A USB-C cable I ordered through eBay from an overseas vendor, finally arrived.
I personally prefer the higher quality braided cables, which tend to be pricier. I ended up searching online and found there are countless listings on eBay from sellers in China and surrounding countries – for far less than what I would expect to pay at my local Staples or Best Buy store.
The cable I purchased was from one such listing, and was a grand total of $1.89 USD, quite a bargain, especially since I just wanted an extra cable to keep as a spare.
A Canadian or US-based online shop would have to spend more than that just for the shipping of a small packet alone, but the delivery time would be reduced considerably.
It took about two months to get here – but I already expected the lengthy shipping time based on what I’ve read on forums – of experiences from other online shoppers purchasing items from Asia.
Something to note – although it was the same brand, what I received was not exactly as pictured in the vendor’s listing. However with that said, I am still content with what I recieved.
Regardless, if time is not a factor, eBay is a good way to get select phone accessories at a better price closer to the manufacturing source in Asia. In some cases, North American-based eBay sellers may actually already be drop-shipping directly from sources in China.
But as with buying anything on eBay – read the listings carefully, stick to vendors with high satisfaction ratings, and bare in mind as I experienced, there may be some instances when items may not be 100% as pictured.
When it comes to accessories like cables or adaptors, eBay sellers flood the site with multiple listings for the same product under different titles. Usually it is irrelevant what phone model they specify in the title – just know what charging standards your phone supports and read the details in the product description before ordering.
However, if in a pinch, and your cable was misplaced or damaged, you could always try the dollar stores for a quick replacement. Dollarama’s phone accessories are on the higher price points, whereas Dollar Tree has plenty at the standard $1.25 – these do appear somewhat “cheap” though.
Do be cautious, especially if you have an expensive smartphone. Low quality cables or adaptors could potentially damage your phone or battery.
An option for fast turnaround, is to try an AmazonBasics branded cable if you have a Prime membership.
Do you have additional tips or questions about anything in this post? Please leave a comment below.
