Bad News for Otter Box, Very sad story

[Coralie]

Otter Box iPhone 4 Defender cases as low as $0.80 USD

In China you can find Otter Box cases in electronic wholesale markets, websites sites including public traded companies like Alibaba.com , Aliexpress.com, taobao.com , madeinchina.com just type in Otter or Otter Box and you will see 100s of Chinese agents and factories offering Otter Box cases as low as 0.80USD. These cases are finding their way into the international market on a large scale. Many of these cases are bad knock off but many or so good that they could be or are the original cases, all of them at a fraction of the price offered by Mr. Richardson’s company creating a loss of millions of dollars and growing. It puts into question how many of the Otter Box cases offered on eBay.com ,online stores and brick and mortar stores are real. Because of the legality of selling knock-offs we would think that most if not all of the cases in major retailers are from the original source Otter Box the company but at the same time it has to make these retailers wonder why they are buying cases at $25.00 USD when good look alike cases are selling for as low as 0.80 USD from suppliers in China.

via:
http://www.idealschina.com/Insider/NewsDetail.aspx?ArticleID=38

 

[TokyoHam]

Bad news for OtterBox, yes; sad story, no. I think this is great news for consumers. Why people spend $25-30 on a piece of plastic that cost $0.05 to manufacture is beyond me. I mean, I'm guilty of it too (I've got about 10 iPhone 4 cases, of which I regularly use zero) but when you think about it, the markup is insane.

 

[Grolubao]

Bad news for OtterBox, yes; sad story, no. I think this is great news for consumers. Why people spend $25-30 on a piece of plastic that cost $0.05 to manufacture is beyond me. I mean, I'm guilty of it too (I've got about 10 iPhone 4 cases, of which I regularly use zero) but when you think about it, the markup is insane.

Exactly! Same with the bumpers. I'm very happy with the ones from SW-Box, and they cost 10 times less than the Apple bumpers

 

[SchneiderMan]

Not sad at all and I could care less.

 

[obyte]

This is not new for the market. Any case mfg overcharges for all of their stuff. If you honestly think the prices these companies charge is fair, then have fun wasting money

 

[vachargerfan]

Bad news for OtterBox, yes; sad story, no. I think this is great news for consumers. Why people spend $25-30 on a piece of plastic that cost $0.05 to manufacture is beyond me. I mean, I'm guilty of it too (I've got about 10 iPhone 4 cases, of which I regularly use zero) but when you think about it, the markup is insane.

There is a lot more that goes into stuff then just the price of the plastic. machines have to be bought to produce the parts. People need to be paid for R/D. That stuff isn't cheap. So there might only be .05 worth of plastic, but what about the thousands of dollars spent behind the scenes? Sure they might be over priced, but it isn't like they are making 1000% profit on it either

 

[3gbuff]

I work for a store that sells Iphone/Ipad products and the markup is really bad. On average, 100% markup is pretty much the rule. Many also at 150%.
So imagine what it costs Companies like Griffin, Otter, Iskin and others. A fraction of the true cost of making these cases.
For example, a case like the Iskin Solo for Iphone 4. Sells here for $32.95 plus taxes. Our cost is $13.00. So i can imagine the cost to Iskin.

 

[enemi]

So any links to these 0.80 USD Otterbox?
I'll rather purchase them then the real thing if the difference in price is so remarkable.

 

[Coralie]

( These cases are finding their way into the international market on a large scale ) and if not controlled then buying fake as original will mean big trouble for Otter.

 

[i3igsmooth5769]

Im sure other case manufacturers are suffering from this problem as well.

 

[djransom]

I got a knockoff Defender in the mail yesterday. Ordered it via ebay for $25 shipped and got it and somethin about it just didn't feel right. Went to Walmart this AM and picked up a Defender for $40 and I could tell the difference right away.

 

[JASApplications]

Otter Box iPhone 4 Defender cases as low as $0.80 USD

In China you can find Otter Box cases in electronic wholesale markets, websites sites including public traded companies like Alibaba.com , Aliexpress.com, taobao.com , madeinchina.com just type in Otter or Otter Box and you will see 100s of Chinese agents and factories offering Otter Box cases as low as 0.80USD. These cases are finding their way into the international market on a large scale. Many of these cases are bad knock off but many or so good that they could be or are the original cases, all of them at a fraction of the price offered by Mr. Richardson’s company creating a loss of millions of dollars and growing. It puts into question how many of the Otter Box cases offered on eBay.com ,online stores and brick and mortar stores are real. Because of the legality of selling knock-offs we would think that most if not all of the cases in major retailers are from the original source Otter Box the company but at the same time it has to make these retailers wonder why they are buying cases at $25.00 USD when good look alike cases are selling for as low as 0.80 USD from suppliers in China.

via:
http://www.idealschina.com/Insider/NewsDetail.aspx?ArticleID=38

I couldn't care less if I tried.

 

[h1r0ll3r]

Not depressing news at all. Virtually ALL cases manufacturers have clones/knock offs of their cases. And virtually all of the case manufacturers have their cases made in China. While they're not 100% clones, they're pretty close. This is to the buyers advantage anyways since we're getting the benefits of cases that are actually reasonably priced. Why pay $40-$50 for a case when you can get something almost similar for $5?

Sure, some will want the OEM case for a variety of reasons however, in the end, it's always better to get something for cheaper. Cases will break/fall apart/wear down so will you really be willing to spend another $40-$50 for the same case again? Nice if you have the money to do it but that's definitely not for me.

 

[djransom]

Not depressing news at all. Virtually ALL cases manufacturers have clones/knock offs of their cases. And virtually all of the case manufacturers have their cases made in China. While they're not 100% clones, they're pretty close. This is to the buyers advantage anyways since we're getting the benefits of cases that are actually reasonably priced. Why pay $40-$50 for a case when you can get something almost similar for $5?

Sure, some will want the OEM case for a variety of reasons however, in the end, it's always better to get something for cheaper. Cases will break/fall apart/wear down so will you really be willing to spend another $40-$50 for the same case again? Nice if you have the money to do it but that's definitely not for me.

That's NOT always the case. You get what you pay for and I've learned this the hard way with DJ equipment.

 

[obyte]

That's NOT always the case. You get what you pay for and I've learned this the hard way with DJ equipment.

Comparing DJ equipment to a .30 piece of plastic isn't really fair to compare with at all.

 

[184550]

That's NOT always the case. You get what you pay for and I've learned this the hard way with DJ equipment.

I wonder why, then, he has an MBP i7? Surely he could have gotten a i7 PC for a fraction of the cost of an MBP.

I agree, cheaper usually isn't better.

 

[JM2]

I work for a store that sells Iphone/Ipad products and the markup is really bad. On average, 100% markup is pretty much the rule. Many also at 150%.
So imagine what it costs Companies like Griffin, Otter, Iskin and others. A fraction of the true cost of making these cases.
For example, a case like the Iskin Solo for Iphone 4. Sells here for $32.95 plus taxes. Our cost is $13.00. So i can imagine the cost to Iskin.

News flash: just about EVERYTHING you buy has 100% mark up on it. Generally as products get more expensive the mark up is less, for example cars have only like 5% profit in them, however something stupid cheap like $2 soda/candy bar/pen is like 500% profit.

Everyone knows a $30 iPhone case only has a few cents worth of plastic in it, but if we all start buying everything directly from China nobody here in the US of A will have job. Think about that before you "save" money on a case.

Sorry I just don't understand how people that are paying around $1000 a year (phone + monthly fees + taxes) to have a luxury item like a fancy iPhone get so worried over spending a $30 on a case. If you can afford an iPhone you can afford a real, non-rip off case.

 

[obyte]

Sorry I just don't understand how people that are paying around $1000 a year (phone + monthly fees + taxes) to have a luxury item like a fancy iPhone get so worried over spending a $30 on a case. If you can afford an iPhone you can afford a real, non-rip off case.

Just to make sure I am understanding you correctly....you're calling a $30 case that costs $.30 to make the NON-ripoff?

 

[TEHi]

First of all you people must realize that the $0.80 case is not a retail price, you have to buy larges quantities and it does not include shipping. It does not come in a nice box with accesories and they do not go through a quality check. There is no customer support.

Secondly and most important if you have ever bought a knock-off case you know the quality is not the same. I had a Switcheasy CapsuleRebel copy from sw-box.com and the quality compared to my original switcheasy Odyssey nd TRIM is day and night. You get what you pay for.

And this is not only with otterbox cases. It is everything that is made in Asian countries. The $200 shoes you are wearing, only costs $18 to make in Indonesia. Two "Ultra Clear HD" screen protectors for $15? 6x for $3 shipped at ebay. same stuff.

You are right now paying for a service/device way more than it is worth. That is sad.

 

[techdude6693]

To be honest, I've tried some of these cheapo cases, they're horrible, I'd rather leave my phone caseless than use that garbage

 

[dukebound85]

Just to make sure I am understanding you correctly....you're calling a $30 case that costs $.30 to make the NON-ripoff?

Value has nothing to do with the cost to produce it but what we assign to it

All I know is that for 30 bucks, I could not make myself an individual otterbox case so I am ok with it

Interesting tidbit. I live in the same city where otterbox is headquartered. Have to stand up for local buisnesses

 

[CBR900RR]

First of all you people must realize that the $0.80 case is not a retail price, you have to buy larges quantities and it does not include shipping. It does not come in a nice box with accesories and they do not go through a quality check. There is no customer support.

Secondly and most important if you have ever bought a knock-off case you know the quality is not the same. I had a Switcheasy CapsuleRebel copy from sw-box.com and the quality compared to my original switcheasy Odyssey nd TRIM is day and night. You get what you pay for.

And this is not only with otterbox cases. It is everything that is made in Asian countries. The $200 shoes you are wearing, only costs $18 to make in Indonesia. Two "Ultra Clear HD" screen protectors for $15? 6x for $3 shipped at ebay. same stuff.

You are right now paying for a service/device way more than it is worth. That is sad.

You are full of it, it is not about where the product is make, it is about how much money you are willing to pay for the product to made, tell me the quality of you iphone and where it is made.

 

[RebeccaL]

Knockoffs have always existed. This is not news. See how many Rolodex clones are out there, yet the real company continues to make lots of money.

 

[bigred7078]

Bad news for OtterBox, yes; sad story, no. I think this is great news for consumers. Why people spend $25-30 on a piece of plastic that cost $0.05 to manufacture is beyond me. I mean, I'm guilty of it too (I've got about 10 iPhone 4 cases, of which I regularly use zero) but when you think about it, the markup is insane.

Well you obviously know nothing about how a business works...

 

[RebeccaL]

I don't know how you justify comparing a Rolex to and Otter Box. Maybe you haven't seen an Otter Box case so let me tell you there is nothing there than cannot be duplicated for very little money. It is a bit of plastic and silicone and that's it. A Rolex is a piece of art and would take a lot of money to make one even if you had all of the parts for free. That is why Otter Box has this problem. From what they say in the article some are so good they might be the orginals and those would have to come from the factories making them for Otter Box and selling them out the back door while Otter Box's back is turned. I don't see how they can stop it if they stay in bed with the same people.

Dude cool down it's just a case. No need for you to get so angry. next time I make a knockoff comparison I will cite shoes instead of a Rolex so you don't get offended.