by Marie F.

Created on: July 15, 2008

I have mixed feelings about this web site which prompts me to give a mixed review.

I expected to see a web site that lived up to its name. When I landed on the homepage the first item that caught my attention was an item for $199.99. There was one $5 item visible. I scrolled downward and found another. Granted there are seven items under $5 on that page; however, I was disappointed by the 10 out of 19 items that were well over $5 if you consider the name of this Yahoo web store.

Now I am thinking that this is deceiving, but knowing that sometimes dollar stores often have items over one dollar I decided to dig a little deeper. I decided to search or sort by price. Those search options are not offered. But wait! Now I notice that computer accessories are also offered for sale. Although the accessory items I looked at were not all $5, they were at good prices. And anytime you can purchase a cable for under $10 you are doing good, although you may be giving up some speed and clarity.

As with any software purchase you must carefully read the minimum hardware requirements and operating system compatibilities. The latest versions of Microsoft and Apple operating systems will most likely not be compatible with software that are, in my opinion, discontinued and closeouts. Every $5 item I looked at was not compatible with Vista. Many Microsoft OS requirements did not go past the Windows ME version. Updated versions of these software programs will be available for more current operating systems, just not at the $5 price. But, this is the $5 Software store.

Shipping is a flat rate. For software. There is no mention of the shipping rates for non-software items.

The return policy is pretty heavy. A 20% return fee for unopened items. Wow. Usually the return fees are for opened items. No matter what you return, you will lose more than just the shipping fee back to their warehouse. Maybe that is a misprint?

Also consider that you are getting a disc only with your software purchases. This helps the web store save on shipping charges. You won't get a manual or box with your lower priced items. All the text items will be on the CD itself. I usually toss the boxes once I know I don't have a defective disk and have cut out the UPC for rebate purchases anyway.

Bottom line is that you can get some good deals on this site, but be aware of what you are purchasing and remember the strict return policy. Read the description and technical information very carefully. If the item is exactly what you are looking for than you may have just found yourself a real bargain.

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