Purchase Question

[OpenUpShop]

Hello ECF community...

I had an order issue on a particular site and now have to reorder the items I wanted which are an wismec RX200 and a geekvape griffin rta. Now can I order these from ebay from a top rated seller without being worried I will get some cheap knockoff.

I am somewhat confused by the clone and authentic differences and whether they even matter or would it be a concern with the two above items I wish to purchase.

Thank you everyone, much obliged.

 

[Bad Ninja]

Both are made in China.
Both are very reasonably priced.

Why not just order from a legit vendor?

 

[PilotNY]

I purchased an authentic one and absolutely love it (Griffin that is). buy authentic IMHO!

 

[MattyVigilante]

Personally I'd go authentic, I certainly wouldn't get anything from eBay, but that's because I got burned (not literally) buying from eBay before.
I think you will always take a certain level of risk when buying a clone. Just my opinion though

 

[OpenUpShop]

Thank you everyone, but how can I tell difference between authentic and clone? In that case, how would I even know if I bought from a website? The only reason I mentioned Ebay is some of the sellers are listed as 99.9% rated and also top rated sellers listing the mods as "authentic" which kinda makes me think they couldn't have fooled all those people who bought from them and then rated them 5 stars.

I mean no matter where I purchase it from, there will be just a picture of the item on the site, how would I know its authentic? And if anyone knows in the case of rx200, are there even clones, since its China made anyway.

Forgive my ignorance, this is one area I am still learning and I much appreciate all your thoughts and help.

 

[MattyVigilante]

To be honest I've found the easiest way to tell if something is a clone before seeing it is by the price!
If you are in a shop and have the product in your hand it normally isn't too hard to spot a clone, the finish is generally not as good, gaps where there shouldn't be, burrs, machine marks etc.
Of course that gets harder when you're A buying online and B you're buying a mod.
Even if you hold a clone mod in your hand the outside can look exactly like it should, but its the wiring and circuitry inside that can be not up to par which is naturally harder to detect.

Long story short, I'd do a bit of research on a vendor before coughing up your hard earned, use Google to your advantage. However it should be noted that people are much more likely to write a review on something when they have had a negative experience. Use recommended suppliers, I'm based in the UK so I only order from UK companies. However I see you're in the US, maybe someone else here can help with a few reputable vendors?

Incidentally quite a few vape companies put scratch codes on their packaging so you can verify authenticity, Kangertech, Smok etc. So you would be able to check your product

 

[MMW]

Hello @OpenUpShop, welcome! There is a list of approved vendors here. Reputable vendors usually put in "Styled" or "Clone" right in the description. More often clones are with atomizers, although some boxes have been cloned and are stated. I don't buy from eBay.

It seems that the easiest thing to do for you is to just order from a reputable vendor. Here is a start
What's your go-to online vape shop? Box mods, tanks, coils etc.

 

[MattyVigilante]

Hello @OpenUpShop, welcome! There is a list of approved vendors here. Reputable vendors usually put in "Styled" or "Clone" right in the description. More often clones are with atomizers, although some boxes have been cloned and are stated. I don't buy from eBay.

It seems that the easiest thing to do for you is to just order from a reputable vendor. Here is a start
What's your go-to online vape shop? Box mods, tanks, coils etc.

Wish I could have worded it that well!! [emoji38]

 

[OpenUpShop]

MattyVigilante and MMW, thank you so much, both of you for your help. That's all great info & advice and I will definitely be going following it.

I did look for the scratch code when I ordered my kangertech subtank plus a couple months back. Its just a bit tough on some websites, they don't always list the scratch code or mention it..

Lol, it took me about 4 days after work each day doing research to come up with a good combo (rx200 with griffin as the rda) so I guess I was impatient and need spend time on the seller as well as the product.

Thank you so much for all your help.