Ebay has great prices for audio, the problem is that they are not authorized dealers. Would you buy from ebay, or goto a shop and get the equipment?

 

Nope.

If that nice $300 amplifier needs repair you're going to be hard pressed to get JL to respond to a non-dealer sold unit. That's only fair on their part. You take your chances.

Personally I can afford a $35,000 play-toy sports car and I can also afford another $40 to buy the amplifier from an authorized dealer. Cheap always cost in the long run.

 

The savings are significant, and to me are worth it.

But as said above, if it blows-up you will not have any warranty on it.


Everything you see on these pix came from e-Bay and I’m 100% happy !

 

i personally bought a lot of stuff from ebay...actually all of my stereo stuff has been from ebay. all is till working great

 

the only thing is that its not really another $40 from an authorized dealer. On a $300 amp is more like another $200 at least. I've personally havent had any problems at all w/ my ebay JL purchases. But yes as mentioned above, if your sub or amp is dead on arrival, you're pretty much screwed!!!

 

In my opinion, it's the luck of the draw with any online purchase; e-bay or otherwise. I have made many purchases from e-bay over the years from various sellers and have not be burned (knock on wood).

Maybe, you can contact buyers that have purchased from the seller you are looking at and see what their experience has been.

Also, I purchased a full audio system from a local so-cal retailer (Al & Ed's Autosound) almost 8 years ago (for another vehicle, not the Z); their top of the line PPI, Alpine & MB Quart products for that time period. I have not had any problems with my equipment. The point I am trying to make is, if you purchase a piece of high-quality equipment 9 times out of 10 the seller is irrelevant as the item will probably outlive the retailer...

This has been my experience... Make the best decision for you. A lot of people on forums will say one thing and do another just to save face...

 

i have purchased many stuff from indoaudio.com from ebay. that's a great store with all brand new items. They also have very good prices on JL brand. I believe they have a warranty through them as well. Check out their online store at indoaudio.com

yes, the only drawback is the warranty. If you check out the authorized dealers, they are almost twice as much of items on ebay which sometimes not worth it IMO.

 

I bought my JL 10w3v2 on ebay for half the amount i would have paid in a retail audio shop. Works absolutely fine for me, not one complaint...

 

that looks awesome. i guess the warranty is worth the money though

 

You might take the feedback rating of the seller into consideration. If seller has, say, 500 ratings with a + % of 98% or better, your probably taking a decent risk.

If rating is below 95%, I'd pass.

 

my take, as a dealer in the industry is this:

1. for electronics stuff, such as headiunit, ipod adapters, xm radio etc etc, its okay to buy from ebay if yo umust, they usually dont fail in the warranty period. though on more expensive stuff such as navs and dvd in dash screens, i do suggest getting it with warranty.

2. amps, spekaers, subs are things that I HIGHLY suggest go through an authroized dealer, being in this industry long enough, i know the things most likely to fail, and you compound that with the fact htat often, ebay warehouses get their stuff from B stock, or gray market dealres...

of course they dont tell you, also, when you ask about ebay buying, you are will generally see positive responses, why? well, most guys who had their stuff blow up on ebay and had to eat the cost dont usually post and advertise this fact...

but trust me, i have seen enough blowed up stuff to back up my claims

b

 

^thx for your advice guys!

 

got a 500/1 and a 300/4 off ebay for half the msrp. 3+ years and it still works...

 

+1 - exact same experience.

 

Hopefully, you are referring to quality not price... If you get a great piece of a equipment for wholesale price (cheap) the craftsmanship will out-weigh the price of the equipment.

I've purchased many different types of items, including clothes, from E-bay that would have cost twice to three-times as much as I got them for and they are still lasting me to this day.

 

buying clothes online is alot easier and safer than buying electronics

 

Maybe for some, but when you're 6'5" 260lbs with a muscular build, sometimes online shops are the only shops that cater to us. Even in that, you've got to know what you're buying; i.e. try to stay with higher quality items - in all sectors....

Anything you get online is a risk, a buddy of mine bought a ring for his lady a "rock" according to the ad; when the box arrived that 's just what was in it... a rock... nothing like the photo.

Bottom line, it's your dollar, spend it how you feel... I say, go for it... no reason to second guess yourself...

 

i got my whole sound system from eBay. i would recommend the dealers i used.. i got DLS speakers, Alpine Amp, Pioneer headunit, Tsunami wiring/cap.. the subwoofer was from a local store... but no problems what-so-ever with the parts themselves. i got a nice sub box for $25 too off ebay