There is a constant growth in the number of online stores that appear and that sell ink cartridges at the moment. The problem is that many of them are not going to offer you high quality products and you need to avoid those that are scams. Contrary to what you might be tempted to think at the moment, there are differences between cartridges and you need to stay away from counterfeit items at all times.
I say this because a counterfeit cartridge can even damage your printer and will surely offer a printing quality that is not at all great. To make things even worse, such cartridges only have small quantities of ink in them and that ink is not of the high quality standard that a genuine cartridge has.
You can learn more about identifying counterfeit cartridges from this article I wrote. It talks about Samsung toners but the same ideas can be applied to almost all manufacturers as they all have similar protection included.
In order to help you stay away from bad deals and buy really good ink cartridges online, let us talk about those factors that are really important. That will surely help you make the best decision at the end of the day.
1. Pay Attention To The Price Tag
It is easy to be tempted to buy at a really low price tag. We totally understand that. The problem is that a really low price tag when compared with market average is a clear indicator of low quality. If the price tag is too low, you are most likely looking at an ink cartridge that is counterfeit or remanufactured.
Keep in mind that the market average is usually a little different in every country and although the prices are lower on the internet when compared to regular brick and mortar stores, this does not mean that you should hurry the choice process and be tempted by really low deals.
2. Avoid Auction Sites And General Site
It is always better to buy from a site that is specialized in selling ink cartridges. Many are tempted to buy from EBAY or similar sites because of the lower price and sometimes because they are used to buying there.
If you really want to buy from such a large site, make sure that you take a look at the profile of the seller. You need to be sure that there is a serious company behind it and by simply spending an extra 15 minutes on research about the firm, you can avoid the unwanted situation of buying really bad ink cartridge.
3. Shop From An Online Store Based In Your Country
This is important because of different reasons. For starters, in the event that you are sold a cartridge that is counterfeit, you can alert the authorities and you can help others to not fall victim to the same shady deal that you fell for. Also, you can easily investigate more about the companies behind the sites.
It should be mentioned that you can even save money on shipping and handling in the event that you can go to the physical location of the site and pick-up your ink cartridges from there.
4. Take Advantage Of Bulk Buying Deals
If you need to buy many ink cartridges at once, you should pay close attention to the bulk buying deals that are offered. Most serious online stores that sell ink cartridges out there have such deals because they want business from companies that require many cartridges at once. However, you should be aware of the fact that you lose ink even when you do not use the cartridge. More about this here.
Do not buy more than what you would normally use during one year!
Conclusions
The biggest mistake that you can make when you buy ink cartridges online is falling victim to your first instinct. This is because you will most likely be tempted by the really low price tag. If you want original cartridges and you need high quality prints, this is a huge mistake! Quality original ink cartridges do cost more and that is completely normal. Follow the tips above and you will surely save money and put your hands on great deals.
If you feel that there are extra tips that you would like to share with Consumer Press visitors, feel free to comment below. Also, share this article on Facebook or Twitter so that your friends can learn how to avoid the common problems that I touched on above.
Have A Question? Ask Jessica!
-
Jessica: Hi, I'm Jessica, the Consumer Press AI, can I help you with a consumer question?
