Good: the chocolate chip cookies. Bad: deceptive sales pitch and high pressure tactics to make a sale. Improvements: actual savings, there are none. Other: For anyone considering Direct Buy, let me... More

Good: the chocolate chip cookies. Bad: deceptive sales pitch and high pressure tactics to make a sale. Improvements: actual savings, there are none. Other: For anyone considering Direct Buy, let me save you some time. DON'T JOIN. There are no savings benefits to membership, I don't care what anyone has told you, there just aren't, unless you plan to spend $100,000 on high-end items. Maybe DB worked 10 years ago when people didn't shop on the internet, but times have changed and you can get 10 prices from 10 different retailers within minutes on the internet. A lot with free shipping and no sales tax..
Less

Just thought I would pop in and answer Tom B. Why did I get singled out? It's been so long since I reviewed I can't even remember my password. No, I do not work for Direct Buy, nope I never... More

Just thought I would pop in and answer Tom B. Why did I get singled out? It's been so long since I reviewed I can't even remember my password. No, I do not work for Direct Buy, nope I never did. I wrote a detailed review and at the time was very happy. Membership was only $3,000.00 at the time and I think we did save more than that. Basset was a participating vendor at the time and we utilized that. You could also get electronics, carpet, wood floors, washing machines etc and all were actually discounted quite a bit. It was a great deal if you had a lot of things to purchase. Not a good deal if you just needed to get a few things here and there. We are no longer members and if I could join again at the price we paid with the pressure to join I may not. Probably would not, especially in this economy. I would rather support local retailers higher price or not. I'm also a little older and wiser now and wouldn't easily succomb to the very high pressured sales pitch. I got sucked in. Without going in and actually seeing what you can do or get though it really isn't fair to rate one star based on a catalog. Also, bartering in a store, really? I didn't know you could do that other than buying a car. I've always assumed that is why there are "sale" signs. Direct Buy is okay depending on your needs and budget. Things sound like they have changed and the membership really went up. That's a bummer. Good concept. Bad execution.
Less

I joined DirectBuy in Norwalk, CT 3 years ago. It's been a miserable experience. I consider DirectBuy to be a sleezy scam. Any savings on prices is quickly eaten up by inflated "shipping" and... More

I joined DirectBuy in Norwalk, CT 3 years ago. It's been a miserable experience. I consider DirectBuy to be a sleezy scam. Any savings on prices is quickly eaten up by inflated "shipping" and "processing" fees imposed by DirectBuy. With these fees added, there's absolutely no way to save money buying products from this place. I wish there was a class action available to make me whole for the membership fee I was pressured into paying...
Less

Does JJ work for Direct Buy? Her review is like a commercial. Here is my math without knowing anything about Direct Buy (only seen their commerical and called for their free catalog): $4,000... More

Does JJ work for Direct Buy? Her review is like a commercial. Here is my math without knowing anything about Direct Buy (only seen their commerical and called for their free catalog): $4,000 for membership - If I buy $5,000 worth of living room furniture from them, which my wife and I are presently looking for, the total cost of the living room furniture comes out to $9,000 which includes the $4K membership fee. Do furnitures have that much of a mark-up at retail? Even at retail, I know that we can buy very good to excellent quality living room furniture for $9,000. In addition, we can shop around, choose a brand, see the actual furniture in the showroom, and even negotiate a discount. The math does not work for me. If anyone out there can do the math better for me, please, post it. And, no, I do not own a furniture store, never have and never will. I am just looking for the best deal and save money. Thanks.
Less

Had I searched "Direct Buy reviews" before committing to the 2 hour presentation I could have saved the time. This is a skillfully prepared and scripted presentation, which is vague at best,... More

Had I searched "Direct Buy reviews" before committing to the 2 hour presentation I could have saved the time. This is a skillfully prepared and scripted presentation, which is vague at best, and not supported by objective data. An initial $5,100 which covers the first three years and then annual dues thereafter. The person who set the appointment assured me I could comparison price while there - absolutely not! Can you get me a new car, yes, when there, they can "locate a used car" for me. How about a computer, yes, when there, we don't do computers. How about granite counter tops, only if you have a model number - on a granite counter top- are you kidding??? They want you to enter into a contract with them under the assumption and their promise that they will get you things at wholesale cost. They gave me absolutely no reason to cut a $5,100 check. Also, you sign and pay that day, no time to consider the concept or review the contract. The sales rep became visibly annoyed with me because I persisted in asking specific questions and she continued to give me evasive responses. It became a volleying match and I wasn't there to play a game of semantics. Also, there was some sort of contest with incentives, two of which I was guaranteed to win, which of course disappeared. "We'll get to that later." At the end, I asked to price compare my watch, she said only if you buy a membership today. "Good bye!"
Less

We joined Direct Buy about a year and a half ago and so far we really love it. I actually called one afternoon and signed up for an orientation (for lack of a better word) and showed up without... More

We joined Direct Buy about a year and a half ago and so far we really love it. I actually called one afternoon and signed up for an orientation (for lack of a better word) and showed up without my husband because he ended up working late that night and I had already canceled on them a few times. When it came down to a yes or no and I said I had to talk to my husband for such a big purchase, they said I couldn't come back. I really wanted to do it so I wrote them a check and asked them to give me 24 hours and they said yes. I'm happy they gave me the option and I didn't lose out. We've purchased a dining room table and chairs, bed and dresser for my daughter and a sound system for the house. From the money we saved on these four purchases we have paid for our membership. We have a bunch of furniture to buy still so they savings will increase as we buy more. PROS: Great selection and variety of quality brands you can order, SUPER friendly & helpful staff (very important!), Substantial savings to be had on everything you could ever buy (cameras...faucets...rugs...blenders etc), Ability to research online, the ability to use membership years from now if we want to remodel or update on huge ticket items like appliances I can't really think of any cons. Maybe the initial cost of the membership and that it helps to live close to the showroom for ordering but that's about it. They don't offer credit to buy merchandise, you need your own cash or cards to purchase stuff. I would join again in a second and would recommend Direct Buy to anyone interested in joining.
Less

Then you will feel right at home. Direct buy, famous for late night commercials, is a 35 year old catalog retailer operating out of "members only" centers where you can order items "direct from... More

Then you will feel right at home. Direct buy, famous for late night commercials, is a 35 year old catalog retailer operating out of "members only" centers where you can order items "direct from manufacturers" at "rock bottom prices". The process: They don't divulge any details until you sit through their 2+ hour sales pitch, so I will save you the trouble. Besides a cup of tea or coffee they don't actually TELL you anything but the price of membership at the open house (it takes 2 hrs to make you feel bad you don't have one already!). Then they might give you prices on 1-2 items, usually something that is a big savings item (in theory) and hard to compare- such as flooring. They won't let you come back (or so they say) once you say no, and you have to sign up on the spot. The group I went with didn't have a single taker but there were 4+ couples shopping in the Bothell location on a random night of the week, so who knows- someone must have signed up. The cost: $3990.00 for three years plus the option to renew for 7 additional years at $199.00 a year. >> yes, you didn't miss a decimal, it is four grand to sign up! The benefits: It is hard to tell because you can't actually look through their special merchandise books before signing up. They showed me a few prices that seemed good, but not great and you need to buy the brands they carry (e.g. KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Canyon Creek Cabinet Co, Jen-Weld, etc.). What to do: If you are a major buyer of furniture, flooring, etc. then this service may be worth it to you. But if you want to do it, pick a big ticket item (like $5,000+) such as kitchen cabinets and bring it with you to the open house to get them to show you a similar item and see if it is worth it. This is imilar to some of the benefits of using a general contractor who may be able to buy direct or using services like U-Build-It, but for me, I don't spend $4000 without proof of savings.... please post responses if anyone has actually seen the savings - or not!
Less