If you are enthusiastic about a handheld or would like to expand your collection, the following questions quickly arise:
Where can I order it?
How do I proceed?
What about delivery costs, import fees and taxes?
And the warranty?
That's why we want to give you a little guide on how to buy a handheld at the best possible price.
Where can I order it?
There are a lot of websites, but over the last 3 years only a few have proven to be good in terms of price and reliability of delivery
the top 4 websites:
www.keepretro.com (reseller)
less recommended websites are:
www.temu.com (only with the 50% voucher, to be found on Instagram)
manufacturer websites:
coupons for geekbuying and banggood:
www.opcoupon.com (international)
www.nerdsheaven.de (Germany)
www.mydealz.de (Germany)
www.dealabs.com (France)
How do I proceed?
Step 1:
Check on opcoupon or other websites if there is a coupon for your desired handheld, proceed as follows:
call up the link, enter the manufacturer of the handheld in the search field and look for a coupon.
If you can't find what you're looking for, just try google search.
Step 2:
Compare the prices on the above top 4 websites, you will often find a good deal.
Step 3:
cashback providers are often forgotten or underused, especially in the european countries there are some which are very reliable, here are a few examples:
Shoop, Topcashback (Germany)
iGraal (Germany, France, Spain)
What is the principle of cashback?
You buy a product via the cashback app on your smartphone or you have installed a browser plugin on your PC. Each cashback provider has different promotions, which vary from time to time as well as Voucher codes. So it's worth comparing the different cashback providers.
After the purchase, cashback is paid out on the net amount of the handheld, for example.
some additional tips
The powkiddy website has a special feature which can be useful.
If you buy over 150$, it is basically free shipping and tax free for EU countries (no import fees)
The next benefit are always valid coupon codes:
powkiddylove (-10$)
retrogamecorps (-5%)
keepretro is a reseller, i.e. many orders are collected first and then the goods are shipped.
This results in longer delivery times. If a handheld is in stock, it is of course faster.
In general, keepretro has many handhelds at the time of release and it is advisable to look there first on the website than directly at the manufacturer, because you save import fees and taxes!
What about delivery costs, import fees and taxes?
The prices on the top 4 websites mentioned above always include the country-specific import fees and taxes. Therefore, do not worry about subsequent fees or post from the customs office.
And the warranty?
In the event of a warranty claim, it is always important to contact the customer service of the respective website in advance so that the procedure for a return / replacement payment / spare parts can be communicated.
It is always advisable to communicate objectively, politely and in English in order to receive a quicker response.
If possible, a return shipment to China should be avoided, as it is always associated with high costs and therefore a compromise solution makes the most sense.
Example
Let´s buy an Anbernic RG35XX !
check opcoupon if there are coupons available, and enter "RG35XX" in the search field
click on "visit deal" and you will be redirected to geekbuying
add the device to your basket and copy&paste the coupon code from opcoupon
Finished - now wait 1-3 weeks for the RG35XX to arrive
or
if you would also like to use cashback, leave the RG35XX in your shopping cart, log in via your cashback provider and select geekbuying
activate the cashback and you will be redirected to the geekbuying website, where you must now accept the cookies (important for tracking the cashback provider) and log in. Now you can make the purchase and you will receive the cashback amount in a few weeks.
Thanks Andreas for this post. This will definitely be the guide for my next handheld shopping ;)