eBags
I'm a shopper, no doubt about it, and prior to my recent eBags.com experience, purses, handbags and the like, were something I reserved for "in the flesh" purchasing. I like to feel them, see the exact size, gauge the quality, etc.
What changed? Nothing really, except that I desperately needed a backpack for school. I wanted a rolling backpack, and the only ones I could find locally seemed to be for little people, so online I went. I hit some of my tried and true sites, but came up with prices that were quite a bit higher than I wanted to pay. Enter eBags.com. The prices were bar none the best, and factor in free shipping and no tax, this order was a no-brainer!
Shopping At eBags.com-
The theme for the day is selection!! Whether you're hunting for business, leisure, school, or even diaper bags, this is your place. The main page has tons of options to narrow your search. They feature main departments by tab across the top of the page, department sub-listings, sale items, top-sellers, and shop by brand. The brands are plentiful and include such biggies as:
Kate Spade
Samsonite
Jansport
American Eagle
Eagle Creek
North Face
Columbia
& Timberland
I quickly got to the special Backpacks section and found more types and prices than I knew what to do with.
Many sub-categories awaited my decision, price, brand, type (laptop, wheeled) etc. What comes up is a nifty top-ten of the best sellers in the last month. What happens next makes eBags.com one of the best sites I've shopped at EVER!
Product Detailing is simply out of this world. Hands down the best I've seen. eBags includes all of the following information to help you make your decision easy:
Stock Status-telling when the item usually ships out.
Customer Rating-giving on a scale of 1-10 the impressions of eBags customers.
Pictures-all sorts of detailed photos of your bag, from several angles. The next best thing to poking in it yourself.
Size-detailed dimensions of your bag. Nice to help discern whether or not your books will fit in the bag.
Available colors-can be switched in the photos to see the larger view of the color.
Specifications-of fabric, weight and warranty are all given as well.
Compare Products-is another nice feature, where you can check several possibilities and see them side-by-side. eBags also suggests similar items you may like, when you select one for details on.
Wrapping It Up-
Checking out at eBags is unremarkable, though they do have a "bill me later" option that I've only seen on a few other sites. New users need to take a moment to create an account, and returning users sign in with their user name (e-mail address) and password.
Payment can be made via the aforementioned "bill me later". This appears to be a credit offer, though I didn't use it. They also accept the more standard, Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover and Diners Club.
Shipping is done via UPS and was FREE in my case. In case you don't happen upon a free shipping special, it's one of the most reasonably priced sites I've seen. Rates are done via the item's price and start at $3.99. Since most bags are rather weighty, I'd almost guarantee they're losing money on shipping.
Tracking is available through a link sent via e-mail at the time of shipping. The tracking link worked just fine for me whenever I tried to use it.
No Complaints?? Just a little one in fact. I wish eBags would send an e-mail confirmation at the time of ordering. They don't send any notice until the item ships out. To their credit, eBags was within the promised window of shipping, I just like to have notice at order as well as shipment.
Notable Mentions-
~The eBags site is a Bizrate gold site, Better Business Bureau ceritified and a Verisign merchant. This is confidence inspiring to me.
~eBags offers a 110% price-match guarantee.
~A 30-day return policy is also offered to ensure your satisfaction.
This trio of mentions is truly one of the better return and guarantee policies I've come across in my many online shopping endeavors.
All In All-
This is nearly 5-star site, the only exception being a delay in order processing and notification. The wonderful prices, and perks of no tax and free shipping more than make up for the inconvenience of wondering if my order was received. For any future needs, eBags.com will be my first and only stop!