Advantages and Disadvantages to Buying a Device Overseas

There are many amazing deals on products sourced outside of North America available online. A lot of these products are fantastic, but there are some things to keep in mind when purchasing a product from the lesser-known brands:

Advantages:

1. The Cost
The biggest advantage from buying a device from outside of the country is cost. Because sellers do not have a storefront to maintain and often rely on word-of-mouth advertising, devices with similar specs to name-brand products can be had for a little as a third of the cost.

2. Factory Unlocked
Phones in North America may be locked to their cellular provider – meaning that another sim card from another carrier won’t work. It can range from affordable to expensive to purchase a code that allows a phone to work on any network. Devices imported from other countries are usually factory unlocked and unbranded so they do not contain any carrier bloatware.

Disadvantages:

1. Quality Control & Customer Support
One of the biggest disadvantages to buying a device from a lesser-known brand name is the quality control. While often these phone components are made in the same factories as the big brands and everything will work fine, there isn’t an easy way to get warranty service or support in the event that something breaks. While many reputable foreign retailers will offer returns in case a product is of poor quality, the buyer will often have to pay the high cost of shipping the device back. There really is no way around this one – it’s one of the biggest risks to buying overseas. The best way to purchase a reliable device is read as many reviews as possible. The more individuals saying the item is great, the more likely it is true. If there are no reviews, there’s probably a good reason.

2. Shipping Speed
While many sellers from Asia offer free shipping, the speed is slow, ranging from 2 to 5 weeks. Some sellers will offer expedited shipping from Asia but it’s not cheap. Occasionally it is possible to buy these products locally, but there will be a mark-up ranging from 10-25%.

3. Knockoffs
Knockoff devices are a common problem for both big and small manufacturers. It’s something that can be avoided by purchasing from a reliable reseller such as Gearbest. When purchasing off of a marketplace seller on Ebay and Amazon be sure to read the reviews for that particular seller in advance. Often others will leave reviews warning if a particular vendor sells knockoff products.

Advice:

Buying overseas can save tons of money on high-end devices, but it is possible to get burned. The most important thing to do before buying anything is a quick search to see what others have said and be wary if there’s no information available.

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