First the discount...
While searching for some electronic parts I found a nice little site called SafetyEd. They sell a number of Smarthome products at around a 20% discount off the Smarthome price (and others at full price). It turns out they are a Smarthomepro dealer and the orders are actually fulfilled directly by Smarthome. Not a bad deal, and worth checking out.

Now the Caveat Emptor...
I received the products I ordered with no problems. I then checked out the Packing Slip/Invoice from Smarthomepro (which was in the box) and took a moment to read their return policy, where I found this:

Returns for refunds, whether returned as non-defective or defective, will be charged a 15% restocking fee.

I have NEVER heard of a vendor charging a restocking fee on a defective item. In fact, a defective item is, hopefully, not restocked, it should be returned to the manufacturer. IMHO, this amounts to profiting on the sale of defective products. (Note, there is no fee if a store credit is taken. But, the credit goes to SafetyEd, not you!)

So, you decide, is 5% off worth exposing yourself to a return policy that would make Scrooge smile.

I didn't check more than the I/O-Linc but it looks like they have inflated list prices. For example, the I/O-Linc from them is the same price MacHomeStore.com has. They both cost $45.99 but SafetyEd has a jacked up list price of $58.99.

Matt:

That is true for some products, but not for others, like the interface probes.

Also, careful of the shipping costs - they wanted $10 to ship that iolinc probe that you pointed out the other day (which cost $20). Still cheaper than Smarthome with shipping, but it's not exactly the great deal that it appeared to be...

They aren't alone in this: just about every site that carries this kind of stuff charges exorbitant prices for shipping IMO. That probe, for instance, could be mailed in a padded envelope for significantly less than $10.

jay wrote:Also, careful of the shipping costs

Yeah, I noticed that. But, that charge is per order, no matter how many items you buy, so, with careful planning I was able to save $10 on my order and come out slightly ahead on the shipping. But, as you and Matt note YMMV, and there is the return Policy. I'd of bought them at MacHomeStore, but I didn't see them on their site, and it was a Sunday.