Sewnoma

I'm OK with buying fairly inexpensive machines online, but anything that's going to cost more than $600 or so, I want to buy from a local dealer.

I purchased two Brother machines from Amazon (a CS6000i and a PE-770) and both worked fine right out of the box. For my Janomes (6600 and 3160) I bought them through the local dealer. They've all been good machines and I don't regret buying any of them. (The CS6000i now belongs to my niece and nephew but the rest are all still mine and used regularly.)

romanojg

I would go on line to my local store that actually post pics and prices and ships their machines, new and used. They will answer questions, etc but still be there. I've seen them ship across country because the buyer said it was cheaper paying the shipping than paying the price where she was on the west coast. By the way, I only shop and take classes at this store so I get nothing from them except for the satisfaction of passing on a great shop. It's Bella's Fabric in Suffolk VA.

MaggieLou

I've also used Ken's Sewing Center. I bought my Brother PE-770 from them. Anytime I've had questions they have been very helpful.

peppermint31

I purchased 4 Pfaff 1471's on Ebay. I always make sure that the seller has a very high % positive feedback. One I gave to my daughter and one will be a wedding present for my granddaughter and the other 2 I use all the time.

grann of 6

I agree with everyone else. I have 5 Vikings that I bought from the Sewing Gallery in my Joann store. One thing you should consider is if your Viking store will service a machine not purchased from them. Mine will not. When I am buying such a high end machine as a Viking (or any other high end machine for that matter) I want to know I have customer service should any problems crop up.

patmadrid

I purchased my long arm machine( machine, frame and computer) from Sewing Machines Plus. I thought the price was excellent. They offer a wide variety of machines and supplies. There are several things to think about when purchasing online.

1.Having someone locally to assist when needed can be priceless. I could have used someone to assist when I set up the machine.
2. While their customer service is good. I have to leave a message and it is at least 24 hours before I get a call back. Trying to explain an issue over the phone can be tricky. They give you some things to try.....they don't work.....you call them back.....and wait another 24 hours. For me this is very frustrating.
3. When I had to return the machine for warranty work, I had to pay for shipping to them. They paid for return shipping. The cheapest way to ship was $180.00. This could turn out to be very costly.

If I had to do it again, I would spend a little more and purchase locally. Sometimes a cheaper price is not the best value.

mengler

I agree. Be very careful with ebay unless you know exactly what you're getting. I've bought a couple of basic used machines on Craigslist for DD and GD but I was able to try them first. Also sold one on CL. Sewitsforsale sale is a yahoo group that is by and for sewing folks. I've had good luck there but never bought a machine. I may be foolish but I believe most sew -ers are honest at least about their sewing equipment. Ebay and CL - the seller often knows little about the item or sewing in general. My 2cents.

Shorebird

Please note: Husqvarna Viking machines are NOT sold by Joanns - Viking rents "space" inside Joanns stores, but they are a totally separate company. You are dealing with Viking employees there, not Joanns employees.

You really do need a good local dealer for servicing your machine, training, classes, etc on these machines ( I have owned 5 and still have one ) - and should really consider purchasing from that dealer as opposed to on-line.

Hope this helps clear up any misunderstanding.

matraina

PaperPrincess is correct. Viking is a store in a store at JoAnn's.

matraina

I agree. They are very helpful. They just didn't have the machine I wanted.