keystroke or two, or an accidental find-and-replace. Unless you're being malicious, which can't be ruled out. But then how to explain several titles being relisted at the bargain price long after the problem was discovered (which is when I bought them)?

MooMooMooMoo

If it is indeed BIOH, it could have been intentional; clearing dead stock as a way to introduce their new brand.

Rexxriot

I ordered a few things. Probably won't ship though.

My Other Self

I ordered a few BDs and some CDs for $1 a piece but I'm not expecting it to ship.

It seemed more like a computer glitch than anything. After I woke up yesterday I checked their seller profile and there was nothing left in their storefront. Today they seem to have the items back in there but nothing is in stock now.

Edit: Just had one of my orders ship. Looks like it was legit.

Brian T

My thinking exactly. A LOT of their stock consisted of stuff that's been out for some time and/or rather niche-y. They could've tossed in a few newer, hotter ringers (like 24 Season 7 Blu mentioned up top) just to wake up a few casual late-night browsers like myself.

Nice. My only regrets now are that I a) didn't act faster when the prices first dropped and b) didn't buy MORE when titles started becoming available again.

Looking in my cart at the stuff I either missed out on or procrastinated over too long (fer chrissakes why?) I recall some truly spectacular deals, some as much as 99% off list. A few examples (from among probable hundreds):

Red Riding Trilogy Blu $1.00
Amicus Collection $2.00
Various Hammer Noir collections $1-$2
Complete Sister Wendy $2
Private Life of a Masterpiece Seasons 1-5 $2 (insane)
Penn & Teller Bullshit Seasons 3 and 4 $2 or $3
Looney Tunes Platinum vol. 1 blu-ray $11
Elvis 75th Anniversary Collection (17 discs) $12
Warner Saturday Morning Cartoons 60's, 70's $1
Countless Warner Archive discs $1-$2
Various Hanna Barbera sets (including the Warner Archive releases) $1
Tons of Japanese cult titles
More Shaw stuff than I eventually snagged
Ditto on the Something Weird titles

Really kicking myself now, but nice to know they're following through whether it was intentional or not.

BuddhaWake

4 of my 20 or so items shipped. I did 4 orders, one for 1 item, one for 13, and one for 4 and one for 3. mostly some import CDs.

Lastdaysofrain

I ordered about 20 CDs from them, and all but one have shipped so far

RustyOrgan

I spent around $150 or so (incl. shipping) thinking that the orders would get canceled, but most everything has been shipped! I only wish they offered combined shipping and that I had more money to spend!

dmkb

3 of my 5 orders shipped

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I'm guessing they did something wrong with their pricing bot and are honoring the sales to prevent the flood of negative feedback, which would rapidly drop their percentage, leading to a decrease in future sales until they build it back up.

Brian T

That certainly seems plausible. Or, possibly, they did something deliberate with their pricing in order to draw positive feedback during the changeover to their new name? Granted, the prices were so shockingly low ($2.00 for an $80 box set? Geez!) that it certainly seemed like a mistake, but the fact that their prices varied somewhat, and not in entirely random ways, could speak to an intentional act, such as a storewide drop for a limited time, perhaps followed by some kind of temporary deactivation of their entire stock (which still seems to be in place) in order to reset their prices.

Considering the shipping accounts for a good 75% of most of the orders that were placed (based on $3.00 shipping on the average $1.00 item), the hit they're taking isn't as severe as it might seem, especially if they're some kind of liquidation/clearing house operation to begin with. Using my own order as an example, I paid $53.64 in shipping on 18 discs (including some thin box sets), and I know from experience that it doesn't cost anywhere near that much to ship a box of that many DVDs in the U.S.

I do wish I'd grabbed more CDs. Their import selection was/is impressive, and much like with the DVDs and Blu-rays, a large number of the CDs in my wish list were available from them.

RustyOrgan

After all my orders ship I'm going to email them as to an explanation!!
This HAD to have been a mistake?!

Proglodite

I put in a lot of orders with I-Deals...but also a ton of orders with Z-Overstocks and Ipodmeister and a couple of other sellers that use automated-low-price software. Most of those 'other' orders were CD's (mostly Classical stuff on Hyperion, Chandos, CPO).

I've only gotten a few shipping notices so far from I-Deals. I do expect a high percentage of my orders to be cancelled; to be honest, I'm surprised anyone's getting anything from this.

Didn't this sort of thing happen to another seller on Amazon a few years ago? I can't remember which company, but I remember a ton of people threatening lawsuits (!) for not fulfilling their orders and lots of negative feedback.

Peter

Vaughan

Hey guys!

I saw this on Sunday, and jumped on it. Nothing has shipped for me yet (status: Shipping Soon), but this gives me hope that everything will eventually.

I ordered...... 260 items, in five orders. Mainly CD's. I won't list everything I got here, because it's kind of a long list.

To answer something from Brian T - those items that jumped from the basket to SAVED FOR LATER.... I had that, and it was indeed confusing. However, I found out why mine was happening - Amazon seem to have a limit to the number of items you can store in your basket. In my case it is 60. After that you can put things in, but they immediately get tossed out into the SAVED FOR LATER screen. I wonder if this happened to you. In the end I simply created five orders.

As to the question of whether this is a mistake or not, or whether I took advantage of it...... maybe this is a cup half-full, cup half/empty thing? Who is to say it was a mistake? How could I have known it was a mistake on Sunday when I was making my order? If I walk into a store and see something fantastically cheap, I don't suddenly question if I'm taking advantage of the store - if I want it, I try to buy.

I'd only consider it was taking advantage if the store refused to honor my order - and I then kicked up a stink and tried to make them do so. Then, I suppose, it can be argued I was trying to take advantage. But as it is - this was just a super sale that was going on, that I managed to catch.

I admit now though, since people have gotten their orders, that I fully expect to receive my goods - but time will tell (as they say).

There could have been hundreds of legit reasons why this sale took place. Perhaps they acquired another business for next to nothing? Perhaps they needed to drastically reduce their warehouse space to save money? Who knows? Why assume it's a horrible error and that people are taking advantage?

Anyway - just wanted to drop a note. To say I have a shed load of stuff on order (mostly CD's, but some Blu-Rays and DVD's also) doesn't begin to describe it. I actually stopped shopping due to fatigue! But I can't have regrets given I dropped over $1000 on this.........

Anyway - glad to hear some got their stuff!

Proglodite

Despite getting shipping notices for nearly 30 CD's from Ipodmeister, I've now gotten refund notices from them for 'pricing errors'. I don't plan to give I-Deals any negative feedbacks because what happened to them was likely beyond their control. Any other sellers that rely on automated pricing software...well, that's another story...

Peter

Pizza

You are sooooooo lucky dude!!!!! I think a dancing banana is due here.

RustyOrgan

My i-Deals Store order:
(my apologies for not correcting formatting. Most of these were had for $1 - $2 ea.)

Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series (Yearbook Edition)
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 4 (Act of Violence / Mystery Street / Crime Wave / Decoy / Illegal / The Big Steal / They Live By Night / Side Stre
Film Noir Classic Collection, Vol. 3 (Border Incident / His Kind of Woman / Lady in the Lake / On Dangerous Ground / The Racket)
Warner Gangsters Collection: Vol. 3 (Smart Money / Picture Snatcher / The Mayor of Hell / Lady Killer / Black Legion / Brother Orchid)
The Essential Collection (2 CD + 2 DVD)
Bill Hicks
Pablo Honey [SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION- 2 CDs + DVD]
Radiohead
Coming Up: Deluxe Edition
Suede
Head Music: Deluxe Edition
Suede
It's Not Me, It's You (Special Edition) (CD/DVD) (NTSC pressing)
Lily Allen
Malfunkshun: Andrew Wood Story
The Bends [SPECIAL COLLECTOR'S EDITION- 2 CDs + DVD]
Radiohead
SilverHawks: Season 1, Volume 2 (4 Discs)
Maggie Wheeler, et al
Black Rainbows
Brett Anderson
Love (Omnibus Edition)
The Cult
The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Gonzo Tapes:The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Moon
Clint Mansell
Complete Funhouse Sessions
Stooges
West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology (4 CD/ 1 DVD Collectors Box)
Jimi Hendrix
Don't Break the Oath / Return of the Vampire
Mercyful Fate
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret: Season 1
Little Britain: The Complete Collection
Brothers (Deluxe Edition)(w/Book)
The Black Keys
Honey's Dead
Jesus & Mary Chain
Psychocandy: Expanded Edition
Jesus & Mary Chain
Darklands: Expanded Edition
Jesus & Mary Chain
Munki
Jesus & Mary Chain
Anoraak - 'Wherever the Sun Sets' CD IMPORT
Sahara Hotnights - (self-titled) CD IMPORT

izatright

My interpretation of Amazon putting stuff in "save for later" is that other buyers snatched the item up before we cleared the checkout process. I scrambled to find movies when that began to happen, but only managed one more (Beautiful Lies on BD). Overall, I managed to nab 25 blu-rays, and so far the following were delivered to the Cincinnati USPS:

Shadow Line [Blu-ray]
Primeval: Volume Three [Blu-ray]
Traviata [Blu-ray]
Turandot [Blu-ray]
Exiled (Blu-Ray) Exiled (Blu-Ray)
Casanova '70 [Blu-ray]
Overheard [Blu-ray]
Passenger [Blu-ray]
Marwencol [Blu-ray]
Thais [Blu-ray]
Breaking Glass [Blu-ray]
Boccaccio '70 [Blu-ray]

Admittedly, besides Primeval these are all blind buys. I did manage to grab Chinese Ghost Story 3, which was on my wishlist and was one of the three titles that alerted me to these deals, but it hasn't shipped yet. Honestly, if I believed they would honor these prices I would have bought more. I got pretty choosy, picking only titles that looked interesting. And I certainly wouldn't have given them negative if it was a mistake. I hate when people do that to me.

I'm not expecting any more to ship, though, because I noticed this in their feedback window:

"1/5:
So far bad customer service , not carrying through on orders on nice prices."
Gayle M., October 16, 2012"

MooMooMooMoo

Now to find out what % actually arrives at your homes! If this was for real, I'm beyond jealous!

Vaughan

To be honest, if this was a mistake and they're simply going to refund the money, then you'd think they'd have done so by now. I don't understand how it could take days to do so - automation being what it is.


ps: I just had a look, and their feedback is getting kinda full with disgruntled people now.

Actually this will be a bit of a pain, because once something is bought it is removed from your Wish List, so I'll have to spend time putting them all back.

Not sure how I feel about those leaving bad feedback to be honest. Most are claiming they're being told their item was "Out of Stock", which isn't likely. It'll be interesting if they try that excuse with me, given that would mean - coincidently - 260 items are suddenly "out of stock".

At least be honest about it, imo.

sleepyhead55

I just got 3 of those (order cancelations with out of stock items given as the reason).

They refunded my money (technically paid with a gc). Oh well, I didn't lose anything by placing a few orders.