I see the Ancell VD700 is $139.99 on Amazon but $79.99 on eBay. Anyone have any idea why the difference?
Even less with the
20% eBay coupon until the 16th.
When I bought mine from Amazon about half a year ago, it was under the same deal that's currently running -- $140 - $23 coupon, plus free carrying case. I think the case promo comes and goes, but there is usually a coupon attached to shave some off the $140 MSRP.
So, $117 + tax with a case that sells for $23 separately.
If I were doing it now, I'd certainly consider the eBay option, given the price difference, but still keeping in mind the ease of customer service Amazon offers, albeit at the higher cost. Whether that tradeoff is worthwhile is a personal choice.
The various eBay options are probably legitimate goods, but from resellers who may or may not have a link to Ancel. Chinese brands are very vague with respect to retail relationships, compared to Western brands where direct/factory, authorized dealer/reseller, or 3rd party seller relationships are easier to suss out. With Chinese brands, everyone claims to be "official" or "direct" and so on, and it's difficult to get a clear picture of who actually is.
The storage case is a typical molded EVA hard shell, which is nice to have, but I wouldn't consider it a must have, especially since the unit may already come with a bag, like mine did. It was also cardboard boxed, and not packaged in a designed-by-satan hard plastic clamshell blister pack like the units seen in the various YT video reviews.
Be sure to follow Amazon's instructions if trying to take advantage of their promo; it's not the most logical process and requires some active steps, rather than just automatically including both items in the cart, and during checkout, the credit will be split between both items, rather than one being free.
