I have got to admit I'm not an internet shopper. But if I want to mod my car living in Canada, I must change my ways. And becouse of health issues I must hire out most of my work.
But I saw Hotchkis sway bar sets on Amazon for $580 (sorry close to it) canadian which is a 130 dollars savings. Can I trust I'll be getting the right parts? It is a big savings.
Also if any Vancouverites or Islanders Victoria Nanaimo ... if you know good mechanics I plan on doing the sway bars, coil overs, and later intakes and exhaust. So I'm hoping to find someone reliable and cheap. Lol.
So for now I just need to know if I can trust those deals.
Thanks all.

 

If they say its one thing on amazon and send you another its a free refund and free return shipping. Its pretty risk free if you do your research. Look at the seller and check thier feedback. If its fufilled by Amazon then you should feel confident in the purchase.

For the record I got my Hotchkis off amazon and they were the true thing.

Just my experience.

 

The trick with buying any car parts (OEM or aftermarket) online, no matter the vendor, is to do your research first to ensure what parts will fit your car. Then double or even triple check the model/part #'s on the vendor website and be sure to read the fine print.

That said, Amazon will NEVER get another dollar from me ever again. Just about every order I ever placed was plagued with a problem of some sort. I recently closed my account with them (not that they cared). It was blatantly obvious to me that because I was not a "Prime" member my orders were not important and were processed when they felt like it. Two examples and the straw that broke this camels' back:

I ordered a full set of Timken wheel bearings for my old beater pickup truck ('99 Ranger). Bearings were a good price, available, in-stock, and "fulfilled by Amazon" with "Free Shipping." Great, placed the order, credit card charged, and never shipped. After repeated emails to Customer Service (in China?) and almost 3 weeks later I received a response saying that my order was shipping, but from 2 different "e-stores!" I was told that the front bearings would ship from seller #1, the rears from seller #2, and the bearing grease would ship from seller #1 but had to be in a separate shipment because it was coming from a different warehouse. One order, 3 different shipments, 3 different "distribution" regions. Then:

When my sister needed brakes for her 2010 Altima, Amazon had a good deal on a complete set (all 4 corners) of PowerStop rotors/pads. The kit was "in-stock" and "fulfilled by Amazon" with "FREE SHIPPING!" Placed the order, credit card charged immediately, but never shipped. Almost 2 weeks went by and repeated complaints to their Customer Service department (In India?), were never answered. I tried to CANCEL the order but you can not CANCEL a order until it ships. Frustrated, I placed a order for the exact same kit, same price, with Summit Racing and it arrived 2 days later. Ironically, once I placed the order with Summit, Amazon sends me a email that my order shipped. I ended up having to refuse the delivery when UPS delivered it. Amazon can afford to offer the no hassle return policy as they "get it wrong" more than they "get it right."

Perhaps you will have better experiences with Amazon. Me, personally, Amazon will never see another dollar from me. Their prices are really not that much better as compared to other retailers (online and otherwise). I would rather pay a bit more for a smoother transaction and customer experience than be treated like crap. I imagine that their "Prime" members, and customers in larger metro areas, probably receive slightly better service, in the end, Amazon was not for me and if it ever comes to a point where it is Amazon or do without, I will do without.

I know this is more of a rant against Amazon than it is on point to your query. The parts are the same no matter. I would not trust their "Filter by Vehicle" system as that has a tendency to be inaccurate. As said before, do your research with regards to part numbers. Once you find the right part, find the right price, check the fine print, and go from there. Just remember the old adage: "If it sounds too good to be true..."

 

I am an internet shopper and as long as you go with a reputable company and use wither PayPal or a good credit card for purchases, you will be fine.

...and as was stated, do your research on what fits BEFORE you click the "buy" button

 

Never had any issues with Amazon myself, but I generally prefer to do business directly with the vendors and companies that support my hobbies.

 

I trust Amazon and use them all the time but there have been times where I didn't pay close attention to who the actual seller is and it took some time to get the item. A couple times there may have been an issue where I didn't get the item or an issue with it but Amazon customer service is amazing. Having said that, check Z1 as their price on Hotchkis sway bars is pretty good and they ship to Canada.

 

@ILM-NC G37S

Buying FBA (fulfilled by amazon) items should be the same as if amazon was the seller of the item themselves, at least as far as shipping time goes. These items are stocked at amazon warehouses with [relatively] accurate inventory counts.

The quality of fba products can be questionable. I recently ordered one such "new" item. What I received looked like a refurb. The price was competitive and item worked correctly so i'm keeping it. If what you receive as a fba order doesn't match the listing in any way, return it. FBA by amazon is just another outlet for ebay sellers.

 

Thanks. Good advice. That's how I shop, but being Canadian what does make it in ad far as mods we can expect a 40%bump in cost. So I'll need to be extra sure of my order and it's contents and returnability. I know how to use it just don't trust it at all. Can't buy locally though. Too bad.

 

Thanks for the info on the website. But with the 40% they'lle tack on at the Canadian border it won't save me much. But still I'll definetly look into that site
Cheers for the info.
Well I really do love Canada but it is expensive.

 

I dodn't fealize all my posts would be seen like that. Sorry for repeating myself. Won't happen again

 

I trust amazon for parts, but usually use rock auto because they have a MUCH better interface to search for parts

 

Amazon is fine. I bought my Hotchkis sway bars direct from Amazon. The order had no issues and was exactly what I needed. Like others have said, cross reference the heck out of the part you want because their fitment catalog is not as well developed as pure automotive parts sites.

The key to shopping on Amazon is knowing the part number of the product you want to buy. Then if the part shipped is incorrect, you are well within your rights for free returns and exchange.

As for third party vendors who sell through Amazon, many have their own website but still sell through Amazon for exposure. The product they sell will usually be a slight markup on either price or shipping to compensate for Amazon's cut.

Secondly, there are dodgy vendors and there a stellar vendors. I had a problem where Goodridge took over 2 months to get me a waranty replacement for my brake line. I reached out to the original seller, and they pressured the manufacturer to act with their relationship and buying power.

For me, I've spent countless dollars with Amazon and it's fine. I've also spent countless dollars with the vendors like Z1, ZSpeed, and ConceptZ and it was fine.In the end it's what you feel comfortable doing.

 

I've bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff off Amazon and never had one issue with them or their customer service. Recently I did order a clutch master cylinder for my 3000GT. I opened the Amazon box and the Centric box was inside. The part number on the box matched the number I ordered. When I opened the Centric box it was the wrong cylinder.

Now, this wasn't Amazon's fault, because the problem obviously happened at Centric, but even so after calling customer service they sent a new one out next day air, even though I wasn't in a hurry for it since the car is in pieces.

My mom had to call customer service once because she ordered some keychain flashlights as Father's Day gifts for the father's at her church. She was supposed to get two batches of 10, but when she opened the package there was only 4 in the one pack. She called and the CSR was super apologetic and rushed out 10 more, even though she only needed 6 to complete the order, and even though she isn't a Prime member.

Those are just two experiences off the top of my head. The only other delivery problems were caused by Amazon but by FedEx, because FedEx sucks and they are late on delivery more than they are on time.

Amazon will continue to get my business on things where their price matches other sites due to having Prime.

 

like someone said do ur research and get the right part numbers and then head to amazon. i only buy stuff with free prime shipping sold by amazon. its less trouble free imo (its amazing how the other user up top has such bad luck). all my orders came correct the only issue i have is the amount of time it takes sometimes for items to actually get shipped but hey its free so gotta deal with it. i am not a prime member i just take advantage for the free prime shipping for orders over $25 or $50 whichever it is.

 

i think the key is to avoid third party sellers. When you're buying from third party sellers, you're basically rolling the dice like you are with ebay.