Odd (but favorable) price for Drivesmart 76

Amazon may have been able to negotiate a better price from Garmin.

an amazon shareholder, so disclaimer goes up front.

I've never been one to mix being a shareholder, with business practices. Tried that in the early 90's and noticed a correlation between "doing the right thing" and "poor returns."

I don't know what a Drivesmart 76 is, but from a simple google search, it appears to be a unit that lists for $299.99, and amazon has it for $199.99.

Amazon, not a third party seller.

One clue--put it in my cart and go to checkout--it will be delivered 10/31. Not the typical 10/25 (on something this price), or 10/26. Red flag.

Will a person get the item at that price? I'd say 60% chance, no way to know unless one tries.

Amazon is notorious for listing things at a super low price, then, it pends, even though the item is in stock.

I've seen people who got synthetic motor oil at seemingly half price. Amazon will delay the fulfillment, then, send repeated communications that if you still want this item, you need to acknowledge. One person played this game for 2 years, only to have amazon cancel the order. All the while, it was in stock.

I asked on the forum why they would do that, and was told AI generated listings/offers.

At any rate, my clue or the common factor is that the item is in stock, but fulfillment is pushed out into the future. Many items are same day for where we live, and basically tomorrow for the rest.

The Drivesmart 76 is showing standard delivery to be 10/31, a clue to me there's a hedge at their end.

I know that Bezos said amazon will be out of business one day--I hope I know to sell the shares prior. These things usually take us by surprise.

by the way I have an order for a GoPro at seemingly 30% less than the prime day price, sitting since August. I don't expect to ever get it, just keep it as an active order to remind myself of the dishonest practice.

It arrived today (Saturday UPS delivery - 2 to 3 days earlier than initial Amazon estimate). It was shipped directly from Garmin. And it appears to function normally.

GPS demand is probably quite low and Amazon managed to dust these off and are trying to find some more shelf space for cheap ewaste instead that will bring them more sales.

…you did well. Post a review after getting familiar with the unit.

What is meant by it was shipped directly from Garmin. What criteria drew that conclusion? All of these folks and sometimes amazon, use 3PLs to fulfill orders. I would not think Garmin is large enough to run their own DCs. They're a tiny company.

…from the Amazon site it says Shipper/ Seller is Amazon.com and now the earliest delivery is November 11th.

Admittedly Garmin’s current focus is on wearables, but their major US operational headquarters is in Olathe, Kansas, with almost 5,000 employees. They hold a 15.8% market share in the wearable device manufacturing industry within the United States. Their annual revenue for 2024 was just over $6 billion.

The shipper's address on the UPS label is "G International, Olathe KS"

Good deal. Might have to consider an upgrade.