I hate to disagree (with Joe's criticism of Amazon) because it makes me sound grouchy. So far my experiences with Amazon have been great. I usually stick to items with free shipping, and returns have not been so difficult. They even fixed an ordering error I had made once when ordering tax software, and accidentally ordered the PC version when I needed the Mac version. I find their customer service easily accessible, and friendly to deal with.
I would love to buy at a brick-and-mortar store, but here on Long Island, no one sells Shortwave or Amateur Radio gear, with the exception of Radio Shack, and the Hamfests, which I will wait for if there is one coming. Even at a Hamfest though, the chances of finding something like a Grundig G-4000 is pretty slim. Radio Shack does carry some nice radios, but customer service at Radio Shack is a roll of the dice, depending on the quality of the manager, and his staff. Some are better than others.
I will agree that the overall quality of these radios peaked around 2008 or so, and seems to be in steady decline now. My Redsun RP-2000 is a horrible radio, constantly requiring jiggling of the controls or a reset to work properly, and my Tecsun PL-390 has a strange issue where if I don't use it at least weekly, the controls tend to "freak-out" when I go to use it next and have to spend 5 minutes working the dials and pressing buttons to alleviate the problem. I see the same thing in the Chinese Amateur Radio gear too. Although some of the radios are made to last, many are not.
I've had nothing but positive experiences with Amazon, plus Amazon allows me to be an ebook author and make a few $$$.
Posted by: Tom Welch | August 02, 2012 at 08:51 AM
I agree with Neil. I've always been able to return defective items to Amazon at no cost to me other than time. If I opt for a replacement unit, they always send the replacement immediately, not after they receive the defective unit.
Posted by: Gary | August 02, 2012 at 09:12 AM
I'm lucky as far as Radio Shack goes. The ones in Northern Virginia are generally good----a couple lazy clerks at times, but for the most part, very helpful people who are great with returns, repairs or helping troubleshoot. I hope Radio Shack can hang on.
Posted by: Angelo | August 02, 2012 at 02:50 PM
For ultralight radio fans, the Tecsun PL300WT (aka Grundig G8) is available in a new version:
http://tinyurl.com/caqd7nm
The new version incorporates ETM (Easy Tuning Mode); otherwise appears the same as earlier versions.
Posted by: Keith Beesley | August 02, 2012 at 11:28 PM