Snowshack

Full review
I live a couple hours from Canada and a couple hours from the Adirondack Mountains so to say we get a lot of snow in my area is an understatement. I have a husband and two sons who live for winter – ice fishing, sledding, snowshoeing, skiing – name it, they do it. Me? I wear 900 layers and sit in the clubhouses or the car and shiver. Still, now and then I venture out in the white stuff if only to appease the men of the house.

My husband and sons love Snow Shack (www.snowshack.com) and often shop there. I recently bought some things for them there as well and I see why they love it so much (although, I would much rather have been buying a bikini and a lounge chair).

What the Site Sells

If you need it, use it, want it, or have seen it for snow sports, these guys sell it. It claims to be a “Ski, Snowboard and Snowsports Accessories” shop but there is so much more from apparel to winter sports videos and DVDs to well, like I said, if it has to do with snow sports, it’s sold on the site. They have items for men, women, kids, and unisex stuff.

Variety

There are hundreds of name brand items to choose from. This is a huge website with many, many categories of items for the snow sporting enthusiast.

Navigation

This is a large site but it is broken down well. You can choose from categories or manufacturer then hone down your search even more from there. Or you can use the search box to input a keyword to find what you’re looking for.

All important informational links are clearly on the left side so you don’t have to search for information on shipping, returns, customer service etc. I like that on website. I don’t like to search for hidden links.

Once you find something you are interested in, click on the photo and you will get a good description, sizing if needed, and the price. Descriptions are great and very detailed. Photos can be enlarged so you can see the details of the item.

Click to add the desired item to your cart and continue or go to checkout.

Once at checkout, you fill out your personal info and choose from a variety of shipping options.

I don’t like that you don’t know what the shipping is until after you pick a shipping option and go to the next step, having filled in all your info. I like to know upfront what shipping is going to cost. However, the next screen tells you the shipping costs for the option you chose.

There is no tax to my state. Only those in Massachusetts need to pay 5% tax. Everyone else gets a tax break.

Next, you provide them with a major credit card (MasterCard, Visa, America Express, or Discover) and expiry or opt to finish the order by phone or send a money order.

I used a credit card and got a confirmation number immediately and an email right after.

A couple days later, I got a shipping notification email with a tracking number and within about five or six days, my items were at my doorstep, securely packed and in great shape.

My Experience

My sons needed “wicked warm” gloves for ice fishing and other snow sports and I wanted to buy my husband a few things. I did a lot of browsing and reading of descriptions because I wasn’t sure what to get exactly but the descriptions and comparisons on the site helped make my decisions easier.

The items were not cheap but the quality is very high. This site isn’t for the twenty minute snow bunny (*ahem* like me), it is for serious snow sports enthusiasts.

There were so many items to choose from that I was on the site quite a while but I finally made my choices and went to the checkout.

I didn’t know the shipping and, again, that bugged me. But after I input my info (but not my credit card number) I saw what it would cost and was pleasantly surprised. They definitely don’t gouge people on shipping.

I went with UPS Ground which is the cheapest method and completed my order. I got the order email and the shipping email and the items just as promised. My kids love the gloves and I won’t know what my husband thinks of his gifts for another few days (Christmas is around the corner). I have a feeling he will like them though. The quality is wonderful.

Everything went very smoothly and, after I received the gloves, I did some checking on other websites and the same gloves I bought were higher priced on the sites I checked so I feel confident that I got a good deal and quality items.

Extras

If you refer five friends to the site and they make an order, you will get free shipping on your next order. They have a box you click and can send a short note to five or more friends telling them about the site. When five friends have made an order, your name and info is earmarked so that the next time you make an order, you automatically get free shipping.

They have a free newsletter with special promotions and raffles for customers who choose to be on their list.

Shipping and Returns

Shipping is dependent on weight and method. They offer UPS and US Postal Service shipping as well as a number of expedited shipping options. They send to Canada as well and have a separate set of shipping methods and prices for that country. The only glitch is you just don’t know how much shipping will be until you add it to the cart and go to checkout and see. It’s a pain and I wish there was a better way to find out shipping costs on this site.

You can return any item for a refund minus shipping charges within 30 days but it must be in new, unused condition. You may also exchange for something else. If you want an exchange quickly, you can order what you want and input the coupon code “EXCHANGEORDER”. You will receive free shipping on that order and then you can send back the item you don’t want and get a refund. I like that a lot. I hate waiting for exchanges and yet don’t want to make a new order and pay double shipping. This is the first time I have seen this type of offer on a website and I shop on many, many sites.

If the item is defective or the wrong one was sent, you need to contact the company and they will give you instructions on how to return the item and get the correct one or an undamaged one.

Contact Info

To order, you can call: 1-877-669-7422

For customer service, you can call: 1-508-785-3242. This is not a toll free number and I don’t like that. I feel they should provide a toll free number to their customers for questions and after care. I know long distance charges are quite low these days but still. I sure don’t want to pay to call them about a problem or questions with an order I am paying for.

For any inquiries, you can email them at: sales@snowshack.com

Lastly, their physical address is:

Snowshack
36 Pleasant Street
Dover, MA 02030

Conclusion

This is a great site with just a couple minor things that tick me off. I don’t like not knowing what my shipping charges are until I go through the checkout process. And I don’t like that they don’t have a toll free customer service number.

Aside from those two things, this site is great. They have so many items from fairly inexpensive (like I said, nothing is cheap) to very expensive and so many brand names that I can’t imagine you would not be able to find what you were looking for if it pertained to snow sports on the site. Navigation is fairly straightforward, descriptions are very good, and prices seem to be competitive.

I give this site 4 stars. It would be a 5 if they had a toll free number for customer service and a better way to get at least an estimate of shipping charges that wasn’t such a pain to get to. Still, don’t let that deter you. This is a heck of a site for anyone who steps out into the snow (even for someone like me who is trying to convince people I am allergic to it and MUST move to Hawaii immediately).

Happy shopping and stay warm!