In this guide I will review the popular question -

OEM vs Generic, which cell phone accessory should I buy for my cell phone?

If you have done a search on eBay or the internet for any type of cell phone accessory, I am sure you know by now that there are a huge amount of choices for you to consider. Before you buy, you need to decide whether you want OEM cell phone accessories or generic (aftermarket) cell phone accessories. First lets define each term:

OEM Cell Phone Accessories: OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. This means it is NOT a generic or "aftermarket" item, it is made by the same manufacturer that made your phone. OEM products typically have a warranty as well as you know the company that made that cell phone accessory. OEM products are typically very high quality products that the aftermarket makers can not match. The reliability of these cell phone accessories are much higher.

Aftermarket Cell Phone Accessories: Aftermarket cell phone accessories are compatible with specified cell phone brands and typically are cheaper than OEM products. However, aftermarket products will most likely be lower quality than OEM products. Most of the time for aftermarket accessories, you do not know the name of the company that made the cell phone accessory so most of the time you will have no warranty. Generic or "aftermarket" items may ruin or burn up your phone and void the warranty on your cell phone.

Things you will want to remember when choosing OEM or aftermarket

Know your seller:

• The greatest thing about eBay is that while we don't exactly know who we are dealing with, by checking out the seller’s feedback we can get a great idea of who we are dealing with. The most important aspect to look at is the percentage of positive. This is located right underneath the used ID. You want to focus more on the percentage then the number of negative feedbacks mainly because of volume. For example, if you see a seller that has gotten 20 negative feedbacks in the last month may look high, but if they have had 2000+ positives in the same time frame, then that is 99% positive. I will never buy from someone that has less then 98% positive. Anything above 98% is great and 99% and above is even better.

Know your purchase:

• Make sure to figure S&H cost into your final amount. For example, if an item is $9.99, it may seem like a great deal until you see the $14.99 shipping. Just make sure to know the total amount you are going to spend on the item.
• If the item is expensive, see if there is an option to add insurance. If you do not add insurance to a $300 item, you are out the money, not the seller if it gets damaged in the mail. Insurance is cheap and worth the money on expensive items.
• Check out the sellers return policy. Check out their terms and conditions. If you do not understand their policy, email them before you make the purchase.
• If you are looking for OEM cell phone accessories, make sure you include “OEM” in your search term. Ex: Motorola OEM Razr battery. If you include the “OEM” in your title, you are sure to bring up only “OEM” cell phone accessories.

The final answer - OEM or aftermarket?

The answer is OEM! Here are the top 5 reasons why OEM is better than aftermarket:

1. OEM Cell Phone Accessories are made by the same manufacturer of your cell phone.
2. OEM Cell Phone Accessories are better quality.
3. OEM Cell Phone Accessories are more likely to have a warranty.
4. OEM Cell Phone Accessories will last longer.
5. OEM Cell Phone Accessories protect your phone from the pitfalls of the aftermarkets.

The Bottom Line:

You paid a lot for your cell phone so why not protect your investment? Even if you got your cell phone for free through your carrier, if you need to replace that phone it will most likely cost well over $100 and sometimes $200+.

Your cell phone is not just a cell phone, it is who YOU are. The type of phone you have makes a statement about you. And so do your accessories. Take care of your phone and treat it to the best you can get. Most times the difference in price between OEM and aftermarket is $5-10, so why not spend the extra money and make it last?

Be sure to check out my auctions here. I offer a lot of OEM cell phone accessories including cases, chargers, batteries, data cables, Bluetooth headsets, etc.

I hope this guide helped you out! If so please rate it below! Thank you!