Online marine retailers... separating risky from reputable?

J

JonO

New member
As most new owners will attest, buying a C-Dory is only the start of the spending spree. Whether you're buying 20 feet of anchor chain, new electronics or something else, price matters. But so does the ability of the marine retailer to deliver the goods on time and support the sale if something goes wrong.

I'm interested in hearing some praise for online retailers who have met the price/value mark and some cautionary horror stories about those who haven't.

Not unlike what I've seen with camera and electronics resellers, I'm finding some marine websites may seem to offer the best price, but their address is nothing more than a second-floor office somewhere and some reviews are sketchy at best.
 
I'll check them out. They do have a good explanation of the kinds of online resellers.

Drop shippers - These companies generally are not dealers for anything they sell. They do not have direct relationships with the manufacturers. When pickins are slim on product, they are the last one in line. You can spot these companies by doing a google search of their address. If it is a suite, or a house, or even at a warehouse of a larger company then they are drop shippers.

Direct Dealers - These are companies like ours. Direct Dealers for the brands we carry. We procure product directly from the manufacturers, and lean heavily on distribution centers around the country for these brands to fulfill product. We have our own warehouse. Our orders generally fill from our own inventory and from these distribution centers, which is why we are able to ship entire orders made up of dozens of products the same day.

Chain Stores - West Marine, Academy, Bass Pro, etc. These companies generally buy key products in bulk and warehouse themselves. Their selection is limited to the most popular products, and if they don't have something in stock, your order is likely not going to prompt them to get it anytime soon. Chain stores are great for having a local place you can drive to pick something up. But not great if you need advice or help in putting together an elaborate system tailored to your needs.
 
Several online retailers I have used and have been satisfied with experience with.

www.westmarine.com.
www.hodgesmarine.com
www.defender.com
www.easternmarine.com
www.etrailer.com
www.boats.net
www.iboats.com
www.fisheriessupply.com
www.propellerdepot.com
www.propmd.com (Right now I'm getting a firefox security risk msg on that link, but I think it is temporary, as I've used them in the past for prop repair.)
www.overtons.com

There are others, such as Cabella's, REI, Amazon, Walmart, that I have also used with satisfaction. Colby
 
Thanks, Colby. That's helpful. Defender seems to be the place to get quality anchor rhode (chain) and accessories based on other C-Brats threads.
 
Thanks, Colby. That's helpful. Defender seems to be the place to get quality anchor rhode (chain) and accessories based on other C-Brats threads.
Click to expand...

That's where I bought my anchor rhode. In fact, my 25 did not have a windlass when I bought it. Defender had a special sale on windlass's, that included 300' of rhode. I jumped on that. lol. I do a lot of searching for the best price, and find Hodgesmarine and Fisheriessupply have fallen in that category a few times. Just depends on the item. I have bought Defenders member program (forget what it's real name is) when ordering a rather large order of stuff and that provided a bit of a discount that more than paid for the membership. Colby
 
Another add to Colby's list that I would also recommend is thegpsstore.com. Purchased from me both commercially and as an individual.
Also, I spent a lot of $$$ on my sailboat last year and I chose Defender, as I knew if they screwed up, that they would get it right. Well as luck would have it one of the very expensive piece parts was the incorrect size and I had a new one the next day, at their expense... Absolutely no hassles.
 
I know many love to hate Amazon, even my son that has worked on their robots in the Kent, WA center for several years. However, they have always done well for me. If something doesn't meet your expectations, they take it back, no questions asked, and its easy to send back. Sometimes their prices are lowest, sometimes they aren't. I've bought everything from Ancor wire to trolling motors to stainless hardware. Key for me is that they deliver quickly to our island, and that I can easily return items for up to a month. A bonus is that they often have returned or somewhat damaged (i.e. packaging and scratches) for much better prices, also with a full guarantee.
 
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