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More and more people are turning to online shopping, and more so in the case of consumer electronics. The reason is simple, any model of a phone or a refrigerator will be standard across every shop and so it is much easier to order them online rather than waste time browsing retail stores.
Consumer electronics is a widely used term and covers anything from a dishwasher to a mobile phone and gadgets. However, the risk of buying a dishwasher is much lower than that of a mobile phone. The problem for online shoppers is the type of fraud for each separate electronics item is different, making it nearly impossible to keep up. For example, iPhones are the most popular item used to defraud customers.
Online shopping is plagued with scammers who pose as legitimate sellers. Although marketplaces such as Amazon or Walmart vet sellers on their platforms, some sophisticated frauds involve creating a fake marketplace. Here are some of the problem’s buyers face when ordering electronics online:
There are several indicators to recognize a scam, check our curated list here. For consumers electronics, the biggest giveaway is the price. If the product is 50% cheaper than a branded product offering the same features, the manufacturer has likely produced an inferior product.
Likewise, if the same product is offered at a price 10% lower than anywhere else, the merchant is probably a scammer. Margins of consumer products are generally extremely thin, often 2 or 3%. Selling a product at more than 10% than anywhere else means the merchant is selling at a loss.
Apart from checking the Trust Score of the website on Scamadviser, we have some additional tips:
Do check our list of indicators to recognize a scam before paying for any product online.
Scammers are continuously coming up with new tricks to part people of their money, but we at ScamAdviser have compiled this list of safe and reliable online electronics stores. We have included the monthly visitors to reflect the popularity of the shopping portals.
| Online electronics store | Average monthly visitors |
| Samsung | 722 million |
| Wish | 111 million |
| Amazon | 2.2 billion |
| AliExpress | 433 million |
| Apple | 407 million |
| Newegg | 27 million |
| Danawa | 21 million |
| HP | 67 million |
| Xiaomi | 44 million |
| eBay | 820 million |
| Sony | 35 million |
| Huawei | 118 million |
| Best Buy | 132 million |
| B&H Photo | 23 million |
| Curry's | 36 million |
| Yodabashi | 43 million |
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in the Yeongtong District of Suwon. Samsung is is the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones and smartphones and is also a major vendor of tablet computers. Samsung has been the world's largest television manufacturer since 2006.
Wish is an American online e-commerce platform that facilitates transactions between sellers and buyers. Wish is operated by ContextLogic Inc. in San Francisco, United States. The platform employs browsing technologies that personalize shopping visually for each customer, rather than relying on a search bar format. It allows sellers to list their products on Wish and sell directly to consumers. Wish works with payment service providers to handle payments and does not stock the products themselves or manage returns.
Amazon.com's product lines available at its website include several media (books, DVDs, music CDs, videotapes and software), apparel, baby products, consumer electronics, beauty products, gourmet food, groceries, health and personal-care items, industrial & scientific supplies, kitchen items, jewellery, watches, lawn and garden items, musical instruments, sporting goods, tools, automotive items and toys & games.
AliExpress is an online retail service based in China and owned by the Alibaba Group, launched in 2010. It facilitates small businesses to sell to customers all over the world. AliExpress has drawn comparison to eBay, as sellers are independent and use the platform to offer products to buyers. Although most of the retailers are Chinese, AliExpress is aimed at international buyers and does not sell to customers in mainland China.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company that specializes in consumer electronics, computer software and online services. The company is well-known for its variety of electronic products such as Macs, iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches. It is the world's most valuable company, the fourth-largest PC vendor by unit sales.
Newegg Commerce, Inc. is an online retailer of items including computer hardware and consumer electronics. The Company offers consumer electronics, entertainment, smart home, computers, software, cell phones, household appliances, jewellery, accessories, and gaming products. Newegg serves customers worldwide.
Danawa Co Ltd is a South Korea based company engages in the provision of online shopping services. It provides internet shopping price comparison service and also engages in the advertising business and shopping mall business.
HP Inc. is an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, that develops personal computers (PCs), printers and related supplies, as well as 3D printing solutions. It is the world's 2nd largest personal computer vendor by unit sales as of January 2021.
Xiaomi Corporation, registered in Asia as Xiaomi Inc., is a Chinese designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics and related software, home appliances, and household items. Behind Samsung, it is the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones. It also is a major manufacturer of appliances including televisions, flashlights, unmanned aerial vehicles, and air purifiers using its Internet of Things and Xiaomi Smart Home product ecosystems.
eBay Inc. is an American multinational e-commerce corporation based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. The company manages the eBay website, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a wide variety of goods and services worldwide. The website is free to use for buyers, but sellers are charged fees for listing items after a limited number of free listings, and again when those items are sold. In addition to eBay's original auction-style sales, the website has evolved and expanded to include: instant "Buy It Now" shopping; shopping by Universal Product Code, ISBN, or other kind of SKU number.
Sony Group Corporation, commonly known as Sony and stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Kōnan, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics Corporation until 1 April 2021) is the electronics business unit of the Sony Group. It primarily conducts research and development (R&D), planning, designing, manufacturing and marketing for electronics products. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional electronic products, the largest video game console company and the largest video game publisher.
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smart devices.
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer. Best Buy sells consumer electronics and a variety of related merchandise, including software, video games, music, mobile phones, digital cameras, car stereos, and video cameras. Under the Geek Squad brand, Best Buy offers computer repair, warranty service, and accidental service plans.
B&H Photo Video (also known as B&H Photo and B&H and B&H Foto & Electronics Corporation) is an American photo and video equipment retailer founded in 1973, based in Manhattan, New York City. B&H conducts business through online e-commerce consumer sales, business to business sales, and its one retail location. Customers engage with B&H via its websites, retail store, phone sales and customer service, email, and chat channels. B&H Photo Video targets professional photographers and videographers. The company carries a wide range of consumer electronics products, with an emphasis on professional and speciality photographic equipment.
Currys is a British electrical retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned by Currys plc and selling home electronics and home appliances. Currys PLC operates as an electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company. The Company offers a wide range of electrical and mobile products, as well as connectivity and after-sales services.
Yodobashi Camera Co., Ltd. is a major Japanese retail chain specializing in electronics, PCs, cameras and photographic equipment. Yodobashi Camera's sales rank fourth among consumer electronics mass retailers in Japan. In recent years the online shopping platform has been developed to become the second-largest in Japan only behind Amazon.
