+Verboten Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 There are three points to this thread. Point the 1st: Customer Service I just got my Streamlight Septor, as discussed here from Amazon. At $31.99 shipped it was the best deal I could find. I'm very happy with the purchase. It's a great lamp for the money. However, it turns out that they really had inventory on the model that comes with the rubber headstrap for hardhats (go figure), and not the elastic headstrap advertised on their site. The woman I spoke with was very friendly, acknowledged the problem immediately (based on information from previous customers) and told me that the request to update the product description on their web site was still pending. (I think really, they should be rotating their stock to the standard headstrap, but I digress...) Then she checked the system for the correct strap as an accessory to send free to resolve the problem. They didn't have it. So she offered to either arrange return shipping for full credit or offer me a discount if I kept what I had. I asked if they were able to order the replacement and ship it to me when they could. She couldn't swing that as it's not a part in their system for her to backorder. Then she told me that I could order a suitable strap for a reasonable price (from anyone) and they would reimburse me in full with a faxed receipt. She hinted that ~$20 was reasonable. Nearly 2/3 of what I paid them to begin with! Granted, $20 for Amazon is a tear in the ocean but so many companies these days look at nothing but the bottom line and would rather lose a customer for life than spend $20. It was a refreshing change, to say the least. Point the 2nd: ??? A couple of days after placing my order I saw a link to Amazon on the Guide to Buying a GPS page. The link goes to an eTrex Yellow, but states that Groundspeak gets 5% commision if you click through the link to order anything. Amazon has great prices on nearly everything they carry, including GPS receivers and many other items useful for caching and all around living. Shouldn't I have known that I could contibute to Geocaching before I ordered? Don't misunderstand. I have great respect for Jeremy for keeping this site up without so much as a banner ad. I really do. But if people are spending money online, shouldn't Groundspeak take advantage of that? Kind of a symbiotic relationship. Jeremy puts up links on GC.com to trusted online vendors in exchange for a commission on sales. A "shopping" page. Agreements are written so that GC.com can pull any vendor at any time for any reason. The shopping page could be another button on the home page. No one goes there unless they want to. No popups for bug spray or ammo cans. There are infinite twists on this, but a great one would be feedback from other cachers. Ok, long enough post. Where do you spend money online? What online vendors of caching goods would you suggest as possible candidates? If "off topic" vendors were considered, who then? What do you think? Point the 3rd: Profit! -Vb [This message was edited by Verboten on April 25, 2003 at 07:42 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+Hoomdorm Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Wish I had known this last night. I just ordered an Etrex Vista from amazon. -------------------------------- Magellan Meridian GPS Handspring Visor Deluxe L.O.S.T. - http://www.kjjeep.com Quote Link to comment
+Verboten Posted April 25, 2003 Author Share Posted April 25, 2003 My point exactly. $14 that would be better off in Geocaching coffers. -Vb Quote Link to comment
+MissJenn Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 quote: Groundspeak gets 5% commision if you click through the link to order anything. Good to know! Thanks. You must be present to win. Quote Link to comment
Skippy2 Posted April 29, 2003 Share Posted April 29, 2003 I just plunked down about $150 on some GPS accessories from Amazon. If I read this right; ". . .like at Amazon.com If you purchase products from Amazon.com through this link, Geocaching.com receives a 5% commission..." I take that to mean ANY products at Amazon purchased through geocaching.com gets the 5% commision. I should have spent the 150 bucks buying it through here. I wish I'd known that. Thanks for the heads up. My next Amazon order comes through here. Quote Link to comment
+Verboten Posted April 30, 2003 Author Share Posted April 30, 2003 Well, this didn't go over as I expected. If nothing else though, the Amazon link should be a bit more conspicuous. -Vb Quote Link to comment
+CoronaKid Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Verboten:Well, this didn't go over as I expected. If nothing else though, the Amazon link should be a bit more conspicuous. -Vb No, I think you have underestimated the loyalty of Geocachers toward the Geocaching website. They absolutely love this site (myself included) and would be glad to help the site earn money in any way possible. We realize that without this site or others like it, the sport would be pretty much extinct. --CoronaKid Quote Link to comment
+The Leprechauns Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 If I understand Verboten correctly, he's disappointed because posters haven't suggested OTHER favorite online sites, like Amazon.com and the Offroute.com link that's posted on the front page of the website. (I gladly bought my GPS receiver from Offroute in order to support the GC website.) To hopefully get this onto the topic I think was intended: 1. I would NOT be in favor of popup ads or any other intrusive type of connection to recommended websites. Instead, there could be a page called "Preferred Partners" or something, where links to Amazon, Offroute, and other sites that kicked back money to TPTB could be collected. You'd have to affirmatively click on that page to get there. The one inch of text and one graphic on the main page for Offroute.com is not intrusive, but if there were ten such vendors, it would look too commercial. 2. I would recommend that any vendors should have SOME relationship to geocaching and outdoor activities.... no links to online furniture stores that give a 1% kickback for every couch purchased by a couch potato. 3. Some examples of online vendors where it would be cool to have a kickback link: REI, Cheaperthandirt.com and Campmor.com. x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x Some mornings, it just doesn't pay to chew through the leather straps. - Emo Phillips Quote Link to comment
+MissJenn Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 Here is his main point: quote: Where do you spend money online? What online vendors of caching goods would you suggest as possible candidates? If "off topic" vendors were considered, who then? What do you think? ... but the thing with these thread is that they all have a life of their own. People will react to and respond to the parts that they like. Say I really hate REI. This could suddenly turn into an "I hate REI" thread. For the record, I have no feelings towards REI. Don't react to what I just said. -- I recognize fun when I see it. Quote Link to comment
+The Leprechauns Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 How could you NOT have any feelings towards REI???? REI ROCKS! x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x Some mornings, it just doesn't pay to chew through the leather straps. - Emo Phillips Quote Link to comment
+Sissy-n-CR Posted April 30, 2003 Share Posted April 30, 2003 quote:Originally posted by The Leprechauns:Instead, there could be a page called "Preferred Partners" or something, where links to Amazon, Offroute, and other sites that kicked back money to TPTB could be collected. Actually, in the left column you could easily put a header called "Partner Sites" or "Support us by supporting them" or something similar and then a simple text link to the sites. At teeh bottom of the list put a "What's this?" to a page that tells how these sites support the site and list the types of products or services each sites has. It's small, unobtrusive, but more prominent. I can't see anyone could object to that as it is dead space on most pages anyway. Nor will is take any bandwidth to speak of. CR Quote Link to comment
+Verboten Posted April 30, 2003 Author Share Posted April 30, 2003 It just seems to me that this could be an additional revenue source for GC.com with little drawback. I would guess that a good portion of us order merchandise online with some regularity and would like to see some of those dollars kicked back to the site. I agree that the "off topic" vendors would probably not be appropriate, but there is a grey area there. For instance, I know that Barnes & Noble has an affiliate program. While I don't necessarily think of book stores when I think of Geocaching, there are certainly books to be purchased there related to mapping, hiking, etc. A PC is vital to Geocaching, but a link to Dell may not be appropriate. Then again, I think Dell has great prices and customer service. Next time I drop a grand on a laptop, it would be nice to support Geocaching. There may be very good reasons why this is not done currently. Maybe Offroute.com has an exclusive and the Amazon link was left alone because it's kind of buried and was in place already. Maybe it's just just to preserve a non-commercial image. It could be any number of things. I just wanted to start a dialogue to see if the idea had any merit. -Vb Quote Link to comment
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