Should I pre order?

[cmtar]

When the AM21 comes out, lets say March 1. Will it be in BB and CC on March 1 or should i pre order for VE now? The reason I ask is I dont want the AM21 to be hard to fine like for example the Wii at Christmas time. And if i pre order from VE and if it comes out say March 1. Does that mean it iwll be on my porch March 1 or VE can ship it March 1?

[Rakul]

When the AM21 comes out, lets say March 1. Will it be in BB and CC on March 1 or should i pre order for VE now? The reason I ask is I dont want the AM21 to be hard to fine like for example the Wii at Christmas time. And if i pre order from VE and if it comes out say March 1. Does that mean it iwll be on my porch March 1 or VE can ship it March 1?

I don't see why BB or CC would not carry it, though if they have it day one or not I have my doubts. But is it critical to have it day one? From what I've ready VE is very good on shipping and I am sure they will ship one as soon as they have it, most likely early May based on comments on this board, though nothing is official. BTW I have mine pre-ordered with VE, with his deal it's not worth my gas to drive to Bestbuy and look, figure that's worth the extra day or two for delivery if any.

[RunnerFL]

When the AM21 comes out, lets say March 1. Will it be in BB and CC on March 1 or should i pre order for VE now? The reason I ask is I dont want the AM21 to be hard to fine like for example the Wii at Christmas time. And if i pre order from VE and if it comes out say March 1. Does that mean it iwll be on my porch March 1 or VE can ship it March 1?

Ummm, it's already past March 1. Do you mean May 1?


You should be able to get it at BB or CC on or very near to its release date.

[Carl Spock]

Ummm, it's already past March 1. Do you mean May 1?

cmtar didn't say what year. :D

Just kidding, just kidding.

I wouldn't start counting days. That is too tough for any pathway of distribution. Containers come into the US, generally through one of the west coast ports. Bigger customers, like Best Buy, often have their own containers delivered directly to their warehouses without going through any intermediate steps of distribution. Most distributors have to wait until a piece hits a DirecTV warehouse to then have it sent to them. It's bound to sit on a pallet for a few days before it gets back onto trucks most every step of the way, at customs, at DirecTV's warehouse, at the distributor's warehouse and maybe at a trucking company's warehouse. Shipping time also has to be figured in. Not to expect these inevitable delays will only guarantee yourself disappointment.

These delays can sometimes slow down products ordered from one of the bigger distributors. A container for Best Buy may only have delays at customs and because of shipping. It will still take time to get the piece from one of their warehouses to your local store but these separate pathways of distribution that can mean it will hit one of the biggest distributors at the same moment it will hit your local store. You really can't predict something like this.

Note this analysis has nothing to do with DirecTV. It is simply how the system works.

Plus I think your analogy to Wii is a poor one. There is no way an OTA tuner will experience the consumer demand of the hottest video game platform at Christmas time. How many units DirecTV can put in the pipeline initially and how quickly they flow through will be the determining factors, not overwhelming demand. I'm not saying demand won't be a factor, especially for the first month or two. It just will be a couple of orders of magnitude down from the demand for the Wii.

[cmtar]

yes i mean May lol, but thats everyone for the quick response.

[Doug Brott]

I don't see why BB or CC would not carry it, though if they have it day one or not I have my doubts. But is it critical to have it day one? From what I've ready VE is very good on shipping and I am sure they will ship one as soon as they have it, most likely early May based on comments on this board, though nothing is official. BTW I have mine pre-ordered with VE, with his deal it's not worth my gas to drive to Bestbuy and look, figure that's worth the extra day or two for delivery if any.

If it's any consolation, Robert of VE, was the 5th guy in the photo of all of the mods @ CES this past year.

[Carl Spock]

One other thing on distribution. I think Best Buy is big enough that they now contract their own ships to deliver products to them from the Far East. Say Pace (aren't they the manufacturer for the AM21?) fills two containers, one destined for Best Buy and another for general distribution. Who knows if they will leave the port at the same time? Who knows if they will even leave the same port? One also might be headed for Los Angeles and another for Seattle. Again, there are just too many variables here.

[glennb]

I don't think the AM21 will be in high demand like the Wii.

Ummm, it's already past March 1. Do you mean May 1?
Ummm, I think we all figured that out.
:rolleyes:

[Thaedron]

My money (if I were in the market for an AM-21 right now) would be do dothe pre-order from VE. As already stated, they may or may not have them "first", but the pre-order gets you in the pipeline. And VE doesn't have a large corporate distribution network like the big-box guys. Which again may or may not be an advantage. Also, Robert from VE is an active online member and from the things I have read runs a pretty stand-up business.

Disclaimer, I have no affiliation with Value Electronics.