Well, the 3rd time has come and gone where I’ve ordered an “in stock” item (expected shipping 1-2 days) from NCIX, and it didn’t ship for a week (give or take a couple days in each case).

Now I used to be a big fan of NCIX, back in the day. Before the ‘egg hit Canada, they were the cheapest – way cheaper than local retailers. And they had a huge selection. And you could price-match if someone happened to have the item for a few dollars cheaper. And I usually got the items I ordered the same week.

However, In the most recent event, after I’d placed the order and plunked down my money, the email I received showed that 1 item was “backordered”. Yet it still showed “in stock” on their site, and stayed that way the entire week.

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I don’t know about you, but to me that just seems dirty. I’d be understanding if it was a matter of somebody hitting “place order” a few seconds before me & getting the last one. But that’s not the case. The item still shows as “in stock” on the site the entire week I’m waiting on back-order, which means every other poor sucker who orders the thing is going to send NCIX their money, get the same “backorder” invoice, and also wait.

I feel even more sorry for those who want it fast enough to pay much extra for faster shipping.

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The Competition

Newegg.ca usually has similar prices, often ships same-day, and they list all their prices BEFORE REBATE (all the prices on NCIX include the mail-in-rebates which makes it a pain to compare). Not to mention NewEgg’s selection tends to be larger and it’s easier to sift/sort/browse through items. They do ship quite a few items from the US, but I’ve found they tend to clear customs pretty quickly, and often show up before NCIX’s stuff does.

Amazon.ca ships just as quickly (often same day), they now carry a number of computer parts, and they’re very focused on ensuring you get your items quickly. Good example:

Last year, I’d placed an order from Amazon.ca . It arrived rather quickly. However, a couple weeks later, out of the blue, Amazon sent me a refund. Apparently, the Canada Post strike had disrupted shipments around the time of my order, so they sent me a full refund of my shipping cost.

…and it’s not like I didn’t know there was a rotating strike that might disrupt my shipping (just about everyone in Canada knew). And as it turned out, it didn’t affect me. Yet Amazon went ahead and sent me a refund anyway. If that doesn’t scream “whether or not you get stuff fast matters to us“, I don’t know what does.

So, I’m not sure why I’ve continued to order from NCIX for so long to be honest (though I’ve noticed the % I purchase from them has decreased significantly). Their shipping times haven’t become any better, NewEgg & Amazon seem to 1-up them in most areas, and as for these 1-week delays on stuff that should be shipping immediately…

…I think NCIX just hit their 3rd strike.

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It’s a shame. We had a good run, NCIX.

But then again, all good things….