GearBest is basically the Amazon of the East. GearBest sells phones, tablets, and a variety of other products. It’s also VERY cheap. So what’s the catch?
What is GearBest?
If you like paying less for phones, tablets, and consumer electronics, and you haven’t heard of GearBest, well… you’re missing out. GearBest is a Chinese retailer, think Amazon, that specializes in all manner of consumer electronic goods. But unlike Amazon, GearBest is very, very cheap – sometimes 30%-40% cheaper than US retailers.
This is why it has grown so fast in recent years… that and the rising popularity of Chinese phone brands like OPPO, Xiaomi, and Huawei (all of which are available via GearBest for a lot less than Amazon). The store itself covers more than just phones – you can get everything from hoverboards to vapes.
GearBest is based on China, however, so all orders come via there. This means shipping takes longer than it does from Best Buy and Amazon. Once you order your product, it’s packed and shipped from GearBest’s warehouses in China. Delivery times can range from a week to 10 days, which isn’t ideal.
But the magic of GearBest is its prices: it retails phones, for instance, for around 40% less than Amazon. And when you’re talking about hundreds of dollars, 40%’s worth of savings soon add up. It also makes the delay in shipping less of a con – you’re saving money, so who cares, right? This is the #1 reason why people continuously use GearBest over, say, Amazon. They save money. Lots of money.
Buying Phones From GearBest
OK, so you know about the delays and you know about the savings, so what’s next? What’s it like to buy a phone via GearBest? It’s basically the same as anywhere else: you find the phone you want, select it, pay for it, fill out the shipping, and then wait for it to arrive. As noted earlier, however, you can ONLY get Chinese brand phones via GearBest – so OPPO, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus, etc.
Just having a glance around, I can already see some pretty tasty deals. You can pick up the OnePlus 7 for $409.99 or the OnePlus 7 Pro 4G for $599.99 – that’s a saving of 30%. And that’s just for OnePlus phones. Go with something from Xiaomi, another great Chinese phone maker, and you’re looking at spending less than $400 for a top-of-the-range Android phone with specs that are similar to the Galaxy Note 10 and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Want an example? The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro runs Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 CPU, packs in 6GB of RAM, and features a stunning triple-lens camera on its rear, featuring 48.0MP, 13.0MP, and 8.0MP lenses. On top of this, you get a 6.3in QHD display and a massive 4000mAh battery. And the price? $369.99 – or about 75% cheaper than Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max…
GearBest PROS
- Big Savings – Upwards of 30%
- Lots of Choices
- Get A Flagship Android Phone For Budget Phone Money
- GearBest Runs Deals/Offers 24/7
- Not Just Phones; GearBest Does Tablets, Laptops, TVs & Homeware
- You Can Pay Using PayPal, So It’s Nice & Secure
GearBest CONS
- Options Are Limited To Chinese Brands
- Shipping Can Take 7-10 Days
- Hard To Find Stuff If You Don’t Know What You’re Looking For
GearBest is Great For Chinese Phone Brands – OPPO, OnePlus, Xiaomi
As noted above, it is often tricky to find stuff on GearBest, if you don’t know what you’re looking for. If you’re good with tech, and you know your phone brands, you’ll be fine – GearBest sells Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and OnePlus, and they’re all fairly big brands.
If you want to spend less on a new Huawei phone, getting it off-contract, then GearBest is a great place to do this. You’re effectively paying Chinese money for the phone with less margin applied versus getting the same phone via Amazon in the US or UK. This goes doubly for Xiaomi and OnePlus phones, as they’re cheaper than Huawei phones anyway.
Bottom line? If you know your Chinese phone brands, and you’re confident about the model you want, using GearBest to get it – providing you can handle the shipping times – will likely save you a bunch of cash. I haven’t seen anyone selling the OnePlus 7T Pro for as cheap as GearBest. And the only reason for this that I can think of is that OnePlus is based in China, and so too is GearBest. They’re basically getting mate’s rates, or something similar… Either way, it’s good news for you.
GearBest Delivery Times To US & UK
As noted throughout this post: the biggest downside to using GearBest to buy a phone is the delivery/shipping times. They can take anywhere from 10-20 days, sometimes longer. Compared to Amazon, where you can get next day delivery, that’s not great. The only upside is the savings; you will pay around 30-40% less for a phone from GearBest than Amazon.
So, if patience is a virtue you have, and you can handle the wait, GearBest is definitely worth a look – especially if you’re looking for a high-end, Chinese-brand smartphone from brands like Xiaomi, OPPO, OnePlus, and Huawei. This “issue” is the biggest bone of contention for most users, and this is reflected in reviews of GearBest, but as long as you’re going into the process with open eyes, you shouldn’t have any issues.
Hell, I ordered something from GearBest once, expected it to take weeks to arrive, and it came after just four days! It wasn’t a phone, but it does prove that shipping times are improving. The first time I used GearBest, way back in 2012, it took almost a month for my product to arrive. The company has invested heavily in improving shipping times over the years and it is now starting to make some pretty impressive progress in this field.
GearBest Payments – What Does It Accept?
GearBest uses PayPal as its #1 payment method. And this is a good thing because PayPal will ensure that your payments are encrypted and secure. On top of this, PayPal ALWAYS sides with the customer if there are any complaints, so if something is wrong with your order, you’ll get a full refund.
Anything Else I Need To Know?
Nope, that covers just about everything. For me, the #1 reason to use GearBest is price – it’s just WAY cheaper than everybody else. For phones, as well as headphones, tablets, laptops, and pretty much everything else in between. You will have to wait for deliveries, shipping from China takes time, but when you’re saving hundreds of dollars on your order that’s kind of a small price to pay, right?
I think so, anyway…
Have a look at GearBest for yourself, see if you can find any good deals. I’d be very surprised if you didn’t see something more or less right away that blows your socks off!
