If you’re a gamer, chances are you’ve heard of Newegg. The site sells some amazing gaming pc’s and accessories at amazing prices.
But that makes you wonder, is it too good to be true? is Newegg a scam or is it safe to shop there? We looked into it and this is what we found…
Is Newegg Legit?
Newegg Commerce, Inc. is an online retailer of computer hardware, software, and consumer electronics supplies and accessories and is 100% legitimate. The company is based in City of Industry, California and is majority-owned by Liaison Interactive, a Chinese technology company. Consumers can buy direct from the Newegg online store at any time.
This article takes a look at Newegg Commerce Inc.: who they are, what they sell, how to buy, and how to use the website safely.
Who Owns Newegg?
Newegg was founded in 2001 by Fred Chang, a U.S. immigrant from Taiwan. The company name “Newegg” signified new ambition for e-commerce, an industry which was then struggling to survive.
The company endured, and In 2005, Newegg.com was named one of the Internet’s Top 10 retailers by Internet Retailer Magazine after a sales revenue in 2004 of nearly $1 billion.
In 2014, Newegg Marketplace made the decision to allow third-party sellers of any size to sell products on the site to Newegg’s 25 million customers
Then in 2016, a Chinese technology company (Liaison Interactive) bought a majority stake in Newegg, and in 2017, Newegg announced a global expansion plan into Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, hoping to reach customers in 50 countries.
Newegg is currently owned and run by Hangzhou New Century Information Technology Co.
What Can You Buy On Newegg?
Newegg.com is the mega retail online store available to customers. There are no street level Newegg stores or outlets. Newegg claims to offer the best prices on computer products, laptop computers, TVs, digital cameras, electronics, unlocked phones, office supplies, gaming systems, PC hardware and more.
The Newegg marketplace website is divided into very specific departments, which are then subdivided into further categories. Thus, you can shop by department and category, or simply begin with the search bar. Each category includes shopping tools specific to that group of items, category services (if applicable), and shopping deals specific to that category. The website is divided as follows:
- Components
- Core components
- Accessories
- Storage devices
- Refurbished
- Computer Systems
- Desktops
- Peripherals
- Laptops/Notebooks
- Accessories
- Gaming Laptops
- Refurbished
- Electronics
- TV & Home Theater
- Tablets
- Home Appliances
- Specialty Electronics
- Mobile Phones
- Refurbished
- Portable electronics
- Maker & STEM
- Gaming
- Xbox
- Legacy Gaming
- PlayStation
- Digital Games
- Nintendo
- Pre-Owned
- PC & VR
- Networking
- Home Networking
- Smart Home
- Commercial Networking
- Accessories
- Server & Components
- Refurbished
- Security Devices
- Office Solutions
- Display & Printing
- Office Supplies
- Office Technology
- Mailing & Inventory
- Furniture
- Refurbished
- Software & Services
- Software
- Services
- Downloadable software
- Business software
- Gift cards
- Training and certificates
- Automotive & Powersports
- Car Electronics
- Tires, Tools, Lighting, EV & Powersports
- Brake Parts and Wheel Bearings
- Belts, Hose and Cooling System parts
- Filters, Ignition and Tune-up parts
- Shocks, Struts and Suspension parts
- Alternators, Starters and parts
- Steering and Drivetrain parts
- Home & Tools
- Home Appliances
- Outdoor Power
- Vacuums & Floor Care
- Industrial & Tools
- Home Office Furniture
- Home Living
- Outdoor & Garden
- Smart Home
- Health & Sports
- Apparel & Accessories
- Toys & Drones
The marketplace site displays your best deals, your recently viewed items, and categories of interest to you. To personalize your shopping experiences, it’s best to make an account.
Note that on Newegg, you’ll be shopping from Newegg itself and from third party vendors operating on the site. This is significant to buyers because third party vendor sales occur under different policies and conditions to Newegg sales and products.
Is Newegg Reliable?
Historically, Newegg, like most of the global marketplace giants, have had their share of questionable issues. Newegg is also associated with the usual marketplace conflict between buyers and sellers, and although the platform has put considerable infrastructure into keeping participant safe and satisfied, problems continue to occur.
In March 2010, Newegg experienced strife when they sold 300 counterfeit Intel Core i7-920 CPUs online. In early 2018, they were plagued with an uncollected state sales tax for customers in the state of Connecticut.
Also in 2018, Newegg announced that a malicious code had been placed on their servers for over a month, allowing hackers to access customers’ credit card information upon check out.
In February 2022, customer conflict caused Newegg to change its open box RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) policy. An open box policy refers to when goods are returned by customers, inspected by the retailer, found to be in working order, and re-sold at a discount, (rather than returned to the manufacturer).
Current feedback shows that users find the website satisfying and reliable, but that there’s the usual issues with product quality and unscrupulous third-party vendors who sell counterfeit goods on Newegg.com.
Newegg now requires third-party vendors to go through a rigorous validation process before they are eligible to sell anything on the site.
Each third-party vendor also has a displayed seller rating that indicates trustworthiness based on each buyer’s experience and feedback. Customer privacy is a high priority on site.
The nature of the goods bought and sold on Newegg means that there’s always a chance of defective goods passing through the system. When defective goods are purchased, the buyer can return them for an immediate replacement (or repair or refund). Buyers report that the return process is pretty straightforward and easy to follow.
However, the purchasing or goods from third-party sellers on Newegg is more problematic. If you choose to buy products this way, know that you’re subject to the Marketplace seller’s policies. You need to read through these carefully – including shipping policies.
Unfortunately, there are no consistent return policies for Newegg third party vendors.
How Do You Buy Stuff On Newegg?
First make an account with Newegg. The process is easy and quick but be aware that you cannot be the account holder if you’re under the age of 18. When you sign up, you’ll need a current email address, shipping information, payment methods, and a secure password.
To browse the site and make a purchase:
- Use the broad categories on the side of the pages to navigate to your area of interest.
- Or use the search bar at the top of the page, using keywords, item, or model numbers.
- Navigate to individual product pages until you find what you need
- Select the add to cart button found on any product page
- Apply promo code if applicable
- Go to the checkout page
- Add shipping info, delivery time, and choose a payment method
- Review your order and check again that delivery information is correct
- Review site Terms & Conditions
- Place your order
- You will receive an email notifying you of the purchase
Newegg have an order cancellation tool which you can use to cancel your order. However, you need to do this quickly. If you’re unable to cancel, it means your item is past (or directly in) the packing stage. At this point, there are still some solutions:
- If your order was sold and shipped by Newegg (not a third-party seller), you can set up a return (for qualifying items) once your package is received.
- If you plan to refuse delivery (this means you send the parcel back without opening), it will be treated as a regular return (2-4 business days to process upon arrival). Do not open the packages before you return them.
- For orders sold by a third-party seller, you will need to communicate with that Marketplace seller directly to cancel your order before it ships. However, a cancellation cannot be guaranteed.
- If the order can no longer be cancelled, you still have the option to set up a return for qualifying items once the package is received.
You can check on the status of an order at all times. Orders typically take 1-2 business days to process before leaving the warehouse, and this includes Marketplace orders. You will be notified via email when your order has been created and when it has shipped.
To check on the whereabout of your order, log in to your account and click on Order History to find information.
Take a look through the Prepared, Shipped, and Returns icons to see if any orders are sitting under these categories. A number will show up next to these icons indicating how many of your orders apply to each category.
Within your Order History you can also view past orders you’ve placed, update any declined payments, change payment options and view return information.
Under Order Detail you can find your tracking status, tracking numbers, the billing and shipping address, price of all the items, discounts on the order and the seller name (if your item is from a third-party seller).
Clicking on a tracking number for a package will reveal its current location as it stands in transit.
What Payments Does Newegg Accept?
Newegg accepts the usual range of online credit card and contactless payment options. You’ll be prompted to add payment choices when you set up your account. All customer information is held securely and not shared with third parties. Payment options include:
- Newegg Store Credit Card
- American Express
- Diners Club
- Discover
- JCB
- MasterCard
- Union Pay
- Visa
- Newegg.com Gift Card
- Amex Express Checkout
- Android Pay
- Apple pay
- BitPay
- MasterPass
- PayPal
Newegg Privacy Policies are held here, and it’s probably worth looking through the Country Specific Provisions (for additional terms and information), depending on where you’re shopping from.
You can add and/or edit payment information through your account at any time.
Can You Get Scammed On Newegg?
Buyers (and sellers) can experience scams on Newegg in the same way they can on any global retail marketplace. Concerning Newegg, the most consistent scamming complaints are directed at third party vendors and relate to:
- Sales of fake goods and parts
- Sales of faulty products and parts
- Sellers scalping products (such as graphics cards)
- Scammers allowed to stay on the site and continue selling despite consistent poor reviews and feedback
- The use of “purchasing bots” by buyers to snap up mega quantities of a given product to sell elsewhere at inflated prices
- Shipping and tracking number issues
It is worth noting that nearly all complaints directed at Newegg concern the behaviors and ethics of third-party vendors. Newegg urge customers to always scrutinize third party seller feedback, to research the item you’re planning to buy, and to ask questions regarding the condition of the item.
How Can You Get Help On Newegg?
Newegg have a comprehensive Help section, and here you’ll find articles and policies for making orders, tracking packages, shipping, returns and refunds, account issues, cancellations, product help, security issues, payments, pricing, and using promos.
The Newegg Marketplace Guarantee states that:
With the Newegg Marketplace Guarantee, if you meet the requirements below, you may be eligible for reimbursement of the purchase price of any item you purchase from a Newegg Marketplace Seller.
This Marketplace Guarantee applies to the following situations:
1. When you do not receive your item on the estimated arrival date given to you during checkout.
2. When your order is received, but it is “damaged, defective, or materially different from” what was displayed on the Newegg.com website by the Seller, and you made sure that you –
- Notified the vendor within 15 days of receiving the defective product, and
- The vendor did not respond to you within two days of your notice.
3. When you returned an eligible item according to the return policy (and all parts were in original condition) to the seller and you followed the seller’s return policy and procedures.
4. The seller did not refund the proper amount you paid for the item (minus any reasonable restocking charge imposed by the seller and original shipping cost when applicable).
At this point, you may want to file a claim. To do so, you can read through the procedure in the Newegg Customer Help section. Basically though, the steps are as follows:
- Login to your Newegg account.
- Go to your Order History.
- Locate the order you want to file a claim for.
- Click on the Problem with Order button.
- Read through and select the claim reason.
Make sure that if there are multiple items, you check the box to let Newegg know which item you are filing the claim for. You’ll be prompted to provide claim details and then to click on the Submit Claim button to submit the claim for review.
You can submit a Marketplace Guarantee Claim if the third-party seller fails to deliver your item 3-days past the maximum estimated delivery date or 30-days from the order date. Newegg tries to approve or deny all requests under the Newegg Marketplace Guarantee within 3 to 7 business days of receiving them.
If you need (or prefer to) contact Newegg directly, you can do this through Customer Support, which offers communication through chat and phone services – and you can schedule a call back if necessary.
If you need to contact a third-party seller, click the seller’s name on the item page. This will take you to the seller’s profile and the necessary contact information.
To contact a manufacturer of a specific item, go to the item page, and click the Warranty & Returns bar to view the manufacturer’s email address and/or phone number.
For a directory of all associated Newegg Manufacturers, please click this link. The page is kept up to date.
What Do Buyers Think Of Newegg?
Buyer responses are mixed and varied. However, there are some consistent feedback which is worth noting if you’re planning to use the marketplace yourself:
- Being able to get a range of high quality products at discounted products is great
- The site is as good as Amazon and eBay
- Third party vendors who buy bulk products will sell them at affordable prices
- The Newegg Returns and Refunds model is straightforward, and buyers receive a return shipping label from Newegg
- Buyers mostly feel protected as they shop
- Delivery/ shipping is timely
- Diverse categories and a huge range of products
- The site is easy to navigate
- The technical support is good
- Customer support can be inconsistent and slow
- Customer support staff often don’t have the correct answers
- Third party sellers rip buyers off
- Third party return and refund policies make no sense
- Return and refund policies in regard to third party sellers are confusing and ineffective
- Third party sellers not removed when they should be
- Shipping can be slow
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Summary
Newegg is definitely a legitimate company with a professional and powerful marketplace website.
For tech enthusiasts, Newegg is an expanding treasure trove of items and gadgets.
However, if you plan to make an account and try a bit of shopping, you need to read through your buying policies and familiarize yourself with the processes you’ll be following if things go wrong.
And favoring Newegg items over third party vendor items seems to be a consistent piece of advice for Newegg customers.