Please excuse the tone of this post as I am both excited and horrified. There I was, minding my own business browsing the tool categories at Amazon, when I came across Craftsman tools offered for sale. First Ridgid tools are picked up and added to their product catalog, now Craftsman?
Craftsman tools being offered for sale by 3rd parties on Amazon is nothing new, but these tools are offered for sale directly by Amazon. Oh, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
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None of the product numbers that we checked matched the product numbers of similarly described tools on Sears.com or in the Craftsman/Sears tool catalog. This means that either the products are different, or their deisgnations were deliberately changed for another reason.
Since the product descriptions are quite limited and lacking as these items are “new arrivals,” and there are few product photos, we sought out to compare a few tools and accessories.
For our first comparison, we investigated a Craftsman 5 piece wrench box off set. Our best guess is that this is analogous to Craftsman’s 5pc deep offset wrench set. Amazon is currently offering the set for $80.99, compared to Sears’ price of $42 ($50 in some stores).
We then tried for a second comparison. What we found was that there appeared to be special sets not found on Sears.com. On Amazon, we found a 19-piece punch and chisel set. On Sears.com, we found an 18-piece set with different components. For reference, the 19-piece set on Amazon is $135. A 38-piece set on Sears.com is $110.
We also noticed a 16-piece Craftsman professional screwdriver set priced at $130. We then took a look at Sears.com, and saw that there were two 16-piece sets. One was comprised of three separate smaller sets, and the other set included phillips and slotted drivers, for $90. The Amazon set has slotted, Phillips, and Torx drivers.
7-piece nutdriver with storage roll via Amazon: $61. 7-piece nutdriver set without storage roll via Sears: $30.
17-inch plastic tool box via Amazon: $21. 17-inch plastic tool box via Sears: $15 (currently on sale for $13.50).
So what is going on? Right now it seems that many of the Craftsman tool sets available on Amazon are custom assortments exclusively arranged or packaged for Amazon. But what is the purpose of this? To confuse consumers? To discourage product and price comparisons?
A new partnerships like this doesn’t just happen in the middle of the night, but we are completely unable to find a press release about it. Please let us know if you’re able to find out something that we missed.
Craftsman Hand & Power Tools via Amazon
Craftsman Tool Storage via Amazon
rusty
This is very confusing to say the least. Frightening to say the worst.
Jacob
I bet their from china!
Stuart
@Jacob,
If you look at many of the products’ descriptions, you’ll see explicit mention that the tools are “made in the USA” and have a “lifetime warranty.”
Karl
“these tools are offered for sale *directly* by Amazon”
Does anyone know exactly what this means? Does Amazon buy from manufacturers, warehouse the product, and ship it themselves? Or do you buy it from Amazon and they tell the manufacturer to ship it to you?
Stuart
Karl,
I am fairly certain that this means that Amazon orders the merchandise, offers it for sale, and ships it fromt their warehouse. I do not see any indication that the items would be drop-shipped.
For reference, items “fulfilled by Amazon” are shipped by Amazon, but sold by partnered 3rd parties. Then there are 3rd parties that independently sell and ship ordered items.
Chris
Seems pretty simple to me. To boost sales Craftsman/Sears have made SKUs specifically for Amazon. Probably the same tools, same manufacture, same everything just different sku number/count.
Kinda of how when CC was around you never found the same TV, at CC or BestBuy. Similar TV, same features, but different sku number.
All ways to drive more sales.
DICK DECKERT
THIS IS A WALMART LOOKELOO! everyone knows wall’s specifies the product specs or they won’t carry the product. a very bad way to do business. the ethics of business has changed to “get the buck anyway you can!” sorry America. we created a monster and have to live and die by it.