Question: what foods or ingredients do you like to buy online - regularly or from time to time?

M

mimi

Well-known member
Edited to add: I am putting together a proposal for new products to add to the website. Your input is greatly appreciated and will help FK.

 
I don't think I have ever bought food online - oh, I think maybe...

sent cookies once as a birthday gift for someone out of town. I pretty much just buy right here. The shipping gets me!

 
Chocolate ...

especially batons for croissants because they can be hard to find locally.

Sachertorte from the source. (Okay, only once so far for our anniversary, but I'd do it again.)

Spices are tricky, because I like to see them first, to make sure I'm not buying a bag of twigs and dust.

Bulk buying of canned goods, other heavy things, big jugs of water in case of emergencies, because we don't drive.

 
I buy my cookie decorating stuff like paste/gel food coloring, sprinkles, dragees...

Also specialty ingredients like maltitol and the special yeast needed to make salt rising bread.

 
Ham and other smoked pork products, spices, fresh and dried

chile peppers, vanilla and vanilla beans, salt, candied ginger, cocoa.

 
Penzeys for spices and dried herbs, plus......

I buy Maldon Coarse Sea Salt from the Oakville Grocery in the Napa Valley, I buy Osem Israelli Couscous online and from The Galley in Chico CA.
I like the Baker's Catalogue for baking goodies.

 
I have bought things on line when I could not get them any other way. Some chinese

foods and a particular cinnamon hard candy at a great candy store in Boston. What really, really annoys me on most sites is that you can't get the cost of postage until way at the end. Sometimes you even have to go through the motions of checking out before you find out that it's prohibitively expensive. Why can't they put the postage policy up front?

 
aajay, I couldn't agree with you more about putting the shipping costs up front....

so I can decide if a purchase is worth it. I've stopped placing an order when I get to this step many, many times. How can we get the message across to suppliers?

 
Basically only smoked paprikas from La Tienda because you can't get them

anywhere else.
I have ordered cheeses from igourmet.com because of their superior selection and service.

 
I agree about shipping costs, also. Living in rural Missouri, though...

just driving to a larger city to shop isn't cost effective. I search online vendors out to find the ones that carry more things I will buy and save on shipping that way, too. Costs alot less to ship several items than only one.

I'd love to see Finer Kitchens start to carry some gourmet food items!

 
The shipping and "handling" rip off of American consumers

When I cannot ascertain the shipping charges up front, I send an email to the company notifying them I will not patronize a company that "hides" their S&H fees (merchandise markup).

I have also successfully negotiated lower rates for those I considered excessive. Especially those that charge a rate for $ amount vs. weight. That is a rip off, especially if you're ordering a large priced item that doesn't weigh that much.

I've called companies on the phone and explained I was ready to buy, but considered their S&H fee to be excessive. Would they like to make the sell right now? "Then you'll have to negotiate a cheaper S&H fee." Believe it or not, some companies will actually do this. Especially smaller companies that sometimes really need to make the sale.

And if not, you're free to take your business elsewhere.

PS: Before I do this, I determine the exact cost with UPS and UPS for the weight of said items before I talk to them. Having that bit of information up front gets much better results when you can actually put a $$ amount on their greedy hidden item markup.

 
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