Just in case anyone's interested, here's a little behind the scenes report from a Microbarn Technician (soon to be ex-Microbarn technician).
There were a few questions about our shipping policies. While it may only take about 15 minutes to process any particular order, it takes hours to process the 70-100 orders we receive everyday (even more on Mondays). UPS comes by at the same time every day, so there's a cutoff time, typically at around 10-11 in the morning. This cutoff time ensures that all the orders placed before that time can be shipped out when UPS gets here at 4pm.
As far as shipping prices, it's true that we charge more than UPS. Unfortunately, this is actually the only way to compete with other companies. As everyone knows, it's a common practice to inflate shipping charges so the actual price can be lowered (especially for Pricewatch listings). HOWEVER, we actually keep a spreadsheet where we keep track of other companies prices + shipping to ensure that we're offering the *overall* lowest price. This frequently means we're selling parts at cost (even slightly below in some cases).
I'd also like to dispel a very common rumor, that companies like us get huge shipping discounts through UPS. This may be true for Gateway or Dell, but it's absolutely false for us. If you ever want to see the exact cost for shipping something, check out the Quick Cost Calculator at
www.ups.com; you'll be required to enter the source ZIP & the destination ZIP. Ground shipping typically only costs between $4-$7, depending on the distance traveled.
It's true that all of our prices aren't the absolute best, but I seriously doubt you'll be able to find a lower price for any of the motherboards we sell. Oh, and Greg, terribly sorry for forcing you to make two whole extra clicks. We tried to implement one-click shopping, but Amazon threatened to sue us. (Just kidding....
We do have very strict policies on returns and RMA's, but we're very upfront about them. All of our policies (including the 20% restocking fee on even defective parts) are listed on our website, under the Terms & Conditions of Sale link off of the home page. It is *extremely* important that you read these terms and agree to them before purchasing (this applies to any internet company, not just us). If you think the terms are too strict, then please don't purchase the part from us. Those policies are the only way we can offer such low prices - they keep our overhead down. This a direct tradeoff - any company with fantastic return/replacement policies will have high prices, and vice versa.
As far as the technicians attitudes, I must say that I'm not always the cheerfull-est person. I try to help all of our customers as much as possible, but sometimes I get in a snit, like everyone else. Of the KT7 boards our customers have sent back for a simple 'No POST' problem, however, fully half of them boot up for me on our testbed here on the first try. So yes, with a ratio like that, we basically *have* to assume that our customers need some fairly basic help. If it sounds like the customer knows what they're doing over the telephone, then I typically give them the benefit of the doubt.
I hope this helps to clarify our position. I'll climb down off of my high horse, now.... Although I'm moving on to a different job, I've thoroughly enjoyed working for Microbarn for 2+ years, and would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable mail order company.
-ctf
Chris Flora
Microbarn Tech Support
(919) 212-2070
tech@microbarn.com