 BradReese.Com sales manager - Reggie Grant, received an interesting phone call earlier this week. |
An eBay purchaser called requesting a Cisco SMARTnet quote on a Cisco PIX-515E-UR-BUN.
Figuring there must be a story with the unit, Reggie asked about its history and was informed that it was purchased brand new from a seller on eBay. The unit was purchased for approximately $2,500 and it included a Cisco PIX-4FE card.
Reggie advised the eBay purchaser that the unit was possibly a counterfeit. The caller was shocked to hear that such a problem existed, as he had no idea or clue that this type of activity occurred on eBay.
Then the eBay purchaser mentioned that he was having a couple of problems with his new Cisco PIX firewall.
First, the software image was older than what he wanted to run – it was 6.x.
Second, the Cisco PIX-4FE card was not recognized in the unit.
Reggie suggested this would not be a problem with the image but most likely a hardware problem with either the PIX chassis or the card itself, as these problems were standard when it came to counterfeit Cisco equipment.
Reggie asked the caller if he had the serial number for his unit. He provided it to Reggie, and upon checking it, Reggie found out the "serial number did not exist."
This was a clear indication that this eBay purchaser of new Cisco equipment had been duped into buying a counterfeit Cisco PIX firewall, which he had believed was genuine Cisco until he called Reggie.
Cisco TAC will not support counterfeit Cisco equipment, so Reggie suggested that the eBay purchaser contact The Alliance for Gray Market and Counterfeit Abatement.
How to Save Money?
Before buying potentially counterfeit Cisco equipment on eBay, you may wish to consider Cisco Factory Refurbished.
Advantages of Cisco Authorized Refurbished Equipment:
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Fully tested and refurbished by Cisco. |
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Current revision IP-only software and new software license included. |
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Full warranty protection (same as new) through the Cisco Technical Assistance Center. |
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Automatically eligible to add SMARTnet Maintenance or other service contracts for extra support. |
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Both current and end-of-sale Cisco products available. |
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Competitive pricing. |
Brad Reese cofounded BradReese.Com Cisco Refurbished, which enables affordable networks globally by assuring customer satisfaction with guaranteed one year warranties on both Cisco Repair as well as Refurbished Cisco.
Don't be shy, contact Brad Reese online or call him Toll Free:
866-864-0506
International callers may wish to call Brad by dialing:
850-364-4115
The Leader in Network Knowledge
More Alternatives to Safely Save on Cisco
eBay can be an especially tricky channel to navigate safely and may put valuable IT budget dollars in jeopardy. However, there are other alternatives to save money on networking equipment that don’t require you to sacrifice quality assurance, warranty and support. Network Hardware Resale is one of many legitimate secondary market resellers of pre-owned and refurbished Cisco equipment. The secondary market provides immediate availability of current and previous generation equipment -- for network build outs, sparing, and disaster recovery – at up to 95% off list. All NHR products are authenticated, fully tested and backed with a one-year advanced replacement warranty. We are a member of the United Network Equipment Dealer Association (UNEDA), an organization that requires members to follow strict ethical standards and counterfeit abatement rules that keep the channel a safe alternative for IT pros. So while buying “new” equipment from a seller on eBay is extremely risky, businesses do have viable alternatives to keep the network up and running on a limited budget.
Phone number to call
Gentlemen,
Is there a phone number for potential secondary Cisco market purchasers to call and verify whether their pre-owned and refurbished Cisco equipment reseller is a UNEDA member?
Sincerely,
Brad Reese
http://www.BradReese.Com
Tough Market
Aside from avoiding ebay all together, it's just extremely hard to make a purchase without running the risk of buying counterfeit gear. Those of us that are familiar with the industry "players" know whose reliable and who isn't. Most of the legitimate resellers have ebay accounts/stores, and take their ebay sales just as seriously as they do their offline sales, but what about the average joe much like the example in this post? If they have never dealt with a quality company, then they may be inclined to chase after the cheaper deal, which always leads to the famous caveat..."buyer beware".
Whether it's a used cisco firewall or router, or any other piece of equipment for that matter, it's important to do a little research first. There are a bunch of reputable companies on ebay, that might not have the lowest prices, but you can guaranteed they'll be the real deal.