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NWS and Amazon pricing

Gautama

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Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
131
I had a few NWS items on an Amazon wishlist, namely their 210mm cable cutters and the Fantastico. Today I take a look and see that the prices of everything have literally doubled, and not just for the items on my list: everything. $88 for Fantastico. $100 for cable cutters! WTH?

I realize there are other places online to buy, but until today the prices were comparable. Not anymore.
 
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jallyn

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Jun 29, 2015
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Fort Wayne, Indiana
Amazon is great for things that sell in high quantities. Not so great for specialty, imported, or lower demand products. NWS still falls in the not so great category here in the US.
 

d.mcfarland

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Jun 18, 2012
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Western PA
Why not use german hand tools.com?

Dude will order you anything you want from those European producers and do all the quality control as well.
 

Schurkey

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Oct 27, 2011
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The Seasonally Frozen Wastelands
Keep watching the Amazon prices. I've seen price changes upward--and then back downward--in the course of one or two days.

Some time ago, I had some books on the wish-list, and the prices changed every few hours. Then stable again for weeks.

I have wondered if Amazon prices are at least in part controlled by a computer algorithm. If sales increase, the price increases, if sales decrease the price drops until the sales pick up again.
 

Rick M

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Apr 18, 2015
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North Carolina
I have wondered if Amazon prices are at least in part controlled by a computer algorithm.

I am sure they are, or at least some things. I've noticed it tends to fluctuate by brand and I'm guessing some do not allow Amazon to change pricing while others do. If I had to guess, the original price is set by a human somewhere but after that it's up to the computer.
 

kctyphoon

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Jun 9, 2014
Messages
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Jersey/Staten Island
You should shop at Chadstoolbox.com for NWS stuff.. I haven't ordered from there yet, but it was the best prices and biggest selection when I was looking for NWS tools.

I do have a couple of the Irwin rebranded NWS stuff. Lineman pliers, right angle lineman pliers (no idea why they call them that cause they are more like needle nose) and the fantastico cutters.. one thing I CAN tell you, is that unless you have a specific need for those, they won't replace a good set of standard cutters like Knipex or the standard NWS version. They are great if you have something very thin and very hard to cut, but that's about it.. your hands have to do much more work since the handles open VERY wide for a very narrow jaw opening. Most things you'll wind up having to take two swipes at to cut too, which in my eyes, negates any advantage from the leverage. I own about a dozen different sets and they are not what I carry for work. I bought them to experiment and one day was enough to just toss them in a drawer at home, and put my knipex back in my lineman pouch.
 

48548

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May 14, 2008
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Phoenix
I bought a lot of stuff from chads in the past like 1500$ and I never had an issue.
 

PureLeaf

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Jul 25, 2014
Messages
1,417
You should shop at Chadstoolbox.com for NWS stuff.. I haven't ordered from there yet, but it was the best prices and biggest selection when I was looking for NWS tools.

I do have a couple of the Irwin rebranded NWS stuff. Lineman pliers, right angle lineman pliers (no idea why they call them that cause they are more like needle nose) and the fantastico cutters.. one thing I CAN tell you, is that unless you have a specific need for those, they won't replace a good set of standard cutters like Knipex or the standard NWS version. They are great if you have something very thin and very hard to cut, but that's about it.. your hands have to do much more work since the handles open VERY wide for a very narrow jaw opening. Most things you'll wind up having to take two swipes at to cut too, which in my eyes, negates any advantage from the leverage. I own about a dozen different sets and they are not what I carry for work. I bought them to experiment and one day was enough to just toss them in a drawer at home, and put my knipex back in my lineman pouch.


I wouldn't go anywhere near chads tool box. Just do a search on this site. Numerous people here have had problems with them. Many other avenues to use like Lee Valley or German Hand tools with Ash.
 
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Gautama

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Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
131
You should shop at Chadstoolbox.com for NWS stuff.. I haven't ordered from there yet, but it was the best prices and biggest selection when I was looking for NWS tools.

I do have a couple of the Irwin rebranded NWS stuff. Lineman pliers, right angle lineman pliers (no idea why they call them that cause they are more like needle nose) and the fantastico cutters.. one thing I CAN tell you, is that unless you have a specific need for those, they won't replace a good set of standard cutters like Knipex or the standard NWS version. They are great if you have something very thin and very hard to cut, but that's about it.. your hands have to do much more work since the handles open VERY wide for a very narrow jaw opening. Most things you'll wind up having to take two swipes at to cut too, which in my eyes, negates any advantage from the leverage. I own about a dozen different sets and they are not what I carry for work. I bought them to experiment and one day was enough to just toss them in a drawer at home, and put my knipex back in my lineman pouch.

Wow, I hadn't heard this before. I greatly appreciate the information! Maybe I'll take another look at the Knipex X-Cut.

Chad's toolbox has very mixed reviews, but they tend to be at extremes, so the people that are displeased are REALLY displeased. I'll stick with either Amazon or German hand tools.
 

a52-830

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Joined
May 28, 2016
Messages
4,644
Location
north of boston, massachusetts
i looked at chad's toolbox. the constant pop ups (need to talk to someone? batman just bought a new wrench! willy wonka just bought a new socket set!) drove me crazy, so i bailed out.
 
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General Geoff

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Jan 12, 2013
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Allentown, Pennsylvania
use camelcamelcamel.com to alert you when amazon's price for a given item hits a low.

I picked up a set of 351W shorty headers for $146 because I was patient; at one point they were up past $300. Eventually they came down.
 

jptbay

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Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
608
Use Amazon Germany (amazon.de).

They have an english language version now.

Make sure seller is Amazon, and they usually ship to North America.

VAT tax is included in the listed price, but is removed when you checkout, lowering the prices.
 

kctyphoon

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Jun 9, 2014
Messages
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Jersey/Staten Island
I find it odd that so many people have bad things to say about the chads toolbox site - as when I was looking that's what was recomended to me from members here.. Regardless, the site offers more than you will find on Amazon or eBay. I've ordered from a few other places that people swore to stay away from without issues, so to each their own.
 
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Gautama

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Aug 14, 2016
Messages
131
I've bought from Amazon.de before. It makes sense for some things, but not always. It's worth it to me to pay an extra few dollars to get it from Amazon, since their shipping is fast (Prime member) and return policy is excellent.
 
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Gautama

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Aug 14, 2016
Messages
131
Amazon is so random. I had a Felo flexible head Ergonic in my list, and today the price dropped 38% (cheaper than G-H-T, plus free Prime shipping).
 

mhejl

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Aug 7, 2015
Messages
328
Location
DFW Texas
Do you have personal experience with chads?

I do. Several times. Never delivered a single item after weeks/months and NO communication about stock levels, what gets drop shipped (pretty much everything), what is delayed, etc. Not again.

Someone else mentioned Lee Valley. I got my big NWS set from them and I've ordered from Ash, too, with no issues.
 

kctyphoon

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Jun 9, 2014
Messages
9,102
Location
Jersey/Staten Island
Yea , strange.. Many people had a lot of good things to say about chad's site when I was looking to order things. Maybe things have changed, I don't remember having a bad experience browsing the site either. I have the NWS lineman, diagonal cutter, and pump pliers on my Amazon wish list from chads site.. I don't know of anther place that has as good a selection with resonable pricing. I thought they also kept track and displayed what was in stock.. At any rate - it's an option for hard to find NWS stuff.
 

Loscaldazar

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Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Messages
2,385
Chad's selection is great. But I'd only order something from there if you're the kinda guy who likes to wait long enough to forget he ordered something.

It's all about how long you're willing to wait.

I ordered some Grip-on (one of 3 stores in North America that carried these specific models from Grip-On) about a month ago, and I got the notification that they shipped yesterday.

He was quick to respond to my questions, but never notified me about the back order. I had to ask him, but he got back to me in a few hours (it was after his listed business hours, so it was unexpected that he actually responded before the next business day). He also verified that I would receive the orange epoxy and not the nickel versions too.

So it was great except for the long wait and not being notified that it was a long wait (but did respond quickly when I asked about where my items were).
 

n20junkie

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Aug 22, 2010
Messages
538
Location
Grand Island, NY
I purchased some lead for doing body work one time, because the prices were great. In guess the company caught on because the price went up significantly that week on the lead they were selling.

Gotta buy it when ya see the price is good.
 
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