Router from china?

mglzgsr

Hi there!
I'm looking for a new router on eBay and Amazon, as well as in any other major tech shops I know. I would like to get an Asus RT-AC88U as it comes with 8 ports. I've seen this one on eBay from China, significantly cheaper than the rest. Have you had any experience buying routers from China? are they legit?
Any info will be appreciated
Thank you!

psychopomp1

Yes that Asus from China looks to be legit and is indeed priced cheaper. However, you will almost certainly be hit with VAT/import charges on top (as China is outside the EU) and a large chunk of your savings will be eaten up by these. Also what happens if the router is dead upon arrival? You then have to return the router all the way back to China whilst waiting for a refund/replacement and it would be almost impossible to get the vat/important refunded. Just pay slightly more to amazon uk for a hassle free purchase and easy returns for peace of mind...you can't put a price on that

3guk

If you do end up buying from China, I'd recommend flashing it with firmware directly from the ASUS website (you never know who has tampered with it).

For extra bonus points flash it with Asuswrt-Merlin firmware - which I always found to be a bit more stable and feature rich !!

mglzgsr

Thanks for the reply, never thought about the customs... that's a fair point

Indeed! I was thinking on flashing it anyways with dd-wrt

Thank you both for the replies!