The Husband-And-Wife Team Behind the Web’s Most Infuriating Outdoor Retailer (opens in new tab)

Can't find an item anywhere else, yet one place claims to have dozens in their warehouse? You can almost rest assured that this one place isn't a special unicorn that has items no one else has. What you can reliably bet on is that there's some scamming going on somewhere in the process. I can't tell you how it's going to go, but at some point the company is going to behave dishonestly.

Take these guys as an example: http://www.abesofmaine.com. Abe's used to be good. Then Abe got out of the business, and someone else snapped up the name. That someone did not share ol' Abe's ethics. Did you go to the link? Pick any random item on that site, I'll just about guarantee they don't have it. Oh, they'll have something similar that they'll try to sell you using the textbook definition of bait-and-switch. They'll tell you it's the same thing, just a different version, or whatever. Read online reviews, and you'll get the impression that their business plan must consist of one phrase: "bait-and-switch". (I use Abe's as example because I tried to buy the last of the high-end Samsung plasma TVs from them, thinking they were still the old Abe's. They had them in stock, at a not-outrageous price. Oops, no they didn't.)

If you're going to spend $1000 on a jacket, check online reviews of the vendor, and use a credit card that backs you up when you dispute the charge (Amex comes to mind here; your Visa might offer the same, or it might not).

Having been through this with a different online retailer, I learned that not shipping goods in a reasonable time frame is an FTC violation. The state attorney general will almost certainly be able to prosecute successfully if facts are as presented and supported by written documents. In my case, the evidence I provided of a retailer not shipping product (and tracking down other scammed customers through online complaints) resulted in a conviction. Now, collecting damages is a different problem and unlikely because the criminals will skip town if they are smart. But at least the judgement will end that particular fraud and make it difficult for then to do business elsewhere.

And this is why Amazon or REI should remain the preferred option even if the price is higher or the selection isn't as specialized. It's really strange that people would think online shopping is now a universally safe and hassle-free activity just because some reputable merchants do exist.

Brings to mind the old saying, which is extra applicable to e-commerce for hard-to-find items: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Just use a damn credit card so that you have the option to contest the charge. Visa/Mastercard/Amex don't fuck around with this shit.

A year ago I almost ordered a pair of skis from 123mountain. They claimed to have them in stock when almost all other retailers did not. Fortunately I did some research before submitting the order and figured out they were likely scammers.