4 ms·

It's the same everywhere. Amazon and Google are absolutely worhtless for anything that is slightly not mainstream. What I personally do is, when I need some ha

It's the same everywhere. Amazon and Google are absolutely worhtless for anything that is slightly not mainstream. What I personally do is, when I need some hardware I go to a local hardware shop for professionals and ask/buy from them. I am probably not getting the best deal, but it's better than no deal whatsoever or exhausting myself searching for a solution, or buying something in the internet that is not worth it. I've done this succesfully for thousends of items. This is a lot of time and headaches I did not have to endure in front of my PC. If I was him I would look for some distributor or just go where these laser printers are used and ask. A phone call is more useful than a search engine.

dmos62 4y ago
> when I need some hardware I go to a local hardware shop for professionals and ask/buy from them I don't think that I would get good buying advice that way. E.g. I was looking at eink Android tablets. The information I got from reddit, HN and youtube reviews was so niche that I'd have been suprised if a random electronics store salesman would have had it.
- spaniard89277 4y ago
  For that maybe, for laptop chargers and batteries, cables, electronic components etc I've got better luck at that store. Keep in mind that they are not a general public storem you don't buy consumer electronics there, but for professionals. Technicians of all kinds go there to buy, so they are not just salespeople. Their website is absolutely awful though: https://www.cetronic.es/ https://www.cetronic.es/
  - dmos62 4y ago
    I would pay a premium if I was confident that I'm speaking to an expert that will tell me when he's _not_ an expert in something I'm looking for.
    - mcv 4y ago
      This. High quality advice from an expert at a shop, who knows where to find even bigger experts, is absolutely worth paying extra for. The problem is: how do I know which shop has that expert? And sadly, a lot of companies which have built up a stellar reputation over the years, at some point turn to cutting cost while milking their reputation into the ground.
- aulin 4y ago
  I'd say that's mainstream though
soco 4y ago
Same here, the printers for my home, my office and wife's office come from the same printer shop. Yeah they won't have thousands of models but from the hundred they can provide I got things very usable - and the price difference was fully worth my economy of time.
traceroute66 4y ago
> What I personally do is, when I need some hardware I go to a local hardware shop for professionals and ask/buy from them. You are a little naïve if you think that will work with IT (or any electronics). The IT industry is a box-shifting industry. It resolves solely and exclusively around the world of sales targets and sales promotions. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not telling the truth. For example, an IT reseller is not "Microsoft Gold" (or similar for other brands) because they are awesome and always put the customer first. No, they are "Gold" because they've hit the sales targets (sure there are other "requirements" such as a minimum number of trained staff, but "requirement" number one is ALWAYS hitting the sales targets.) So if you walk into your local shop, more likely the advice you get will be based on a combination of: 1) If they keep stock, what they have in stock 2) What the manufacturer promotion of the day is and/or if they need a push to get over the line with some manufacturer's targets
- spaniard89277 4y ago
  Maybe, but what are your alternatives? You won't find anything in Google or Amazon. If you're lucky you find a niche forum or reddit sub with enough activity. If you don't you're better off a distributor.
  - traceroute66 4y ago
    > Maybe, but what are your alternatives? You won't find anything in Google or Amazon. If you're lucky you find a niche forum or reddit sub with enough activity Depends what you're buying. If its a highly commoditised product like an average PC then it basically doesn't matter. Most commodity PCs are (basically) identical and its largely a case of "you get what you pay for", so your budget will do most of the dictating on what your outcome will be. If its something more niche or more expensive (e.g mid-range/high-end commodity servers), then you've got two alternatives: 1) If you've got a group of trustworthy friends who either work in tech or are "techies" then the old-school word-of-mouth to find yourself a trustworthy reseller (there are some truly independent resellers out there, but they are a rare species, especially in places like the US or Europe). 2) As you say, do your own homework via niche forums / reddit / youtube videos / slack channels / discord / whatever you prefer. Remember that the goal here is not necessarily to know exactly what you are buying, but to make yourself an "informed consumer" so at least you know broadly what your options are. Its a tough position to be in, I agree. I think the way the IT industry operates is ghastly and does nobody any favours.
moffkalast 4y ago
Ah, but then you have to make a phone call. I'd rather die than resort to such drastic measures.

dmos62 4y ago

> when I need some hardware I go to a local hardware shop for professionals and ask/buy from them I don't think that I would get good buying advice that way. E.g. I was looking at eink Android tablets. The information I got from reddit, HN and youtube reviews was so niche that I'd have been suprised if a random electronics store salesman would have had it.

spaniard89277 4y ago
For that maybe, for laptop chargers and batteries, cables, electronic components etc I've got better luck at that store. Keep in mind that they are not a general public storem you don't buy consumer electronics there, but for professionals. Technicians of all kinds go there to buy, so they are not just salespeople. Their website is absolutely awful though: https://www.cetronic.es/ https://www.cetronic.es/
- dmos62 4y ago
  I would pay a premium if I was confident that I'm speaking to an expert that will tell me when he's _not_ an expert in something I'm looking for.
  - mcv 4y ago
    This. High quality advice from an expert at a shop, who knows where to find even bigger experts, is absolutely worth paying extra for. The problem is: how do I know which shop has that expert? And sadly, a lot of companies which have built up a stellar reputation over the years, at some point turn to cutting cost while milking their reputation into the ground.
aulin 4y ago
I'd say that's mainstream though

soco 4y ago

Same here, the printers for my home, my office and wife's office come from the same printer shop. Yeah they won't have thousands of models but from the hundred they can provide I got things very usable - and the price difference was fully worth my economy of time.

traceroute66 4y ago

> What I personally do is, when I need some hardware I go to a local hardware shop for professionals and ask/buy from them. You are a little naïve if you think that will work with IT (or any electronics). The IT industry is a box-shifting industry. It resolves solely and exclusively around the world of sales targets and sales promotions. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not telling the truth. For example, an IT reseller is not "Microsoft Gold" (or similar for other brands) because they are awesome and always put the customer first. No, they are "Gold" because they've hit the sales targets (sure there are other "requirements" such as a minimum number of trained staff, but "requirement" number one is ALWAYS hitting the sales targets.) So if you walk into your local shop, more likely the advice you get will be based on a combination of: 1) If they keep stock, what they have in stock 2) What the manufacturer promotion of the day is and/or if they need a push to get over the line with some manufacturer's targets

spaniard89277 4y ago
Maybe, but what are your alternatives? You won't find anything in Google or Amazon. If you're lucky you find a niche forum or reddit sub with enough activity. If you don't you're better off a distributor.
- traceroute66 4y ago
  > Maybe, but what are your alternatives? You won't find anything in Google or Amazon. If you're lucky you find a niche forum or reddit sub with enough activity Depends what you're buying. If its a highly commoditised product like an average PC then it basically doesn't matter. Most commodity PCs are (basically) identical and its largely a case of "you get what you pay for", so your budget will do most of the dictating on what your outcome will be. If its something more niche or more expensive (e.g mid-range/high-end commodity servers), then you've got two alternatives: 1) If you've got a group of trustworthy friends who either work in tech or are "techies" then the old-school word-of-mouth to find yourself a trustworthy reseller (there are some truly independent resellers out there, but they are a rare species, especially in places like the US or Europe). 2) As you say, do your own homework via niche forums / reddit / youtube videos / slack channels / discord / whatever you prefer. Remember that the goal here is not necessarily to know exactly what you are buying, but to make yourself an "informed consumer" so at least you know broadly what your options are. Its a tough position to be in, I agree. I think the way the IT industry operates is ghastly and does nobody any favours.

moffkalast 4y ago

Ah, but then you have to make a phone call. I'd rather die than resort to such drastic measures.