Probably depends on brand. Are they the exact same product? If so then nothing except Amazon delivery may be faster and returns may be easier.

 

I prefer to support our industry suppliers... But at times, especially when I know I'm just getting a China built something, it's hard to give up that extra $50. But, even on brand name products, sometimes it's too much to ignore.

 

There may be no difference. Or the $50 one might be junk. Amazon wouldn't know or care.
Some like Amazon. I prefer to support those that support the hobby, otherwise the hobby won't get the support it does and be poorer for it. Quadratec supports the hobby, they support events that we go to. And they are actually Jeep people.
There are other good retailers out there as well, like Northridge 4x4.
If you are concerned about the difference in price, why don't you contact Quadratec and see what they say? They may try to price match if the two are really the same grill insert.
Or just give your money to a guy who already has more than enough money. He will gladly take it.

 

Quadratec supports the hobby, they support events that we go to. And they are actually Jeep people.

I agree. Quadratec is a corporate sponsor of Cal4Wheel; know that a portion of your Quadratec purchase price goes to keeping trails open. I don't know for certain, but I doubt if any of billions in Amazon profits have every supported the off-road community (other than indirectly through the Amazon Smile program).

 

I'm willing to pay extra for non-china made products.

I'm not willing to pay a significant amount more from one shop to the other for an identical product, unless I know their customer service is worth it. (In case of a future warranty issue etc. Sometimes not worth it to save$5 on eBay knowing a warranty claim would be a hassle)

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I worry about counterfeit products on Amazon. I prefer to go directly to the manufacturer if possible. Northridge and Quadratec are good trustworthy companies though. If you’re buying Chinese it shouldn’t matter where you buy. Worst scenario is buying a cheap knock off of a cheap knock off.

 

PM @Quadratec for a quote, see if they can help. Always helped me out.

 

Without know the details of each one, it is hard to say. A link to both would help. Quadratec has some as low as $18.

 

I am starting to shop at vendors other than amazon. I get the convenience and still buy a lot from them. I believe supporting those that support us is the better choice.

I’ve supported Q’tech since they were just a small catalog before the internet days.

I usually shop there first, then northridge, and then maybe amazon.

Shop where you want but keep in mind if Amazon drives others out of business they will change their pricing model once no one else is left.

 

Quadratec is my go to on researching parts and purchasing parts. They don't carry everything, but I would that about 90% of what I buy for my Jeeps comes from them.

About 2 1/2 years ago I asked their customer service rep a loaded question. I was looking at new tops for my TJ and was comparing the Bestop Trektop NX to the Quadratop Adventure Top. I asked them if the Adventure top quality was equal to the Bestop Trektop. The answer told me a lot about Quadratec, most of which I already knew. He told me flat out that Bestop had the best quality in the industry, but the others were competing in the budget top category.

I had my Trektop NX from Quacratec delivered a few days later. The wheels on both of my Jeeps came from them, but I buy my tires at a local dealer and have for the past 25 years. They take the lug nuts off with an air ratchet, but the go back on with a torque wrench. And they have never steered me wrong.

 

Bought quite a few things from Q‘tech and have not been disappointed. I try to buy brand names and you have to be real careful with Amazon. Some of the stuff is junk. I also try to buy local. It might cost a little more but the service is worth it. Plus if they go out of business there would be no where to go and you would have to wait days for your mail order stuff

 

For most parts I buy straight from the manufacture. But I will buy parts from Amazon when I am buying a temp part. An example of this would be say a lightbar. The one I want is $500 but I can get something that is good enough for $100 until I have the money for the part I want. The other instance for buying from Amazon is when the manufacture has a store front. I am getting ready to purchase so lights from KC and they have a presence on Amazon.

The last point is very important if you are all concerned about a warranty.

 

I have been avoiding amazon as much as possible because they do not even try to vet the china knockoffs being sold as genuine products. I have become tired of having to return products that were not as advertised.

 

Cheap black plastic Amazon ones will turn purple after some time in the sun.

 

LOL. All of this for grill inserts? Amazon carries Chinese junk OR they carry brand name. Read the reviews whenever in doubt.

 

Quite right. Amazon sells the good stuff as well as the cheap stuff, so if you choose the cheap stuff, it's on you... not amazon

 

It's quite common for auto parts and accessories to be made by off-shore manufacturers, then imported and sold under various brand labels. If it's marketed with a nice, tough sounding American brand name, it's priced higher. I'd rather not play that game, so for such parts Amazon is a great resource to find the best price.

 

Amazon Warehouse FTW!! Seriously though, I always go for significant savings first. If the same price and product, I prefer Quadratec

 

I had bought some inserts for my 2015 JK, and they were inexpensive plastic ones, but after a while I go tired of them so took them off. What I found is that they vibrate and will cause a ring around the grill opening. My opinion is you should look for something that sits behind the grill.

 

Amazon does not always have the best price. When they do, there is a reason. It's like the Gov of Calif and Jeff Bezos has a deal. The Gov shuts down the state so Christmas shopping has to be done on line. I use Qtec, Northridge, Morris, and any Mfg suite for anything I can. Even Wallmart.

 

They are most likely counterfeit or cheaply made knock-offs on Amazon. No legit manufacturer would allow Amazon to sell their product for half price.
I bought Cibie headlights on Amazon, and found out they were counterfeit when I tried to register them with Valeo. Would never buy anything important there again.

 

when you are looking at a part or accessory, that looks identical as far as you can tell to a name brand or house brand, there could be any of the following going on, among the issues:
1) It is identical and made in same factory because the ODM or OM in china contracted by the US brand or seller does not have a enforced no duplication clause.
2) It looks identical, can be made in same factory, but the inventory being sold is quality control fails
3) It looks identical but maker has copied some specs and made it with lower quality material

When you by from quadratec, Northridge, Morris it is entirely possible you are paying more for the same thing, it is also possible in other cases that you are avoiding cheap and poorly made counterfeit product. At least with the major vendors of some repute you can have some assurance the part fits, there is some tech support and they will within reason in the highly competitive makertplace have some level of customer support.

If you buy anything on amazon I strongly suggest you make 100% sure you are selecting amazon as the seller and purchase is "shipped and sold by amazon.

As far as ethics of shopping by price, rest assured the big US retail sellers do exactly that themselves. And rest assured if there is a very popular product sold to them by a US maker those sellers are also looking to china to source alternate close to copied as legally possible for their name brands etc.

That said I do'nt want a world where there is only amazon. I just paid about $18 dollars more for a two hundred dollar purchase on quadratec than it was selling for on Amazon. I think we all know that if we lose the specialized retailers all that will be left is no support, no one at the end of a phone line with any expertise that represents a company that cares about their reputation.

 

Don’t comparison shop gifts on Amazon. If the person wanted something from Amazon, they would have given an Amazon link instead.

 

I really prefer to deal with the Mfg. That's why I went with Fusion4x4 for the DL and TR. Luckily we still have many direct Mfg vendors in the Jeep world. Hotheads is another good one. I support them.

 

probably from the land of the china virus.
get used to stuff from there, the new regime is in bed with china

 

Stuff from "there" has never stopped in the first place so I'm not sure what you are saying.In fact over probably the last 10 years there has been a HUGE boom in Chinese product and it has nothing to do with a new or old regime. Simple supply and demand... if Chinese product is big in the USA then there is nobody to thank other than the American consumer.

 

I just bought a JKS ACOS kit and it was $50 less on Amazon than any of the Jeep retailers... That's a 19% difference. It came in a JKS box with JKS logo tape. I'm now looking at a free spin hub kit from Yukon and Amazon is almost $300 cheaper. That's around 30% lower... I hate Bezos, but some "savings" can't be ignored. I do buy from Quadratec regularly as well.

 

No doubt that is a compelling price difference, even 10% is compelling when enough money is at stake.

 

The last time that I contacted Qtec it was for a 10a hood. I wanted the Mopar hood, not the cheap Chinese junk. I know that the Covid was hurting all of the Businesses, but I could not get them to answer their phone. I tried several times. So I ordered it through my local Jeep Dealer. What was interesting, the Dealer was no more expensive than Qtec.

 

I think it is hard to judge a business right now. My city, which is a major destination city, the leadership is all focused on supporting restaurants when they are only 5% of small business (defined either as <100 or <500). QTech could have an outbroke in the office and have disruptions in phone and work at home for some of their staff. Setting up, and maintaining, work from home operations is ,much more difficult for small business due to lack of economy of scale. That is part of why this entire Covid problem is a gift to Amazon, they are not just resistant to covid problems, say losing less business and gaining market share, they are actually phenomenally increasing gross and net sale and profit.

But with a huge number of items you can bet quadratec, Morthridge, Morris, Extreme are doing is drop shipping. Essentially very often the the product they are selling is a) the customer service itself, and b) curating catalogue of product, more than keeping it inventory, of so not getting any service is certainly a reason to complain. With Mopar product or almost any OEM I am never surprised to see wide swings in prices even among dealerships. I have found calling a couple of dealerships nets from 30% to 50% savings indicating the markup must be more than that. Since they already have an unpublished low price negotiated with insurance companies, some will give you that price while other parts departments will simply cite you the much higher suggested retail