Coming from anti competitive experiences of marketplaces like Amazon/Flipkart, we should have a list of direct sellers or websites (non-marketplaces) who are specialized into their niche and provide very good service. Please list, discuss or critic direct sellers/websites you know.
[HEADING=3]Buying from sellers directly has a few advantages,[/HEADING]
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You usually get better price/discount compared to marketplaces. That’s because they don’t need to pay high fees to marketplaces.
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They have search engine super optimised for their niche. It becomes very easy to find stuff you are looking for (even if you don’t know what’s the product called).
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Their supply chain is optimised for their products.
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Sellers have better understanding of packing the their own products.
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You can bargain on the phone. You can ask sellers for their recommendations or request to customize product/quantity.
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Much better and detailed product listing pages than marketplaces.
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When you call them for help, they don’t BS you with generic lines like ‘sorry for inconvenience / unfortunately can’t help / thanks for being patient’
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All of them give you GST invoices on request which may save you some money.
[HEADING=3]There could be some disadvantages too,[/HEADING]
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You may not get ‘No Question Asked’ returns, something which is natural to most marketplaces.
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You may not get random deep discounts at odd times like marketplaces. Prices don’t fluctuate.
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Small chance of getting duped.
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Shipping/support could be slow on weekends.
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Less or no reviews.
I’ll start by listing some of the sellers/websites I like,
[HEADING=2][mdcomputers.in](’
) - Computer hardware[/HEADING]
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Very old player in computer hardware domain. I have purchased from them even before their website had digital payment options.
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Good communication on phone. I remember successfully haggling with them on the phone.
[HEADING=2][dubaria.shop](’
) - Printer accessories[/HEADING]
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Extensive options for printer consumables. Here, you find parts for your printer which you don’t even know exist.
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Great prices and quality of products better than average local or marketplace counterpart.
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Excellent shipping. Things are reliably getting delivered within 18 hours (for me).
[HEADING=2][vitacost.com](’
) - Health supplements[/HEADING]
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Awesome and big catalogue of supplements. Much better option if you are buying in bulk and don’t want to risk on low quality indian brands.
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Sales are real here.
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Shipping is $10 for India. And most of the times, you can expect ~40% import duties. Still it’s cheaper than buying same brands from indian marketplaces.
[HEADING=2][medplusmart.com](’
) - Meds[/HEADING]
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The best search engine for Indian Pharmaceuticals.
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I don’t order a lot from here. I mostly use it to fulfill my fetish of researching on medications and supplements.
[HEADING=2][toolbuy.com](’
) - Hardware & power tools[/HEADING]
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Awesome website for hardware and power tools. Good collection.
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This website is very informative and everything is placed hierarchically.
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You may think you know everything about screwdrivers but then you visit this website and you realize you know nothing about screwdrivers.
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Found it very recently, haven’t ordered from it yet. Many international brands present here and prices are very competitive.
[HEADING=2][/HEADING]
[HEADING=2][alton.co.in](’
) - Sanitary Ware[/HEADING]
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They are on amazon, flipkart but I have purchased from them directly too.
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Found quality on par with Jaquar but prices are much lower.
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Phone customer care is awesome. I had a small query but a very friendly punjabi guy painstakingly explained all small things, gave realistic expectations of the products. He also hinted me a future sale which saved me some money.