So, you’ve decided it’s time for a new sewing machine, serger or long arm.
You’re doing your research online and you’ve decided to buy online for one main reason price.
Don’t jump in feet first just because the machine caught your eye, and the price seems right. Do a little more research.
Check out all the machines you’re interested in and be sure they have the features you’re looking for.
Make a chart if needed. Narrow your choices down to 2 or 3 models that truly have all the features you want. You might even consider features you hadn’t thought about before. This will allow you to grow with the machine. There’s nothing worse than buying a new machine and then in 3 or 4 months discovering you’ve outgrown it.
There are couple of factors you should know before buying your new sewing machine or serger online.
First of all, price is not the only thing you should consider.
Service, after purchase support and warranty are important factors when purchasing any mechanical appliance.
The service you receive from a local dealer will be more personal than dealing with someone over the phone or via email who is halfway across the country. Online reviews can skew you opinion of a dealer. However, if the dealer’s website and advertisements seem to be pushy and only advertise “Beat any price”, that should be a red flag. It tracks that such dealers do not provide adequate after sales support.
The warranty must always to be considered.
While we never expect to have issues with our new machines, sometimes there are issues, and you need to be aware of how they are to be handled.
All new machines come with a standard “manufactures warranty” when purchased from an authorized dealer.
Unlike other industries, this warranty may only be valid thru the selling dealer. Read the warranty carefully. This means that first interval of the warranty, usually 1 year, the parts and labor are the responsibility of the selling dealer. Ok, here’s an example. You’re in Maine and you’ve ordered a machine from Oregon. You have several email conversations with the nice folks out west, over the course of 3 days, and it has been determined your machine needs some adjustments covered under the warranty. You now need to ship your machine back to Oregon, at your expense, for them to work on it and send it back to you. (I hope you saved the original box and packing material) OK, let’s see 4 business days in transit each way, and let’s say it takes them 2 days to look at it. You are now without your new machine for the better part of 2 weeks and with the email conversation you can add another 3 days to that making it closer to 3 weeks. Had you purchased it locally you may have only been without it for 1 hour or maybe a day or two and no shipping charges. So much for that $50 you saved buying it online.
One the other thing about buying on the Internet.
If you’re just shopping price then a local dealer may not match an internet price. If you ask your local dealer to match the internet price expect to receive the same service as if you purchased it over the internet. Delivered in a box, no personal orientation lesson(s) and probably, only email support. In person, personalized service has a cost. A dealer cannot afford to offer the same level of service with internet pricing.
True personalized service is only available from your local dealer. For things like “I don’t understand how the threader works”, or “how to remove my bobbin case for cleaning” or “how to use the buttonhole foot”, you can call your local dealer set up an appointment, go in and get an actual hands-on lesson with an expert at the store. They can also answer other questions while you’re there that might come to mind during your lesson. If you purchased your machine on the internet, expect to pay for service you ask for at a local dealer. Videos and emails with pictures are fine to some extent and for some of us, we may need a little more personal assistance when we’re trying to learn how to use our new machine. This is even more important when you’re buying a serger. There are lots of videos out there and some of them are really good but some of them just aren’t. If you’re buying online check out the videos that online vendors offer. If there are videos explaining to you the features of that machine you should also be aware, that the terms in the book should be used in the video as well. That way what you’re looking at and what you’re reading will tie together. A bad example of this is the person in the video says oh you just grab this foot with a little clear plastic edge on it, but in the book it tells you the “L” or “edge joining” foot. If the video can’t relate to the exact model and features of the machine you are considering purchasing, you might need to consider buying from somebody or someplace else. Of course, if you never have to use support or you’re strictly looking at price by all means shop the Internet you probably won’t find a better price.
Keep in mind “you get what you pay for” but you may not know what you could have gotten without doing your homework.
Doing research should be an enjoyable experience and capped off by an even better buying experience.
Of course, nothing can compare to that first stitch on your new sewing machine or serger from SEW-MINI Things.