eBay GlobalSat BT308 copy?

[robketh]

Has anyone tried out the Bluetooth GPS receiver being sold on eBay UK, that looks identical (both the unit and the box) to the GlobalSat BT308?



I emailed the seller who said it is a "generic brand but you can definately rest assure on the quality as these guys have been designing and manufacturing GPS receivers since the early 80s."



They seem to be selling for around £100 - £120 with 3 free accessories (car power lead etc.) . Is this a good price?



Any comments appreciated.



Rgds, Rob.

[Dave]

It's a good price but I've been wondering if it's actually from the GlobalSat factory. My guess it isn't, and it maybe GlobalSat are getting another company to do the production run, and they're either selling some off to other companies, or staff maybe are taking a back hander and getting copies and selling them.



I maybe totally wrong, but several people here have purchased them from ebay and are happy with them.

[robketh]

Thanks, Dave.

[MikeB]

I have seen these referred to by purchasers of the devices as GlobalSat receivers. Whether they are or not is another matter, and if there are any problems with them who will provide the aftersales care?



It is a risk you have to take, but at half price they look like a bargin. Bear in mind that if these are the same as the GlobalSat BT-308 they may suffer from the early problems such as comms failure if you switch to SiRF mode and BT signal failures, both of which are claimed to have been fixed in the latest production models.
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Mike Barrett

[Stevie]

Not all those available on Ebay are 'copies'. I got mine from a US seller and received the BT308 model as illustrated. I think the clone sellers use BT308 pics that are edited.



If you get from abroad you can expect to pay 3.5% customs duty on the price (that includes delivery as well) then vat on top of price & customs duty. If it's delivered by Parcelforce then expect another £13.50 handling to be added.



So for a US$230 price it would cost around £200.



If that is acceptable or you get the price lower (the price on the parcel is used for customs etc)you may get a better bargain.



After sales is probably non-existent on Ebay and dead on arrival units could be a major hassle.

[gilbertw]

I got my BT308 from eBay recently. It is definitely not a copy. The only difference is the price; I paid 65% of the UK listed price even after p&p and import duty and taxes. I've been using eBay for almost a year and am very happy with both the sellers and buyers there. It works with a honour system. Most of the time the quality of the goods and after-sales service is far better than that from the high street stores, in my humble opinion.

[highlander]

I also purchased one of these on ebay and they are the genuine item - I paid (I think) $170AUS, which is about 60GBP...
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[DaveO]

[Dave]

Yes, get them to send via Fedex or UPS and it will be sent via these networks when it hits the UK.

The other way we get around receiving products for reviews is we make sure no invoice is included, or if it is, it shows zero value, and on the outer package it's marked DEMO - NO COMMERCIAL VALUE.

You still get the odd thing that slips through the net if someone has put a value on the docket.

[Dave]

Saying that though Fedex and UPS will still charge customs duty plus their handling fee, so you do need to get the invoice to show zero value.

[houndy]

Just bought a 308 from EBay - seems like the real thing. Good price of £105. Seems to be ok so far

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