Does Lowes Drop Ship?

[apbt1968]

I just bought a new Porter-Cable planer from a seller in Illinois for $60. When the tool arrived today via Fedex, I saw that the tool had been shipped from a Lowes in a nearby town (Massachusetts), and the price listed on the invoice was $74.35, with payment from a Visa card. 

Does this sound legit, or does this sound like a triangulation scam?

I noticed that this seller sells mainly Porter-Cable power tools and Kobalt (sold at Lowes) power tools.

Any advice is much appreciated.

[divwido]

Tell me what a triangulation scam is and maybe I can answer.

I"m not sure what you have to complain about.  You saved $ 14.35 and the seller lost that amount-plus tax and maybe shipping.

[apbt1968]

A triangulation scam is where a seller lists items for sale, in my case the Porter Cable Planer, then when someone buys it, the seller uses a stolen credit card to purchase the item at say, Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart, and has it sent directly to the buyer. Apparently, it happens quite a bit. The problem occurs when the person whose stolen credit card was used complains to the Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart, who then trace the shipment to the buyer, who has to explain what happened and go through a lot of hassle.

[a*river*runs*through*it]

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@apbt1968 wrote:
A triangulation scam is where a seller lists items for sale, in my case the Porter Cable Planer, then when someone buys it, the seller uses a stolen credit card to purchase the item at say, Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart, and has it sent directly to the buyer. Apparently, it happens quite a bit. The problem occurs when the person whose stolen credit card was used complains to the Lowes, Home Depot or Walmart, who then trace the shipment to the buyer, who has to explain what happened and go through a lot of hassle.

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That's a great explanation and I think your deal is quite scammy.

[dbn-marketing]

You didnt get scammed. this is a normal business model where a seller lists an item that is also sold at some online store. When you buy, they go to the online store and order it for you and have it shipped to you. Usually they make a small profit for doing this. 

This is a normal business model for online sellers on ebay and amazon. Lowes and other online retailers do the same thing at a higher level from contracted suppliers. Everyone drop ships!

Enjoy your planer!

[pixzee]

I have to agree with  dbn-marketing but I haven't heard of a specific program at Lowes. Many stores are doing it and have different names for it, like "Sales Partner Program" or some such. Since Lowes has an online catalog, it wouldn't be difficult for them to implement. It is hard to say how much the "partner" gets out of the deal. Perhaps just free shipping after so many sales/purchases a month; or a commercial discount (like 10%-20%, say). For these dealers they usually don't make much per order, but it's like net fishing, they list tons of stuff and wait for the fish to come in. They might not make much money if you figure how long it takes them to list and item and process, but if they sell enough, it can make up for their time without a huge investment of money or need to store inventory.

If you were interested you might take the tags and shipping label to the lowes who sent the item to you and ask them about it and how anyone might make money off this kind of venture.

[jason_incognito]

having basically a receipt saying that the item cost more than you paid, yes. It most likely is a scam. 

[bnbsellingtime]

Legitimate drop shippers are making a profit, not doing it at a financial  loss. This is almost certainly a scam.

[alo-ha]

Lowe's purchase/dropship these items  at a much lower cost to them making largere profit margins. The person who sold the item to this guy only made a small profit. The manufacturer cost to make this product was probably $5. So who is scamming here? Lets not forget the state also wants a share of the profit for not doing nothing so that we can pay for their healthcare and retirement plans... The guy who sold the product did not scam anyone. He was the 4th seller on the line. He provided a service for somone who didnt want to drive out and buy it from a store or purcahase online from another retailer.... Are gas stations a scam when their prices are much higher than the grocery store next door?