Woo-Hoo! It's 3 to nothing so far! We're winning!!
Check out the latest online poll on WeldingDesign.com: Do you use the Internet for welding-related purchases? Weigh in and view the results.
Beth
Administrator
WeldingWeb.com
Woo-Hoo! It's 3 to nothing so far! We're winning!!
Of course, the population of this poll are those that visit your website and/or this website, and maybe from some other methods you use to get them to the website. For what are you planning on using the results? It's probably a safe bet that the majority of those who do NOT use the Internet for welding-related purchases, probably also do not use it for anything but E-mail if at all, and will never see the poll. I think the results might get skewed our direction.
But that's NOT to say the results won't be useful; they certainly will be, even if only to show that the vast majority of US, people who frequent the largest Internet welding community forum ALSO buy some of our stuff online and that means a very significant market in and of itself. In case we forget to go back, post the results when they're done, please.
Last edited by MAC702; 06-09-2006 at 01:43 PM.
Mac, you have recognized what is referred to in statistics as a selected sample bias...however, if the interest is only in folks that visit the site, that's not too much a problem...A guy named James Heckman won the Nobel Prize for providing a correction for this problem. You get an A+ for that one.
Smithboy...
if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
I gave my input - purchase online quite a bit.
Sorry, use it for research but don't buy welding stuff from it.
smithboy, you're a nerd.
-Heath
Ditto.Originally Posted by spuddown
I buy only that which I cannot get locally or is too painfull to have ordered.
Originally Posted by halbritt
Let's weigh the pros and cons. I can sit here in my skivvys and order precisely the thing I need at about half the cost of what it would be in a local welding supply shop. After which, I'll receive my goods in one to five days depending on who I order from and how I have it shipped. Alternatively, I can waste gasoline and fight bay area traffic to go down to the local welding supply place that is entirely staffed by jerks who know a tenth of what I know about welding and rarely have the stuff I need in stock.
Generally, I order online, but that's because I understand the technology and appreciate the convenience. If I need something, I do the research to determine exactly what I need and usually find the lowest price available for that item, order it and forget about it. In my area, driving around during business hours is a pain and my local guys really aren't helpful. There are a couple of welding supplies a bit further away that are more well stocked and have friendly staff. If I'm near those places and I have the time, I'll pop in and browse at stuff.
-Heath
I threw in my two cents. I buy from both. I get some from the web and most from the brick and mortar stores. I mainly get deals on the web. I have saved several thousand bucks that way...works for me.
7 to 3, so far. I'd bet that a sample of random welders in shops would probably reverse that ratio, though.
Halbritt,
If I wasn't busy taping up my horn-rimmed glasses, it hit you with my slide rule. ...
I try to hide the nerd in me, but it keeps bubbling to the surface.
BTW, I think there is a little nerd in all of us....I think that was a Rogers and Hammerstein song...NOT THAT I KNOW WHO THEY ARE.
Last edited by smithboy; 06-10-2006 at 08:06 AM.
Smithboy...
if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
These are strictly non-scientific and just for kicks. Really.Originally Posted by MAC702
When it's more serious, we'll let you know. In fact, keep your eyes open; a more extensive survey (with prizes) is coming soon.
Bob Rosenbaum
Former Publisher
Penton's WELDING Magazine
I never win anything anyway...Originally Posted by Bob at WDF
And I thought you said you weren't coming back.
i bought a tig welder off e-bay
you wait....
does that count?
...zap!
I am not completely insane..
Some parts are missing
Professional Driver on a closed course....
Do not attempt.
Just because I'm a dumbass don't mean that you can be too.
So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Confession time, here. I did buy both my ThermalArc Cutmaster 50 Plasma cutter (cosmetically damaged, but fully functional) and my very cosmetically challenged but also fully functional Thermal Arc 400 GMS on ebay. But to balance that out, I did feel guilty. My rationalization is that I would never have purchased either unit new from a local store, as I simply cannot justify the expenditure for my occasional hobby use. OK! OK! I also bought a virtually brand new Lincoln WeldPak 155 for $212 at a local auction. I eventually might have actually bought an SP175 new if that hadn't come along.
Almost simultaneously, the nearest welding supply store closed it's doors and I now have to go twice as far for supplies. We do have a very real symbiotic relationship with our local suppliers. They are not going to stay in business just to supply us with a few bottles of gas.
The reality is that, as a hobbyist, my purchases would keep a store in business for maybe another 30 or 45 seconds, but I do intentionally purchase any supplies I can get locally in the remaining stores as a vote of support. I would hate to HAVE to go to a Welders WALMART (which AIRGAS is seeming more and more like) or on-line for all my supplies. I learn a lot by browsing the shelves and chatting with the counter people, who I find quite helpful and knowledgeable (relative to me).
awright
Hmm....witht he exception of a good friend giving me the heads up on a deal, which I was too broke at the time to take advantage of, IM scared of deals on the web. Not that I think they are bad, but Im worried Ill get burned. I prefer to buy stuff from my supplier whom I know and cherish and he is honest with me. When my stuff dont work, he helps me out with it. If that doesnt work, he charges me a fair fee for repairs. Then when Im in for supplies, he cuts me a deal, or gives me a discount or something crazy. Just to say thanks.
IF it Catches...Let it Burn
I shop local Texas suppliers there are plenty were I am at, and not to bad on there prices, Hobart and miller, Lincoln is all I use. Been at it for over thirty years now.
I hardly use my acy torch anymore, I need to find a small rosebud for it to heat up my knife making projects,I used the cutting torch and it works but not as good as a small rosebud would have. They use up your bottles kind of fast also. I do most of my cutting with a Hobart plasma cutter 500i. I guess the biggest problem with this stuff is that its not cheap, it will put a dent in your retirement funds.
wwh3 do you realize the original thread was from 2006?
.
No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!
Ronald Reagan
... and if he doesn't like burning up expensive acetylene what he really needs is a homemade propane forage.
250 amp Miller DialArc AC/DC Stick
F-225 amp Forney AC Stick
230 amp Sears AC Stick
Lincoln 180C MIG
Vevor MIG 200A
Victor Medalist 350 O/A
Vevor Cut 50 Plasma
Les