Before I start I must say I was planning to getting around to writing a review on this company at some point, but noticed that another review had already been written on the same topic. However, after looking closer it was clear how the reviewer had obviously had a totally different experience to me so I thought it would be good to right a review sooner rather than later to help people who may have seen this companies website.
++Who are they++
Valueshop is a trading name for a company called Prime Source. They are based in London and specialise in catering for both business and individual private buyers printing needs.
They primarily ship to the UK but will also dispatch items to other countries within the EU.
++What do they sell++
As I said earlier they specifically provide printers and accessories. This means that they are able to offer a wider range of products at cheaper prices then say a general shop. They also appear to sell products at a much cheaper price than what you can get on the high street.
I am going to divide what they sell into the different categories, which they use on their own website. The main categories are:
-Inkjet cartridges
-Laser cartridges
-Cleaning cartridges
-Refill kits
-Photo paper
-Printers
-Printer cables
-Inkjet cartridges-
Here they sell cartridges for Canon, Epson, HP, Lexmark and Xerox (as well as any other makes that use cartridges that fit these brands of printers).
They sell a wide of variety of cartridges including original brand name products as well as remanufactured cartridges, all for reasonable prices.
In the future they will also include cartridges for Compaq and Kodak printers.
-Laser Cartridges-
They currently only supply these for HP laser machines, which is a shame as they appear to be cheaply priced. However, from experience I know that a lot of companies do use HP
laser printers, so if you were only going to cater for one make then these would probably be the one to go for.
As with the inkjet cartridges they sell both original HP accessories as well as compatible ones from other brands.
-Cleaning cartridges-
Currently they only supply these cleaning cartridges for Epson models.
These are designed to clean the heads of Epson printers, as unlike other manufacturers such as HP and Lexmark they fix a permanent print head to the printer itself rather than on the cartridge itself. Consequently if the print head becomes blocked the printing quality will reduce and the printer effectively becomes useless.
-Refill Kits-
These are used to fill up empty (or nearly empty) inkjet cartridges, saving you money. They come in two different forms. Firstly there are refill inks and secondly bulk ink bottles.
The refill inks are kits that are ideal for those who have not refilled a cartridge before, who consequently have none of the equipment necessary for the task. Commonly they include the required inks, cleaning fluid as well as the syringe that is used to transfer ink from the bottle into the cartridge. They often also include black and colour inks.
The bulk ink bottles are ideal for people who have all the required equipment who just need some more ink.
-Photo paper-
You would use photo paper for the printing of high quality images from a photo quality printer (or standard inkjet). This comes in a variety of different forms with different sizes and qualities.
Under this section they also sell such items as iron on transfers for transferring an image from your computer onto a T-shirt, greeting cards, as well as standard printer paper.
They sell both Epson and Imagepro accessories in this section.
-Printers-
In this section they sell a fair variety of inkjet printers from Canon, Epson and Lexmark. These range in basic inkjet printers at under £40 to multifunctional devices that will scan, copy and print for over £100.
-Printer cables-
In this section they supply several different cables, either USB or parallel, of different lengths at again reasonable prices.
For example you can get a 1.8m USB cable with type A and type B connectors (i.e. one plugs into the back of the printer and the other into your computer) for £2.95 including VAT and standard delivery.
++Guides++
As well as selling different printer consumables they also have several FREE online guides to do with printers and their consumables. These include:
-explaining the different types of ink cartridges,
-how to refill ink cartridges (HP, Lexmark and Canon) with pictures and written instructions for the different types,
-how to choose what inkjet or laser printer to purchase (and what things to take into consideration),
-information on the different types of paper and lastly
-some very useful tips to do with maintaining printers and fixing them (not too technical though!)
++Delivery++
There are four different charges for delivery depending on the order total and how long you want to wait. These are (for the UK only):
-Standard delivery (3 to 5 working days for orders between £0 to £49) is completely FREE.
-Standard delivery (3 to 5 working days for orders £50 and above) is £3.95.
-Standard delivery (3 to 5 working days for printers and laser cartridges) is £3.95. However, their website does point out that an extra charge may apply for orders with two or more laser cartridges.
-Express delivery (1 to 2 working days) £4.95. Note this is the price you pay no matter what you are buying and does not get added on top of the standard delivery charge.
For any other country in the EU you need to email them to enquire about delivery charges.
I have only ever ordered inkjet cartridges from this company (qualifying for free delivery) and have been amazed at the speed of service. I have always received the goods before the 3 to 5 guide. For example, my last order was on a late afternoon on Saturday. Therefore the order should have been delivered between Wednesday and Friday. However, I received my order (in a small packet with layer of bubble wrap inside by Royal Mail First Class post by 9am on Tuesday, so really there is no need to pay the extra for the express service.
As they deliver these small orders by first class post it means that you don’t have to worry about being at home when they deliver, as you don’t have to sign for it and they just put it through your letter box.
I assume that the larger orders (e.g. printers and toner cartridges) are delivered by courier however, because I haven’t any of these I cannot comment.
++Payment++The easiest way to pay is by using a credit or debit card online. They currently use an organisation called ‘World Pay’ (who quite a few other websites use) to process these types of transactions. They accept Visa, Mastercard, Diners, American Express, JCB, Switch, Solo and Electron.
To pay by an alternative method you will need to phone them to ask about this.
++Refunds++
If you are unhappy with the goods you have ordered (e.g. you have bought the wrong thin etc…) you can return it to them (you have to pay the postage charge) within 14 days after receipt of your order in as good as new condition and they will refund the full amount within 14 days.
Faulty items can be returned (up to a year after purchase) for a full refund including postage or a replacement if possible.
++What I like about the site++
There are several things I like about the site, including that its easy to use, good colouring (not too bright and not too dark) and also the way in which you can select products. To make it easier for you to understand I will take you through the ordering process that I go through.
++How to place an order++
Firstly on the left hand side of the homepage I select ‘Inkjet cartridges’, then a range of different printer makes appear, so I choose ‘Lexmark’. A new page then loads offering you two options. Firstly you can select your printer model and see all the different cartridges they sell for you particular model. Therefore I select ‘Lexmark Z33’. Then a new page is loaded with in this case the four different cartridges that are available. Otherwise if you know the printer cartridge model number then instead of selecting the printer model you can just select this from a drop down menu. After you have found the cartridge you require you just type in the number you require and click the ‘add’ button to put it in your ‘cart’. In the cart view you can then pay the order or continue shopping.
You can also place an order by telephone or fax (numbers below)
++What's a typical saving on using them instead of going elsewhere++
As those who have read my review on it will know my printer is a Lexmark Z33 printer. It takes four different models of original Lexmark cartridges. Two are cheaper, but contain less ink, so I always buy the ones that are more expensive but contain more. These cartridges are 10N0016 (Black) and 10N0026 (Colour).
Including standard delivery for orders under £50 I get them from here at £17.95 and £17.99 respectively, including VAT. At well known high street retailers the prices I found were £20.99 and £26.99 (Black) and £22.99 and £27.99 (Colour). However, if you wanted these delivered you would have to pay £2.95 or £3.95 extra.
Therefore by having them delivered I am saving up to £12.99 (Black) and £13.95 (Colour), which if you work it out over a yearly consumption is quite a big saving.
++How to contact them++
The different methods of contacting them are:
Website: www.valueshop.co.uk
Phone and fax number: 02084721579 (Open 10am to 5pm – Weekdays)
Email: sales@valueshop.co.uk
Postal address: Prime Source, Valueshop.co.uk, 108B High Street South, East Ham, London, E6 3RL.
++Conclusion++
I would strongly recommend anyway who buys printing consumables to have a look at the prices on here before buying elsewhere. I have never had any problems with any orders or the websites whenever I have used them.
Thanks for reading.
by (9%):
by (4%):
23.12.2008 15:24
This strikes me as an advert rather than a review. Pehaps it was written by the company owner or a member of staff ? It tends to put me off using this company !!
09.10.2004 23:33
An excellent level of detail here - and a great find! I never knew this website existed!! Thank you, kels x
13.08.2004 18:09
WOW amazing....have you got shares in the company :o)