Thoughts on availability - Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

January 11th and no store has a transformer prime in stock. Do you think they are working on a REv 2 before they fill retail channels?

I had a suspicion they were holding back on their shipments until ICS release. But just a wild guess.

Fry's has it in stock in stores... at least everywhere in Texas they do... I'm still waiting for my pre-order from Amazon though, as I am getting it for 1/2 price.

I thought of checking my 2 local Frys. But a few things are stopping me.
1) Tax
2) Stupid California Electronic Waste Recycling
3) Almost $200 in Amazon giftcards
4) I think they only have 32GB models at Frys (and BestBuy)? (May be mistaken here).
In all honestly, if it weren't for the extra $60+ it'll cost to get it from Frys because of #1 & #2 I'd get it, unless of course they don't have the 64GB models. I'm always buying stuff from Amazon, so the giftcards wouldn't go to waste.
I THINK Amazon has a longer return policy too... Although I'm not 100%.... This link really scares me:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=901900
"Computers purchased from Amazon.com which have been opened are subject to a partial refund of 85% of the sale price."
Note that that link seems almost impossible to find through Amazon itself, and has to be dug up through Google search.
Fortunately Amazon has really good customer service, so I'm sure it would only take a few phone calls to get a full refund, if it comes to that. (Plus if I return it it'll be because it's defective or if wifi is extremely ****ty, either way it'll be easier to argue for a full return). Example of Amazon's great customer service: http://forums.webosnation.com/hp-touchpad/292156-amazon-waived-30-day-return-policy-my-touchpad.html

Related

Curious need some opinions... buy used or not to buy used?

As stated in title, I wanna buy a prime tablet from amazon but their prices are ridiculous at the moment. The only one close to the average 499$ price tag are the used ones.
With all the problems I've been reading about this tablet, I still feel drawn to testing my luck.
The main reason I want to use Amazon is for the "billmelater" option. March is a very heavy birthday filled month in my family so I wont have the actual cash till around may.... I don't want to wait until may.
Also, if i have to start with the sending back n forth process because of light bleeds, reboots, etc etc how is the process with Amazon.com? Is it a headache?
Thanks in advance for everyone's opinion on the matter. I want to make a purchase soon so it can come tomorrow hahaha I want to play with this tablet asap.
Why not just get it new at Officedepot.com? If you order now you will receive it by "Estimated Delivery Date: 02/10/2012." Just checked for you That's where I ordered my Prime. I have no issues whatsoever No wifi/BT fallouts. GPS works great!
yoursexyhero said:
As stated in title, I wanna buy a prime tablet from amazon but their prices are ridiculous at the moment. The only one close to the average 499$ price tag are the used ones.
With all the problems I've been reading about this tablet, I still feel drawn to testing my luck.
The main reason I want to use Amazon is for the "billmelater" option. March is a very heavy birthday filled month in my family so I wont have the actual cash till around may.... I don't want to wait until may.
Also, if i have to start with the sending back n forth process because of light bleeds, reboots, etc etc how is the process with Amazon.com? Is it a headache?
Thanks in advance for everyone's opinion on the matter. I want to make a purchase soon so it can come tomorrow hahaha I want to play with this tablet asap.
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If you buy a used prime at $499, your not looking hard enough. But if you really want a prime here is one at jr.com:
Asus Prime Jr.com
Or go to your local BestBuy and tell the sale's clerk you want place an "OMS order SKU: 4038674" theyll ask for a mode of payment and ask you if you want if you are picking up at the store or home delivery in about a week. Even if they are out of stock at BestBuy the "OMS" will check the one of the warehouse of Bestbuy and get you one.
jjdevega said:
Why not just get it new at Officedepot? If you order now you will receive it by "Estimated Delivery Date: 02/10/2012." Just checked for you That's where I ordered my Prime. I have no issues whatsoever No wifi/BT fallouts. GPS works great!
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Because I want to pay with "Bill Me Later" so I can pay in installments or all at once within 6 months without interests rates. I don't have the option of dishing out ~550$ TODAY. So BillMeLater is my only option at the moment. I check before, I don't think Office Depot gives that option to bill later.
junrider said:
If you buy a used prime at $499, your not looking hard enough. But if you really want a prime here is one at jr.com:
[had to erase link cuz im a new member]!
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Same reason - Bill Me Later
junrider said:
Or go to your local BestBuy and tell the sale's clerk you want place an "OMS order SKU: 4038674" theyll ask for a mode of payment and ask you if you want if you are picking up at the store or home delivery in about a week. Even if they are out of stock at BestBuy the "OMS" will check the one of the warehouse of Bestbuy and get you one.
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Would they accept bill me later that way? =/ Im almost certain the bestbuys around my area have a few in stores. I was playing with the display one all weekend and that's what fueled the fires of temptation for this device.
If someone is selling it this close to release, it probably has defects
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
kingsway8605 said:
If selling is selling it this close to release, it probably has defects
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
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Not sure what you're trying to say but it seemed like "if they are selling it this close to release...." which I agree that's why im extremely hesistant. But I don't understand why the Amazon prices are so incredibly high when they are supposed to be the cheaper online stores.
I'd wait or try to find another means of paying for one new somewhere else.
yoursexyhero said:
But I don't understand why the Amazon prices are so incredibly high when they are supposed to be the cheaper online stores.
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The reason is that those aren't being sold by Amazon, they're being sold by other companies THROUGH Amazon's storefront. They're basically what you would find if you went to eBay--third parties selling them at a premium because demand continues to outstrip supply.
wynand32 said:
The reason is that those aren't being sold by Amazon, they're being sold by other companies THROUGH Amazon's storefront. They're basically what you would find if you went to eBay--third parties selling them at a premium because demand continues to outstrip supply.
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I see, so when supply starts to meet demand, Amazon will drop in prices a bit to match the norm. Guess ill be playing with the display a little longer LOL I wonder if I can get BB to sell the display to me for a reduced price >_>
yoursexyhero said:
I see, so when supply starts to meet demand, Amazon will drop in prices a bit to match the norm. Guess ill be playing with the display a little longer LOL I wonder if I can get BB to sell the display to me for a reduced price >_>
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Amazon doesn't control the prices for their third party vendors. Amazon just controls the prices where Amazon is the seller. As previous poster pointed out, other vendors use the Amazon storefront, which is the case here. When Amazon sells the Prime, Amazon prices it at $499.
yoursexyhero said:
Because I want to pay with "Bill Me Later" so I can pay in installments or all at once within 6 months without interests rates. I don't have the option of dishing out ~550$ TODAY. So BillMeLater is my only option at the moment. I check before, I don't think Office Depot gives that option to bill later.
Same reason - Bill Me Later
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I believe PayPal also has billmelater....don't quote me but I THINK jr.com accepts paypal ergo billmelater
as for buying it used....I agree with the others (it's most likely returned models from the early batches) b/c it's a lot more trouble than it's worth
hope that helps
I'm not sure how many TFP's have been returned, but its possible factory refurbed TFP's might be available soon at a discount. If you can wait a month, you might get a good deal.
yoursexyhero said:
I see, so when supply starts to meet demand, Amazon will drop in prices a bit to match the norm. Guess ill be playing with the display a little longer LOL I wonder if I can get BB to sell the display to me for a reduced price >_>
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Just to be perfectly clear, these higher-priced units are NOT being sold by Amazon, and Amazon is NOT setting the prices on them. They're being sold by 3rd parties at whatever price those 3rd parties want to sell for. Again, it's like eBay, only through Amazon's equivalent (pretty much anyone can sell things through Amazon).
When Amazon ITSELF has the Prime in stock, they sell it at the standard retail price ($499 for 32GB, $599 for 64GB).

More $$ At Amazon?

This may be covered elsewhere, a search did not yeild what I was looking for.
After issues with the prime coming up I held off on trying to get one. Now that it appears things may or may not be improving, I'm looking into it again.
Is amazon charging way more now than before? The only prime's I'm seeing are for like $600+ for the 32g, seems to be $100 or more than when it originally dropped. Is this a typo/price increase due to shortage/comes with the dock/etc? I might snag one now if I can for the original price, but not for $600+ for the 32...
It's not Amazon themselves, per se. It's actually their affiliates that are charging the ridiculous prices. Amazon took down their own listing since they have been having severe stock problems, if you look at the right side, it'll tell you whom it's being fulfilled by.
Whenever it's out of stock, it'll list the prices of other sellers. I was lucky and grabbed one yesterday, and got it early this morning.
http://www.nowinstock.net/
That's the site I used to get it the minute it was in stock on Amazon at the $499 price.
excellent, thanks guys. I think I am planning to wait it out until MWC to see what samsung may announce, but otherwise I will go after the ATP. If nothing else I can get it and the dock and sell the prime later on when the TF700 comes if its THAT much better.
uapyro said:
Whenever it's out of stock, it'll list the prices of other sellers. I was lucky and grabbed one yesterday, and got it early this morning.
http://www.nowinstock.net/
That's the site I used to get it the minute it was in stock on Amazon at the $499 price.
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This. When Amazon doesn't have any directly, the price goes up as it comes from other retailers, and they're the one's charging more than the 499/599 retail price. It's been this way since I started looking for a Prime in December.

GARY!!! - Where are the Primes?

Bought my first Prime from Gamestop in January, returned mostly because of light bleed, but also WiFi/GPS was horrible. Bought second Prime beginning of February, but it has WiFi/BT issues, so I'm going to return it also.
I've read so many positive reviews that I'm hoping my next Prime will be great, and looking forward to exchanging it... not just a refund.
BUT I CANNOT FIND PRIMES ANYWHERE LOCALLY!!
Given the fact that the Primes have an awesome less then 1% failure rate, why are they not on the shelves at retailers? Why are the retailers not sure when, or even if, they will get more stock?
Thanks in advance for your answer.
acidus. said:
Bought my first Prime from Gamestop in January, returned mostly because of light bleed, but also WiFi/GPS was horrible. Bought second Prime beginning of February, but it has WiFi/BT issues, so I'm going to return it also.
I've read so many positive reviews that I'm hoping my next Prime will be great, and looking forward to exchanging it... not just a refund.
BUT I CANNOT FIND PRIMES ANYWHERE LOCALLY!!
Given the fact that the Primes have an awesome less then 1% failure rate, why are they not on the shelves at retailers? Why are the retailers not sure when, or even if, they will get more stock?
Thanks in advance for your answer.
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I'm not Gary, but I sure am interested to know.
Best Buy couldn't even order me one. I was able to order mine from Tiger though and it should arrive tomorrow after being on backorder for a week.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App
if you want a prime go to nowinstock.net and resister and get notified when its in stock somewhere online
far and away the easiest way
Thanks knives. I thought that site was only for online vendors, who are moving whatever inventory that managed to get their way through the supply chain.
I had no idea that site provided local retail availability!!!
It is an interesting question though... Where are the primes? It seems as though availability is getting worse, not better. Has Asus decided the beta period is over, and is now switching to produce production models?
No joke... I sent mine back to Amazon after soft bricking, for a new replacement... ****, 64GB Primes are 4 -6 weeks out.
I hope they are doing some big time quality control improvement, and the new ones, when they do come out will be problem free.
Norway gave up...
krifos said:
The biggest online retailer in Norway has removed the TF201 from stock, only 2 weeks after release.
http://www.komplett.no/k/ki.aspx?sku=652778&cks=ASS&assoc=D17C9206-4ABF-4D73-94BE-9D52E5984D4D
They claim it is because that they don't know when they get more in stock so they don't want to fill in more orders.
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acidus. said:
Thanks knives. I thought that site was only for online vendors, who are moving whatever inventory that managed to get their way through the supply chain.
I had no idea that site provided local retail availability!!!
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no idea why anyone would want to buy it locally, unless you like wasting time and money. no tax with amazon and the easiest return system ever.
i order with amazon prime and get it the next day for 3.99...truly amazing service
If you go to Staples website and search for Asus transformer prime, you won't get results. The only way to find the tablet is to use google and search for staples asus transformer prime. I think that Staples is gearing up to stop selling the device completely.
Couple that with my 2 local staples returning all of their stock to the warehouse and I'm starting to think that asus is going to slowly stop selling the prime. Would make sense with all of the issues it has.
It makes business sense to stop selling the device and get out the new units with "improved wireless" ASAP so they can stop eating all the costs of having to deal with their mistake on the TF201.
knives of ice said:
no idea why anyone would want to buy it locally, unless you like wasting time and money. no tax with amazon and the easiest return system ever.
i order with amazon prime and get it the next day for 3.99...truly amazing service
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Seems I was a bit premature giving thanks to Knives. (By the way, I'm an Amazon Prime member)
NowInStock.net only shows online retailers. Given enough margin, online retailers will sell anything.
What is strange is every local retailer that carried the Prime is now telling me the same story:
They've heard of problems with the Prime
They've had a lot of returns of the Prime
They have no estimate of when, or if, they will get new stock
Not just one, but all of them: BestBuy, HHGRegg, GameStop and even Staples!
Since Gary has confirmed the Prime has less than 1% failure rate, which is AWESOME, it just seems strange that no local retailers are expecting new stock. If these things are flying off the shelves, why don't any retailers have them or at least an ETA?
The TFP is exactly what I want. For me, higher resolution "2048xwhatever" is just too small on a 10" display, plus it will be slower.
Even Apple products are not this constrained after two months, where people camp out and wait for them.
Its been two months, and retailers are saying due to problems we're not sure when we'll get more?
Ofcourse, there is always the extermely remote possibility that Gary is not telling us the truth. That retailers have suffered from such a high return rate, they have decided not to carry that SKU anymore.
Which I'm sure is not the case. I'm sure Gary will post here tomorrow and clear things up.
Swiftks said:
No joke... I sent mine back to Amazon after soft bricking, for a new replacement... ****, 64GB Primes are 4 -6 weeks out.
I hope they are doing some big time quality control improvement, and the new ones, when they do come out will be problem free.
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@Swift, howdy , I see your located in C-Stat. I actually called the BB here in C-Stat today to see if there were any Primes available after returning my 2nd one last weekend. The rep told me they could have 2 avail by tomorrow and to call in the morning. Just a heads up if your looking bro.
Also guys, I called the BB in my hometown and on 2 different occasions they told me they were waiting on the "new batch" of primes b/c of all the problems they have been having with them. No info as to when this "new batch" is hitting stores though.
xIC-MACIx said:
@Swift, howdy , I see your located in C-Stat. I actually called the BB here in C-Stat today to see if there were any Primes available after returning my 2nd one last weekend. The rep told me they could have 2 avail by tomorrow and to call in the morning. Just a heads up if your looking bro.
Also guys, I called the BB in my hometown and on 2 different occasions they told me they were waiting on the "new batch" of primes b/c of all the problems they have been having with them. No info as to when this "new batch" is hitting stores though.
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HOWDY!
Thanks, but I'm replacing my 64GB Grey, which as far as I know BB doesn't carry. Besides, I'm getting a full replacement from Amazon... whenever they get some again.
With the law suit happening (and probably winning), it'd be smart for Asus not to ship any new primes.
maretus said:
If you go to Staples website and search for Asus transformer prime, you won't get results. The only way to find the tablet is to use google and search for staples asus transformer prime. I think that Staples is gearing up to stop selling the device completely.
Couple that with my 2 local staples returning all of their stock to the warehouse and I'm starting to think that asus is going to slowly stop selling the prime. Would make sense with all of the issues it has.
It makes business sense to stop selling the device and get out the new units with "improved wireless" ASAP so they can stop eating all the costs of having to deal with their mistake on the TF201.
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BINGO! Exactly what i did. I was like WTH cant i find it on their site. Light bulb went off & i used google & it came up. Did a store check and what do you know..... 2 stores locally just got a stock. I grabbed my jacket, & GF and ran! LOL. Actually the guy held it for me.
Oh also when i returned my original to BB the lady said they were not selling them anymore because of the high return rate.
knives of ice said:
no idea why anyone would want to buy it locally, unless you like wasting time and money. no tax with amazon and the easiest return system ever.
i order with amazon prime and get it the next day for 3.99...truly amazing service
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I'm an Amazon Prime member too.
I guess you missed the seperate paragraph, which was in ALL CAPS, that said:
"BUT I CANNOT FIND PRIMES ANYWHERE LOCALLY!!"
Some people don't mind spending a little extra money and time, to buy something locally. But since you have no idea why that would happen, its not valid. Guessing you have no use for GPS or BT also.
Vcolassi said:
BINGO! Exactly what i did. I was like WTH cant i find it on their site. Light bulb went off & i used google & it came up. Did a store check and what do you know..... 2 stores locally just got a stock. I grabbed my jacket, & GF and ran! LOL. Actually the guy held it for me.
Oh also when i returned my original to BB the lady said they were not selling them anymore because of the high return rate.
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I Googled Staples and TF201 and found it on their site. Checked local availability a couple days ago, and there were a couple stores with stock. Returning my Prime tomorrow. Re-checked Staples, no local availability. Plus if you check their main site, they don't even acknowledge TF201 as an item.
Must be because its so poplular, they don't want to sell it.
We can't help but feel that we're being lied to by Asus. These things are f'd up and being sent back as fast as they can ship them. Very disappointed in Asus for this massive f'up. 1% failure rate my a$$. I was totally ready to accept a unit w non functioning GPS (as I won't use it), but screen bleed out the a$$! no. And still a locked bootloader!
NastroGlide said:
We can't help but feel that we're being lied to by Asus. These things are f'd up and being sent back as fast as they can ship them. Very disappointed in Asus for this massive f'up. 1% failure rate my a$$. I was totally ready to accept a unit w non functioning GPS (as I won't use it), but screen bleed out the a$$! no. And still a locked bootloader!
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I know how you feel (except I would use the GPS). But I'm sure local retailers are wrong, and a boat-load of fully functional TFP's are on their way to retailers.
I bet the retailers got caught up in reading XDA posts and didn't pay attention to their actual return rates, which are less than 1%, like Gary said.
Seriously looking forward to Gary's reply. I know he has a couple PM's, but with less than 1% defects, spending 30 seconds addressing this thread will clear things up for a lot of existing and potential customers.
NCIX in Canada shows >53 in stock of 32 and 64 gb versions. I bought one there last month and it was such a hassle returning. I had to demonstrate all issues to the service guy and he was very reluctant to take it back until he got the ok from ASUS. I won't be buying my next tablet from them. Their return policy is horrible.
I am awaiting confirmation on this forum that a new batch is on its way.
West coast.

Newegg: Evo View 4G $249

In case anyone's still interested in purchasing:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0EJ-0009-00001
Amazing that there have been so many deals for the View. Is HTC trying to kill off its stock? I absolutely love mine. The only thing I'd ask is for it to be slightly lighter, but aside from that, the hardware is absolutely perfect for me.
I was gonna buy it, but after looking at the reviews of the marketplace seller I just cant do it.
Seems like even the 5 star reviews were saying the seller was horrible.
jacobbones said:
I was gonna buy it, but after looking at the reviews of the marketplace seller I just cant do it.
Seems like even the 5 star reviews were saying the seller was horrible.
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Probably the majority of the users here with the View purchased theirs through through that seller - 1SaleADay. Most of us got it directly from the 1SaleADay website when they had it for sale there more than once. Yes, they're very slow and may not respond to questions, but it's because their products are dropped shipped. While it's no excuse for poor customer service, the fact is that they are merely a middle man selling the product. They don't actually have the product in stock at their own warehouses. It's wholly dependent on the company with the stock to get things shipped out. Again, it's no excuse, but it helps to provide a better understanding of what kind of company they are, along with how they're able to offer things cheaper than many other companies.
That said, everyone received their Views ordered through 1SaleADay in new, as-described condition (with the few exceptions that there always are when anything is shipped from any company). Purchasing through New Egg provides an added layer of protection for the buyer that none of us who purchased directly from 1SaleADay had. So if you really want one, I wouldn't let the seller put you off from buying it in this case. Generally I wouldn't say that for marketplace sellers (feedback is a great way to know who to buy from and who not to buy from), but in this case, it's a little different. It's a good price for a great device.
bsweetness said:
Probably the majority of the users here with the View purchased theirs through through that seller - 1SaleADay. Most of us got it directly from the 1SaleADay website when they had it for sale there more than once. Yes, they're very slow and may not respond to questions, but it's because their products are dropped shipped.
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What is dropped shipped? I haven't heard that term before.
I got mine from eBay before Christmas from that one seller that sold 2000 in one day and then 3000 in one day the week after (bidallies I believe). No soft packing material, just cardboard, but mine arrived without a scratch. I'd say dealing with Newegg is the absolute best place to buy it, since you get their guarantee. It clearly says there is a 1 year warranty too, so that helps.
Paul22000 said:
What is dropped shipped? I haven't heard that term before.
I got mine from eBay before Christmas from that one seller that sold 2000 in one day and then 3000 in one day the week after (bidallies I believe). No soft packing material, just cardboard, but mine arrived without a scratch. I'd say dealing with Newegg is the absolute best place to buy it, since you get their guarantee. It clearly says there is a 1 year warranty too, so that helps.
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The all-knowing Wikipedia explains it better than I can:
"Drop shipping is a supply chain management technique in which the retailer does not keep goods in stock, but instead transfers customer orders and shipment details to either the manufacturer or a wholesaler, who then ships the goods directly to the customer. As in retail businesses, the majority of retailers make their profit on the difference between the wholesale and retail price but some retailers earn an agreed percentage of the sales in commission, paid by the wholesaler to the retailer."
So, the seller doesn't have the actual items, they ship from somewhere else, and the seller has little information on the items beyond what the manufacturer or wholesaler gives them. It definitely makes good customer service more difficult. It's not an excuse for the complete lack of customer service that 1SaleADay has however.
With the View, which ships from the U.S., this isn't so much of a problem. Pretty much everyone received their orders in a week to a week and a half. Where most of 1SaleADay's negative feedback comes from is much of the other stuff they sell, which is actually held and shipped from somewhere overseas (often China). Many of the items are sub-par, they break easily (often in transit), and it takes far too long for them to arrive. Before ordering my View, I had made two previous purchases through their site. The items arrived as described, and they worked just fine, but it took over three weeks for them to arrive. In addition to this, given the nature of how they do business, it's next to impossible to return anything through 1SaleADay or receive a refund. So, people buy cheap junk from them, it takes a month to arrive from somewhere overseas, and then when it doesn't work or breaks quickly, they're unable to get a refund or replacement, and in turn leave negative feedback (which is understandable). But sometimes, they do sell some good stuff, like the View. And I'd feel even more comfortable purchasing through New Egg because they have other customer protection measures in place.
Well I ended up buying the evo from newegg.
Im in no rush for it anyways. See how it goes
I ordered mine from 1saleaday and received it within 5 days of the order.

Best Buy keeps saying the prime is discontinued.

First of all, let me just say that I have a prime with a working gps (accuracy down to 5 feet) and I absolutely love my prime. The only way I'm going to replace my prime is if I can get my hands on the infinity.
I just called 4 different best buys to ask if they have a prime. I've been looking for one as a gift for someone. All 4 told me the prime is discontinued. And to prove that this is not just another rumor thread, here are the individual best buys I called.
350 W Army Trail Rd
Bloomingdale, IL 60108
Phone: 630-582-1070
GEO: 41.937950, -88.110245
1561 S Randall Rd
Algonquin, IL 60102
Phone: 847-458-5768
GEO: 42.156265, -88.333092
1830 Towne Centre Drive
North Aurora, IL 60542
Phone: 630-906-5889
GEO: 41.79631, -88.36679
1876 S Randall Rd
Geneva, IL 60134
Phone: 630-845-1986
GEO: 41.867233, -88.342552
Asus has to stop selling their Prime if they want to sell their Infinity at all, unless they expect to sell their Infinity 32GB at lesat $650. That's without the keyboard. So you are talking about $750 for a tablet. I never thought I would ever see prices on a tablet in my life go towards this much but that's the only way Asus could sell both of them together. They can't lower the price on the Prime because of course they already have the 300 in there. Just another company releasing too many products on top of one another without making one perfect. Too bad. The potential "was" there.
I was in a best buy last weekend that had the 201 and 300 both on display. They were even on an end cap prominently displayed with signs and everything. Also had a demo guy walking around with a 201 showing it to people.
Amazon has them and the dock is $108.
I got a refund for my prime purchased on Feb. 3rd and had no problem finding a prime at Best Buy. I did a search this morning on their website, found 2 stores in Austin that said in stock, went in an hour ago and walked out with a new gray tone prime. On Friday I did a search and none of the stores had them in stock. They must have gotten a shipment in this week. Sales guy said they sold one yesterday also.
I will say sales rep was pushing the t300 hard. Mainly for the cost of it. Get the keyboard dock with it and it would have been $50 more than the prime. It really is a good deal but I'm hoping the C4 I got will perform better than the C1 with wifi/bt. I also already have a case I like for the prime and the gps dongle. I didn't know if they would be compatible and have 30days to test out this model for issues.
You can try calling the stores here in Austin and see if they will ship you one from their location.
Its pretty cool that Best Buy is now in charge of ASUS manufacturing. Especially democratic of them to let the idiots who can't tell me the difference between DSLR and point and shoot cameras decide what the consumer wants.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda app-developers app
Second that...
Ready2Mosh said:
Amazon has them and the dock is $108.
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Best buy is the worst place to buy one anyway (and worst place to buy most anything else too).
Even if you need it right away, Amazon is a better place to buy. With my Amazon Prime membership I could get two day shipping for free and overnight for just $4.00 more. When I got mine a couple of weeks ago now, the device itself was $25 less than retail/best buy and as mentioned the keyboard/dock was $108 rather than retail. Then throw in no sales tax.
Even without the prime membership you could probably get two day shipping and still pay much less than best buy.
If its isn't discontinued, it is going to quietly disappear soon, especially with the Infinity being around the corner.
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OP / GoodIntentions
I know the feeling you have. I live in IL as well, the bestbuys around me plus the ones in other towns I go through for my work all say "the prime is discontinued".
Which seems to be a regional thing cause I've heard of them being sold in other states, but it seems IL just wants to sell the TF300 - no offense to it but I dont see why they released it, it's less powerful. But then again thats a different kettle of fish.
I hope you find one for sale. If you cant I would recommend amazon, thats where I got mine at - I'm very happy with it! Got it with the dock as well, and again no problems with it!
So what? The TF201 is discontinued. Its not like product support will end. The Transformer TF101 will be supported for awhile and the TF201 even longer.
I love my Prime and it works great. The Infinity replaces it.
If only there was a way to get the $105 dock to Australia, can't seem to find any docks around here.
Do we REALLY need another one of these threads?
Bestbuy reps usually have no idea wtf is going on.
Know that saying only a fool takes a fool's advice? well....
Also, what company do you know of that has ever announced its discontinued a product line? Ever?
We already know the prime had limited availability pretty much worldwide. Far too much demand, not enough supply. IF you hit a store when they got a shipment you were golden, if you were too late you had to wait around for another shipment.
My local BB and FS stopped stocking the prime, they are selling it as a web only. They can order it to the store if you ask a rep that knows how, otherwise they try to sell you something else saying its "just as good".
You could have done a quick search and gotten the answer to this:
"discontinued" on best buy's system isnt asus discontinuing the prime. its a code that comes up when the SKU is searched. It just means best buy is no longer ordering that particular thing for restock. it has nothing to do with asus manufacturing.
the reason, im just is that logically the prime has no place in the asus ecosystem anymore. peole that want a midrange tablet can get the 300, people that want the upscale can get the 700 for $500, the same price as a prime. theres no upshot for them to continue ordering old models that serve no purpose.
fwiw HMV in the UK has Primes in the stores again.
pileot said:
Bestbuy reps usually have no idea wtf is going on.
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Heh...the guy at the local Best Buy said the TF201 was discontinued because of the legal issues surrounding the Transformer Prime name lol
AdyCarter said:
fwiw HMV in the UK has Primes in the stores again.
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In the US they are still readily available from Amazon.com....but the price has gone up about $60. I bought mine a couple of weeks ago for $475 with free prime shipping. The same thing today is $534. I have to wonder if the supply is drying up?
At the same time their pricing on used ones has dropped from $415to $360..
Anyway it seems to me that the only way they could keep selling the prime would be to drop its price to no more than $400 - but then they would have to drop the TF300 down to about $300. So you would end up with a three device lineup at $300, $400, and $500 (TF300, TF201, TF700). Wonder how much they have to get for them to actually make money? Seems like they would come out ahead by just discontinuing the prime and leaving the 300 priced as it is.
Still - I think I got mine at a good time
ratman6161 said:
In the US they are still readily available from Amazon.com....but the price has gone up about $60. I bought mine a couple of weeks ago for $475 with free prime shipping. The same thing today is $534. I have to wonder if the supply is drying up?
At the same time their pricing on used ones has dropped from $415to $360..
Anyway it seems to me that the only way they could keep selling the prime would be to drop its price to no more than $400 - but then they would have to drop the TF300 down to about $300. So you would end up with a three device lineup at $300, $400, and $500 (TF300, TF201, TF700). Wonder how much they have to get for them to actually make money? Seems like they would come out ahead by just discontinuing the prime and leaving the 300 priced as it is.
Still - I think I got mine at a good time
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It went up because Amazon is out of stock on that particular model, so it lists a market reseller whom is trying to make a little more.
Note that Amazon has the champagne model listed today at 479 and free shipping. Must have dug a few up.
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goodintentions said:
I just called 4 different best buys to ask if they have a prime. I've been looking for one as a gift for someone. All 4 told me the prime is discontinued.
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These stores could simply mean that their specific Bestbuy stores are no longer carrying the Prime. Or it could mean that Bestbuy in general is no longer going to carry the Prime.
This could be because they are preparing for the Infinity to reach stores in the next month or so and don't want to buy inventory of a tablet very similar to the Infinity and which is due for a price drop. Or it could be because they already offer the TP300 and are getting the Infinity and see no need to offer 3 very similar tablets rather than stocking products from other vendors.
In any case, Asus has said that they are still manufacturing the Prime and new stock keeps showing up at Amazon and other retailers. Given that Asus manufactures the Prime I would trust Asus to know more about the manufacturing lifespan of their product over any retailer.
With Asus and the TF700 don't count your chickens before they hatch! With Asus's track record the TF700 may fall into their normal black hole of device release delays! Or even worse than that is that they will release 100 the first week, 200 the second week, etc... and then rave about how they can't keep them on the shelves!
My local BB still had 3 in stock and a few keyboards too.

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