How You Can Avoid Getting Counterfeit Electronic Components Online
Whenever shopping for anything online, you are at risk for getting inauthentic merchandise. That is unless you shop directly from authorized retailers and resellers. With that being said, even on a marketplace like Amazon, you run the risk of getting inauthentic electronics or components if you don’t do your due diligence. Below, we will be going over some of the keys to knowing that you are getting authentic electronic components.
Keys To Getting Legitimate Components:
- Authorized Resellers
One of the most important things that you are going to want to look for when you are shopping for electronics online would be to look at the manufacturer’s list of authorized resellers and retailers. You want to be sure that you are shopping from the list of approved vendors because it will ensure that your purchase is not only authentic but that it is going to be fully covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. A lot of manufacturers will only provide you with their full warranty if you purchase the products from an approved reseller, retailer, or vendor. Without doing so, you run the risk of not only getting inauthentic merchandise but also electronic components that do not receive the same manufacturer’s warranty/guarantee.
- Reputable Merchant
Another thing that you will want to do when you are trying to figure out whether or not the vendor is selling authentic electronic components would be to shop directly through a reputable electronic parts wholesaler- Direct Components Inc. You should be able to check to see whether or not the merchant is reputable by looking at their reputation online. By checking to see what people are saying about them and by looking at various things such as marketplace reviews and even Better Business Bureau ratings, you should be able to tell whether or not the company is reputable enough to buy electronic components from.
- Seller Rating
If you are going to be shopping on either Amazon’s marketplace with third-party sellers or eBay, you are going to want to be sure to pay close attention to the seller ratings of the sellers that you are buying from. By paying attention to the seller ratings of the buyers that you are checking for, you should be able to minimize the chances that you end up purchasing from a seller with a poor reputation on the marketplace. This is generally a good way to tell whether or not the seller that you are buying from is going to be a legitimate seller. However, just because a seller has a good rating doesn’t necessarily mean that you are getting authentic electronic components. It only means that the previous buyers have been happy with what they have received. Thus, you will still want to ensure that they are an authorized dealer or that they have no reviews that mention that they sell inauthentic components. By checking through the review history, you should be able to tell whether or not someone has ever questioned the authenticity of the components they might have received from the seller.
- Look At Images
If you are going to be shopping at a third-party marketplace, you want to be sure that you are looking at detailed pictures of the components to see exactly what you are getting. If they simply have a stock photo from the manufacturer, it is a warning sign that you might want to avoid buying from them. Instead, you want to see the picture of the actual product and/or at least the packaging. That way, you will be able to tell whether or not it comes with the official box/packaging and everything that the official components come with.
- Use a Credit Card
If you buy something either with a credit card or with a third-party processor like PayPal, you are going to give yourself much better leverage when it comes to chargebacks and claims. By buying with a credit card or through PayPal, you can either file a chargeback or an inauthenticity claim with PayPal which will allow you to make your case as to why you should get your money back. This is a good way to shop online for electronic components because you are not going to position yourself vulnerable to get taken advantage of. Instead, you will be protected with your purchase because the payment option you use is going to be much more protected for yourself (the buyer).
- Return Policy
If you are going to be buying electronic components online, you want to avoid shopping at retailers that do not have their own return policies. A no return policy is something that you are going to want to avoid because it is going to give you much less protection as a buyer. Instead, you should stick to the online retailers that have a good return policy, so you know that you can always return the product if you don’t get what you paid for.
- File a Claim
Luckily, both Amazon and eBay marketplaces allow you to file inauthenticity claims if you purchase something and you don’t receive what you paid for. This is going to make it much safer for a buyer to purchase electronic components from these third-party marketplace sellers on these platforms because you will always be protected from eBay and Amazon if the product turns out to be a fake.
Overall, there are a lot of things that you are going to want to consider when you are shopping for electronic components online. Click here to find out more. By following the tips above, you should be able to put yourself in an excellent position to find authentic products being sold online. Also, you should be able to minimize the chances that you end up buying inauthentic electronic components even from third party marketplace sellers because you are going to be purchasing products from the sellers that have the best reputation on the marketplace. If you do happen to end up buying an inauthentic product, you can always file a chargeback or inauthenticity claim as long as you use the right precautions.