Why buy from Apos Audio?

[Acerun]

I ordered from Apos Audio but they are just drop shipping from Shenzhen Audio and charging US tax. Maybe I'm missing it. What is the advantage?

 

[RickSanchez]

Price matching, good return policy, good customer service.

 

[Acerun]

• Return requests made between 8 and 45 days after the order is marked as delivered will be subject to a 20% Processing Fee*.

I call that another strike. 20% processing fee is not a friendly return policy.

 

[oldandintheway]

I was completely satisfied with my transaction with them. They price matched Drop on my D50s (without the Drop wait) and it was delivered promptly and in good condition from China. As for the return policy, I continue to be amazed at people who think that return policies exist to give them a free in home demonstration. This belief seems to be wide spread in audio, and accounts for the large amount of "B" stock merchandise in circulation. Good thing I'm not a manufacturer, it would drive me nuts!

 

[muslhead]

• Return requests made between 8 and 45 days after the order is marked as delivered will be subject to a 20% Processing Fee*.

I call that another strike. 20% processing fee is not a friendly return policy.

Agree, this is not a good return policy. Better than nothing but not good
One thing i have not seen mentioned is they give you an additional year warranty when buying through them. This has value especially with some of the (less reliable) crap they sell

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I call that another strike. 20% processing fee is not a friendly return policy.

One thing i have not seen mentioned is they give you an additional year warranty when buying through them. This has value especially with some of the (less reliable) crap they sell

Is there a comparable or better option for the products they sell?

 

[flyzipper]

I continue to be amazed at people who think that return policies exist to give them a free in home demonstration.

That's exactly why they exist from many online-only retailers.

It removes a point of friction in the buying process (not being able to listen to, or interact with, the product beforehand).

 

[Acerun]

Is there a comparable or better option for the products they sell?

Well, Shenzhen Audio sells them with free shipping and no tax and no return processing fee to my knowledge.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Well, Shenzhen Audio sells them with free shipping and no tax and no return processing fee to my knowledge.

From Shenzen Audio[1]: "Warranty: One month replacement, One year free maintenance.

---

[1] Included warranty card states "Local sales agents have the right to determine the specific details." Authorized US retailer, APOS, offers free second-year transferable warranty coverage extension, 45-Day Return Policy and free shipping. Purchasers using Amazon can purchase 1 or 2 year extensions for $44.99 or $60.99, respectively.

 

[cjvivaaa]

Recently had a bad experience with APOS. I placed an order of a d10s balanced and pa5. After placing the order I asked if I can remove d10 from the order (which they didn't) since I ended up purchasing one E50 from another site. It's been 6 days since I placed the order the order hasn't shipped (card charged), and whenever I reach the customer service they keep asking me to change my d10s to e50 and they will ship it faster. At this point I feel like they are not shipping my order just so they can make me pay more, the experience is so unpleasant at this point I'm thinking return everything once it arrives and buy an ayami a07 from amazon.

Lessons learnt: choose express shipping not priority (both free, but no text description of the difference), don't talk to customer service

 

[Dunring]

The last time I ordered a Topping D10b DAC it was drop shipped from China and took over 3 weeks to arrive. It's a gamble for buying new. The renewed stuff they ship right away and it's warrantied by them as well. They do price match, and if something goes wrong, it's a lot cheaper to send it to California for the warranty than to China. I just won't order new unless I have a few weeks to wait and they're price matching something to make it worth it. It took over a week before the factory even got it on a delivery vehicle, then 2 more to deliver it.

 

[Cisco150]

Price matching, good return policy, good customer service.

Nope, not no more my sp200 has a bad xlr input and they want me to pay a restocking fee and shipping fee to get me a new amp. And I been spending money at their store but seeing the way they treat me like they are I would not be buying from them anymore be careful guys they are good to sell stuff but when it comes to helping after-sale nope they don't care after they take your money.

 

[DDF]

Prior to SMSL SU-9N order, asked Apos Apr 2 if they had stock in US to send, I raised this as my preference
They said yes
Ordered within 5 hrs. It was shipped from China despite their earlier same-day communication
Received it Apr 9. There was a wandering loose screw inside
I requested an RMA on April 11
Still waiting on next step as of April 24 despite 3 email sent from my side.
Getting ready to contest at Paypal

 

[Acerun]

Prior to SMSL SU-9N order, asked Apos Apr 2 if they had stock in US to send, I raised this as my preference
They said yes
Ordered within 5 hrs. It was shipped from China despite their earlier same-day communication
Received it Apr 9. There was a wandering loose screw inside
I requested an RMA on April 11
Still waiting on next step as of April 24 despite 3 email sent from my side.
Getting ready to contest at Paypal

That's bad news. I bought directly from Shenzhen audio for my SU6 which won't operate in USB-C to USBC mode so I had to send it back to China for $28... That's not good either. Although I did pay zero shipping to get it out to me in the first place so I guess there's that. I see headphones.com selling topping and other things we like with free shipping and no tax. Maybe they are the current best option?

 

[DDF]

That's bad news. I bought directly from Shenzhen audio for my SU6 which won't operate in USB-C to USBC mode so I had to send it back to China for $28... That's not good either. Although I did pay zero shipping to get it out to me in the first place so I guess there's that. I see headphones.com selling topping and other things we like with free shipping and no tax. Maybe they are the current best option?

Their policy is "We’ll provide a free prepaid return shipping label for you to return the defective items" and they accept orders from Canada but today claimed that they won't pay for return shipping of defective items from Canada but instead offer an in-store credit which is not stated anywhere on their site. No thanks, not after this transaction. The saga continues. Buyer Beware.

Last time I shipped to China was for a $1500 dac/amp that died within a year and the company didn't want to pay for repair. I waited months and was ~$80 out of pocket for shipping. For anything above trinket cost, it's best to stick with mature and proven brands and retailers with a history of reputable customer service. Anything else isn't worth the aggravation for what is supposed to be a discretionary fun hobby.

 

[DDF]

Their policy is "We’ll provide a free prepaid return shipping label for you to return the defective items" and they accept orders from Canada but today claimed that they won't pay for return shipping of defective items from Canada but instead offer an in-store credit which is not stated anywhere on their site. No thanks, not after this transaction. The saga continues. Buyer Beware.

Last time I shipped to China was for a $1500 dac/amp that died within a year and the company didn't want to pay for repair. I waited months and was ~$80 out of pocket for shipping. For anything above trinket cost, it's best to stick with mature and proven brands and retailers with a history of reputable customer service. Anything else isn't worth the aggravation for what is supposed to be a discretionary fun hobby.

Apos eventually repaid my purchase price to PayPal (5+ weeks after an RMA request and frequent prodding from my side) but made me pay return shipping despite their web site policy being otherwise (it was faulty, & I've never before received a consumer good with a rattling loose screw). I wrote an honest review of the experience for the Apos site but it was never published so don't be fooled into believing that their site reviews reflect an aggregate of reality.

I'm out $30 in shipping and $10 in exchange. Not the end of the world but the entire experience left a really bad taste. As @pma or @restorer-john like to say, these are toys but I also learned that these companies aren't serious.

 

[restorer-john]

As @pma or @restorer-john like to say, these are toys but I also learned that these companies aren't serious.

You're right, they are not serious. They are just little brands that want to play with big boys in terms of measurements, but don't want to put service centres on the ground in the countries they sell into, man them with qualified technicians and stock a range of spare parts to enable their customers to get what they paid for. And they need to make bulletproof, reliable products in the first place.

It will all stop soon enough with the EU clamping down on lack of repairability and making it difficult or impossible to import non-complaint electronics.

In the meantime, buy from brands or manufacturers who back their products in the country you live in. Brands that pay postage both ways (as they are required to do here in Australia) for faulty/failed gear. One that have generous and low cost out of warranty repairs and service.

 

[fireboy1968]

Here's the deal. There are two different China's in manufacturing. There is Apple and Monitor Audio China where everything is world class and for Monitor Audio better than it was in the UK. Then there are the companies that cut corners in QC and perform balancing acts to provide products that look to be good values for the money. Think about what Topping has to do with the E30 when so much of the MSRP is eaten up by the cost is the AK chip

 

[JustJones]

Another dissatisfied customer. I was sent a defective product. It's what I always referred to as a "Brick" . Topping E70 Velvet. I have been tring to get an RMA since the end of last year. Still haven't heard from them. Their canned email response is I am in the queue. If it takes this long it must be one hell of a queue.