Newegg is one of the world’s most popular websites to purchase tech products online.
However, since transactions can quickly become quite large – especially when shopping for a new computer, it’s natural to become a bit worried about its safety.
Therefore, you may be wondering – is Newegg legit, and are they safe to buy from? Is there anything you should know about before placing an order with Newegg?
These are legitimate concerns. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about shopping on Newegg.com!
Is Newegg A Safe Site To Buy From?
Yes. Newegg is a perfectly legitimate website, and millions of shoppers have been safely purchasing from the site for around 20 years now.
You will certainly receive the products that you order, and you don’t need to worry about your credit card or banking details being stolen.
While third-party sellers can sometimes be an issue (more on that later), it is still considered to be one of the best places to purchase computer hardware and other computer equipment online.
Therefore, you really have nothing to worry about when placing an order. If you’d like a more detailed review detailing their product quality, shipping, returns / RMA and customer service practices, I will be sharing one later in this article. This will make it easier to form your own opinion, and perhaps help you feel safer about ordering from them as well!
Beware Of Third-Party Sellers, However
In 2014, Newegg opened up its website to third-party sellers, rather than selling all items on their website directly to customers.
While you usually won’t have any issues ordering from third-party sellers (especially if you check their feedback prior to purchase), sellers do not always uphold the same standards that Newegg themselves does.
While Newegg does monitor their sellers and maintains a set of rules for them to follow, reports from others seem to suggest they are not nearly as strict as websites like Amazon, for example.
Additionally, because there is an extra party in the middle of the transaction, it may make things more difficult in the event that a product needs to be returned or RMA’d, and slow down the experience.
Therefore, we recommend purchasing directly from Newegg if you can, and only ordering from third-party sellers that have a high feedback rating.
You can tell whether or not a product is being sold by Newegg directly, by looking at the information above the add to cart button.
If a product is sold directly, it will say “Sold by: Newegg” and also have the ‘Shipped By Newegg’ banner directly underneath it.
Offers by third-party sellers however will appear like this:
So, pay attention to who you’re ordering from!
The seller listed in the example above does not have that great of a rating, so it may be a better idea to order from someone else instead – even if the product is a bit higher in price.
Newegg’s Buyout + Merger – And How It Impacted The Site
Although Newegg has upheld a high reputation for its quality and customer service, unfortunately this reputation has been tarnished a bit in recent years.
This is largely due to an investment in 2016 in which a Chinese technology company called Liaison Interactive purchased a majority stake in Newegg.
Then in 2020, Newegg entered into a merger agreement with Lianlou Smart Limited, and went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange in May 2021.
Customers have since reported a serious downgrade in customer service, particularly when dealing with issues regarding shipping and returns.
That being said, I have ordered many times since then and have not yet had any issues. The one time I needed to RMA a product so I could get a replacement, everything was handled smoothly and I didn’t have any issues working with customer support.
While it may not be quite as smooth as ordering off of Amazon, you are less likely to have issues in the first place. Because they only really sell tech products, they are trained to handle issues related to tech products, ship things better than a company like Amazon would, and have systems in place to handle most issues.
Newegg’s Return Policy
One thing that’s always helpful to pay attention to when ordering from a new site – especially when your purchase is quite expensive, is the website’s return policy.
Thankfully, Newegg’s is in line with most other retailers, meaning you’ll have plenty of opportunity to try things out and make sure that they work.
Newegg’s standard return policy is up to 30 days, which is in line with Amazon. This is for products sold by Newegg directly – unlike Amazon, third-party sellers are able to set their own policies regarding returns.
For Newegg direct items, no restocking fees are charged, and Newegg pays for return shipping back to them. So, there really is no risk if you return products for 30 days.
Note however that some products have exceptions – for example, they may be limited by the manufacturer’s warranty instead.
Note that manufacturer warranties tend to be much longer than the 30-day return period offered by Newegg. In fact, warranties often last for several years.
While you may not be able to return the products for a full refund after 30 days, you can still take advantage of the product’s warranty to get a replacement for any defective products.
Product warranty information is typically locate don the Newegg sales page, and may also be included on the product’s packaging upon its arrival.
My Personal Newegg Review
Having spent over $10,000 at Newegg across many different orders (including several orders after the acquisition and merger), I’d like to share my own personal review of Newegg.
In order to make things easier, I’ve broken it down into several sections.
Product Quality
Product quality has varied between different products ordered.
Because Newegg is a retailer rather than a manufacturer, this really comes down to the quality of the underlying components. Therefore, this is more of a reflection on my purchasing decisions rather than Newegg themselves.
Having built two full desktops using parts sourced from Newegg, I have only had one component fail on me in the last 10 years – a PSU. Thankfully, it was still within warranty when it failed.
Shipping
Shipping is one area where I’ve always felt more comfortable ordering from Newegg, than a competitor like Amazon.
Being that they sell primarily fragile equipment, I knew it would be better protected than the large automated systems that Amazon uses.
All components have always arrived secure, with minimal movement in the boxes. Hard drives for example are shipped in appropriate size boxes that prevent them from slamming or tumbling around while in transit by UPS or Fedex.
I have never had anything arrive broken, nor have I noticed any shipping damage to the product packaging.
That being said, shipping is a little bit slower than something like Amazon, who can get products to you in as little as one day if you’re an Amazon Prime member.
So, it is a tradeoff between speed and safety.
Customer Service
Contacting Newegg customer service is quick and easy.
That being said, it is a little bit more frustrating than something like Amazon.
On Amazon, you state your problem and they almost always fix it straight away. Newegg on the other hand may request or require more information before they can move forward with things.
Other users have noted that Newegg closes support tickets too early, even if evidence shows that a resolution hasn’t been reached. Therefore, it seems that customer service has indeed gone downhill since the merger and acquisition.
If you have any experiences of your own with Newegg’s customer service, please share them in the comment form below.
Returns
Returning a product within the return period is straightforward and seamless.
Details about how to begin the returns process can be found by clicking here.
Conclusion
Thankfully, Newegg is a completely legit. You don’t have anything to worry about when buying from them, and I still consider it to be one of the best places to purchase electronics online.
While it’s true that customer service has gone downhill since their merger and acquisition, I’m still happy to recommend them as a place to purchase products – especially over websites like Amazon.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any other questions about Newegg or you’d like to share your own personal experiences with them, please do so using the comment form below.
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister