Online Shopping

Seil · 11-11-2010, 10:37 PM

So, slightly disappointed with the ending to Fallout 3 - I think someone made mention of that in another thread - I wanted to pick up the Broken Steel add-on, but didn't have the opportunities to travel too far, so I had to pick up a PSN card somewhere in town.

So, biking in the rain, I made it to town to discover that no one sold them. I did, however, manage to get my hands on a Visa Gift Card (TM) and tried to use that to affect my purchase. After pulling out my hair trying to get it to work, I looked to the internet; apparently the card is activated as soon as I buy it, but in order to use it in an online store like the Playstation Network or the XBox marketplace, I have to register it online to my name.

Go figure.

Anyways, I registered it, and after picking up my desired add-on, I did some searching. The PSN network lets you do stuff like download old PS1 titles - I'm downloading Silent Hill - as well as movies and TV shows. They've got new releases and old - they've got stuff like "The Adams Family" kicking around... The movies, not the TV show. Unfortunately, though, no Doctor Who. There's a wide selection of things grouped by category, such as anime and animation to Sci Fi and Action.

All in all, once you actually get your payment method sorted out, it's a pretty neat service. Individual episodes of shows, like Caprica for instance, go for about two dollars.

I've seen a little bit of the XBox Marketplace at work and understand that once you sort out the finicky bits, it's pretty neat - and it allows you to play old games like Doom, Wolfenstein and stuff - probably because it's a Microsoft product.

All in all, shopping online is pretty great, provided you've got the cash and the space - though I miss the experience of actually going out to buy something. If I'm heading out to the shop, I'm probably going to hit the mall, pick up a new shirt, catch a flick, grab something to eat, and talking with the people at EB - nice people who've got great opinions on games. Then I leave with a hard copy of my purchase in my hands.

Over the interweb, I've got a lot more information, sure, but it just seems a little too informal. I'm sitting in my underwear - don't picture it, just go along with me here - and I'm grabbing something that exists only on my PS3. I'm a little unnerved by the fact that I paid for something that's gone if I want to pick up a new version of the PS3, or will be gone if I get yellow-thingied. I don't know, I just prefer hard copies of things that I have in case of an emergency. You can fix a scratched disk, but if anything happens to the system, you've got to re-download.

That being said, the praise for the Network and the Marketplace still stand. Does anyone have a different opinion?

Azisien · 11-11-2010, 10:41 PM

I love shopping online. I get stuff cheaper, or stuff I couldn't get if I wasn't shopping online.

And as far as digital downloads is concerned, less clutter in my apartment is better, and I have the same STUFF.

synkr0nized · 11-11-2010, 10:42 PM

Hello, Seil. You may not understand this, being back in 1990, but there are all kinds of things on the Internet. Why, there are even full-fledged communities wherein members discuss all kinds of things, much more expanded in some ways than BBS systems!

And to be on topic, it depends on what I am buying. Shopping online is great, especially if you are hunting deals, and doesn't prevent you from getting a physical copy. Digital downloads I do a lot less of, aside from DLC, in favour of having a physical object/possession.

Seil · 11-11-2010, 10:44 PM

Ridicule me all you want, I'm just upset that I can't download Dr. Who episodes.

Well... legally.

Specterbane · 11-11-2010, 11:19 PM

Personally, I absolutely love Steam. Sure you have to download and install a game when you get to a new system rather than just install from the disks; but I think it's personally a minor issue when you consider the deals you can get and the idea that you're almost directly benefiting the game developer (though I'm honestly not positive about that one).

Unfortunately due to a severe lack of income for the past few years I haven't gotten a chance to check out the latest generation of consuls and how their online market places work. But Steam is great.

PyrosNine · 11-11-2010, 11:32 PM

I like steam because it removes all hassle of keeping discs and reinstalling, and updates are universal. It even updates my graphics card now!

But what i"m really, really digging now is how much I can get online! Youtube lets you rent movies! I can get entire seasons of shows for cheaper than having DVDS on Itunes! I can buy games that I could never play on my computer by using the power of some Onlive server!

And if I buy it somewhere, I can access it anywhere!

I bought L4D2 for Steam and Borderlands for Onlive on the lame-o ubuntu computer I have at home that can't play anything, played Borderlands on my Netbook while I was home, then when I got back to campus, L4D2 was already queued up for download on Steam!

THE FREEDOM!

Too bad I don't have monies for most of the time!

Also, anybody notice how Ebay sucks now? You can have automatic price matching now, that automatically adjusts your bid within a desired ceiling of cash, and just when I think i've swooped in like a hawk to get something on the cheap, with less than a minute to spare, the automatic automatically beats my bid! People actually buy in bulk, selecting like 12 items of similar type, setting how much they're willing to pay, and then are free to ignore Ebay for the rest of the week while everyone else tries to outbid an invisible ceiling!

Flarecobra · 11-12-2010, 10:02 PM

Seil, look in the ITunes store.

Magus · 11-12-2010, 10:46 PM

I'd like to start taking bets on what Seil's next topic is going to be about.

Quote:

"Wheeled Conveyances" or "Death of the trusty and iconic stallion?"

Online shopping is actually pretty great. Any orders over 25 dollars get free shipping so I actually save money by not spending it on gas to drive to the store (I live a good half-an-hour from a major shopping center with games stores, book stores, etc.), plus I get it delivered to me conveniently. Now, there is the fact that to get the free shipping you have to maybe wait four or five business days but I'm pretty busy anyway, I have lots of back-logged stuff to read through or play or watch or whatever so it's not a big deal to me to order something and have it show up next week. Plus a lot of the time the price is less than the retail price or you can get it used or something (like Better World Books has 4.00 hardcovers with free shipping, I don't really care if they are slighty used), but even new things are often cheaper, including books, so...

Donomni · 11-13-2010, 01:10 PM

I don't shop online too much, myself.

Mostly because I'm a cheapass who normally can't afford to.

Although if you want to buy a game through pre-order, go with Amazon. Some games give you 10$ off your next game-like purchase if you pre-order, so it's pretty sweet.

Of course, I have Gamefly now, so it's sort of a moot point for the most part.

Professor Smarmiarty · 11-13-2010, 01:29 PM

I buy pretty much everything online these days. This is mostly becase the selection is a million times better- I read communist authours and watch surrealist films which shops simply don't sell unless you can find a specialist shop. And it cheaper (especially with AMazon where postage is free) and it usually ships to me in 1-2 days even with the free postage super slow option and Royalmail- ie the worst mail service in the world.
I donn't buy digital things though cause my computers explode all the time.

11-11-2010, 10:37 PM	#1
Seil Super stressed! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: British Columbia Posts: 8,081	Online Shopping So, slightly disappointed with the ending to Fallout 3 - I think someone made mention of that in another thread - I wanted to pick up the Broken Steel add-on, but didn't have the opportunities to travel too far, so I had to pick up a PSN card somewhere in town. So, biking in the rain, I made it to town to discover that no one sold them. I did, however, manage to get my hands on a Visa Gift Card (TM) and tried to use that to affect my purchase. After pulling out my hair trying to get it to work, I looked to the internet; apparently the card is activated as soon as I buy it, but in order to use it in an online store like the Playstation Network or the XBox marketplace, I have to register it online to my name. Go figure. Anyways, I registered it, and after picking up my desired add-on, I did some searching. The PSN network lets you do stuff like download old PS1 titles - I'm downloading Silent Hill - as well as movies and TV shows. They've got new releases and old - they've got stuff like "The Adams Family" kicking around... The movies, not the TV show. Unfortunately, though, no Doctor Who. There's a wide selection of things grouped by category, such as anime and animation to Sci Fi and Action. All in all, once you actually get your payment method sorted out, it's a pretty neat service. Individual episodes of shows, like Caprica for instance, go for about two dollars. I've seen a little bit of the XBox Marketplace at work and understand that once you sort out the finicky bits, it's pretty neat - and it allows you to play old games like Doom, Wolfenstein and stuff - probably because it's a Microsoft product. All in all, shopping online is pretty great, provided you've got the cash and the space - though I miss the experience of actually going out to buy something. If I'm heading out to the shop, I'm probably going to hit the mall, pick up a new shirt, catch a flick, grab something to eat, and talking with the people at EB - nice people who've got great opinions on games. Then I leave with a hard copy of my purchase in my hands. Over the interweb, I've got a lot more information, sure, but it just seems a little too informal. I'm sitting in my underwear - don't picture it, just go along with me here - and I'm grabbing something that exists only on my PS3. I'm a little unnerved by the fact that I paid for something that's gone if I want to pick up a new version of the PS3, or will be gone if I get yellow-thingied. I don't know, I just prefer hard copies of things that I have in case of an emergency. You can fix a scratched disk, but if anything happens to the system, you've got to re-download. That being said, the praise for the Network and the Marketplace still stand. Does anyone have a different opinion?

11-11-2010, 10:42 PM	#3
synkr0nized synk-ism Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: throughout the Wired Posts: 6,857	haha holy shit a post in 2010 about discovering online shopping Hello, Seil. You may not understand this, being back in 1990, but there are all kinds of things on the Internet. Why, there are even full-fledged communities wherein members discuss all kinds of things, much more expanded in some ways than BBS systems! And to be on topic, it depends on what I am buying. Shopping online is great, especially if you are hunting deals, and doesn't prevent you from getting a physical copy. Digital downloads I do a lot less of, aside from DLC, in favour of having a physical object/possession. __________________ Find love.

11-11-2010, 11:19 PM	#5
Specterbane Safety First Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Land of Gumdrops and Ice-cream Posts: 746	Personally, I absolutely love Steam. Sure you have to download and install a game when you get to a new system rather than just install from the disks; but I think it's personally a minor issue when you consider the deals you can get and the idea that you're almost directly benefiting the game developer (though I'm honestly not positive about that one). Unfortunately due to a severe lack of income for the past few years I haven't gotten a chance to check out the latest generation of consuls and how their online market places work. But Steam is great. __________________ http://www.nuklearforums.com/showpos...ostcount=10436

11-11-2010, 11:32 PM	#6
PyrosNine Zettai Hero Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: A figment of my own imagination Posts: 6,103	I like steam because it removes all hassle of keeping discs and reinstalling, and updates are universal. It even updates my graphics card now! But what i"m really, really digging now is how much I can get online! Youtube lets you rent movies! I can get entire seasons of shows for cheaper than having DVDS on Itunes! I can buy games that I could never play on my computer by using the power of some Onlive server! And if I buy it somewhere, I can access it anywhere! I bought L4D2 for Steam and Borderlands for Onlive on the lame-o ubuntu computer I have at home that can't play anything, played Borderlands on my Netbook while I was home, then when I got back to campus, L4D2 was already queued up for download on Steam! THE FREEDOM! Too bad I don't have monies for most of the time! Also, anybody notice how Ebay sucks now? You can have automatic price matching now, that automatically adjusts your bid within a desired ceiling of cash, and just when I think i've swooped in like a hawk to get something on the cheap, with less than a minute to spare, the automatic automatically beats my bid! People actually buy in bulk, selecting like 12 items of similar type, setting how much they're willing to pay, and then are free to ignore Ebay for the rest of the week while everyone else tries to outbid an invisible ceiling! __________________ Pyrosnine.blogspot.com: An experimental blog of writing. Updated possibly daily. Possibly. A fair chance. Current Works for reading: War Between them, Karma Police. PyrosNine: Weirdo Magnet Extraordinaire!

11-12-2010, 10:02 PM	#7
Flarecobra Burn. Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Classified Posts: 11,017	Seil, look in the ITunes store. __________________ "Only the fool wishes to go into battle to beat someone for the satisfaction of beating someone." -A Thousand Sons Rules. Read them, know them, love them.

11-11-2010, 10:41 PM	#2
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	I love shopping online. I get stuff cheaper, or stuff I couldn't get if I wasn't shopping online. And as far as digital downloads is concerned, less clutter in my apartment is better, and I have the same STUFF.

11-11-2010, 10:44 PM	#4
Seil Super stressed! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: British Columbia Posts: 8,081	Ridicule me all you want, I'm just upset that I can't download Dr. Who episodes. Well... legally.

11-13-2010, 01:10 PM	#9
Donomni Would you deign to supply me food? Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida Posts: 2,004	I don't shop online too much, myself. Mostly because I'm a cheapass who normally can't afford to. Although if you want to buy a game through pre-order, go with Amazon. Some games give you 10$ off your next game-like purchase if you pre-order, so it's pretty sweet. Of course, I have Gamefly now, so it's sort of a moot point for the most part. __________________ Dance your cares away! Chirrrrrrp. Also, dead blog.

11-13-2010, 01:29 PM	#10
Professor Smarmiarty Sent to the cornfield Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: K-space Posts: 9,758	I buy pretty much everything online these days. This is mostly becase the selection is a million times better- I read communist authours and watch surrealist films which shops simply don't sell unless you can find a specialist shop. And it cheaper (especially with AMazon where postage is free) and it usually ships to me in 1-2 days even with the free postage super slow option and Royalmail- ie the worst mail service in the world. I donn't buy digital things though cause my computers explode all the time.