It can be difficult to know what kind of cell phone accessories you should buy for your phone. If you are trying to connect your phone manually to another device you may have looked into cat6 cables bulk compared to cat5e cables or in the good ol’ usb 2.0 cable. However, the main issue here is more than are cat6 cables bulk buys more beneficial. It actually starts before that question can even be answered. It’s in the different between OEM which stands for original equipment manufacturer and generic products. If you’ve ever done a search for cell phone accessories than you know there are a ton of options out there for you. Let’s make sure you know the meanings of each term.
Original Equipment Manufacturer
This means that the product or accessory is made by the very same manufacturer as the one who made your phone. They usually include a warranty as well as a peace of mind that the company knew what they were doing when they made the product and it will definitely be compatible with your phone. OEM products are usually of a much higher quality than generic products and are a lot more reliable. For example, buying a cat6 cables bulk buy directly from the manufacturer guarantees a better Ethernet connection than a generic buy and probably a better price for the worth.
Generic Equipment
These are basically imitation products. They come out on the market after the cell phone brands do and are usually cheaper. They are also likely to be lower quality because of the cheaper materials used. The reason these products are known as generic or aftermarket products is because typically, you’ll never know the name of the company that did make them. The danger with these products is that they could ruin or even burn up your phone which will completely void any warranty you may have had.
Choosing Between the Two
Now that you know pretty much what each type of product is, here are some tips on how to choose OEM or generic products.
Seller
If you are looking to buy generic, for whatever reason, make sure that you choose a reputable company or seller. Never buy generic from Joe Shmoe that you met on the street. He may be a licensed vendor but when the season is over, he packs up and moves on and there may be a reason for that. Make sure that you use a website or company where you can check the reviews and feedback for the seller. Negative feedback should raise a red flag but thousands of positive reviews is a good sign. However, keep in mind that you can’t please everything, so a few negative reviews shouldn’t deter you if they have a high enough approval rating to put them in the 98 or 99 percent positive.
Shipping
If you are buying online then you’ll have to figure in the shipping and handling costs as well. For example, your generic cat6 cables bulk buys may only be $25 While the OEM version is $45 but if the generic buy makes you pay $20 in shipping costs and the OEM is free, you’ll end up paying the same so you might as well go for the real deal. Shipping can actually make items more expensive than their higher quality counter products.
Returns
You should always know the policies, terms and conditions before purchasing either OEM or aftermarket. Make sure you clarify any confusion before purchasing. OEM usually has a better return policy than generic so you’ll have to let that play into your decision.
The truth is, OEM turns out the winner in every competition between itself and generic products except for the price tag occasionally. However, if the generic product damages your phone, you’ll end up paying for that to so those few dollars you saved on the generic product are not worth it. When you pay a lot of money for something like a cell phone, you should want to protect it and make sure that it is kept in good condition. Your accessories are just as important as the phone so make sure that you are making the right choices when it comes to them.
