I receive a number of promotions via email for parts and other supplies that tout savings and special offers. Since I am actively involved in restoring an old automobile and need parts and tools, some of these sites would seem to be very helpful in this project. However, what I have found is that a number of these sites' promotions are not really promotions so much as a way to lure you into browsing their site in hopes you will lose your perspective and buy something. Time after time I find that the promotions do not really apply to what I want to purchase. I just received a 15% off promotion from a US based auto parts store, but when I went to check out, the part I needed was exempt from the promotion. In reading the fine print for the promotion I found a list of 511 brands were excluded from the sale. That means that every part or tool supplied by these companies was not eligible for the discount. 511 different companies. Nothing I wanted to buy was eligible and I had a number of items I wanted to purchase. Sadly, this happens time and again when I receive these types of emails. One particular US retailer is one of the worst as I browse their tools and am very familiar with the prices. So when I run across this type of thing I simply unsubscribe from the email list and don't go to their site again. Many of the parts houses have multiple sites so it is difficult to understand who you are dealing with unless you do a little research and comparisons. What I have found is that the smaller suppliers often provide the best service at a similar cost to the larger companies. They don't always show up very high in Google searches and sometimes it helps to browse forums for recommendations. Individual eBay sellers with good feedback ratings can be a good source too. You do need to make sure you are dealing with a legitimate seller and this is why the more established retailers have an angle. Just a few Monday morning comments.
