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OEM means original equipment manufacturer. The term refers to
companies that make products for others to repackage and sell.
Resellers buy OEM products in bulk, minus the costly retail packaging
that comes with individually sold units. In other words, companies
supply equipment to other companies to resell or incorporate into
another product using the reseller's brand name. More recently,
OEM is also used to refer to the company that acquires a product or
component and reuses or incorporates it into a new product with
its own brand name.

The GPS market offers a very wide selection of OEM GPS products.
Whether leading GPS manufacturers or small manufacturers that
specialize in specific equipment production, the market is boiling
and the average consumer can now enjoy lower prices.

While many consumers may not be familiar with what an OEM
product is, they are becoming more and more common. This is
particularly true due to the rise in online shopping. Often the OEM
GPS products are sold in larger lots or groups to help reduce the
costs to the company using the parts for integration. What the OEM
GPS product will come with will vary depending upon the type of
product being sold.

oem gps

Typically the component that is purchased as an OEM product lacks
all retail packaging. Also missing might be cables or software that
may have been included with the retail version, as well as reduced
instructions included with the OEM version of the product. A good
example of these differences can be seen between an OEM GPS and
retail GPS. The retail version is often referred to as a kit because it
includes with it accessories, cables, installation instructions, warranty
cards and any software packages used to help configure or run the
device. The OEM version of the GPS device will only include the
device with no other accessories or materials.

Since price is such a huge factor in the purchase process of a GPS
device, OEM GPS products offer a major advantage over a retail
product. The reduced items and packaging can drastically reduce the
cost of a GPS component over a retail version. In fact this obvious
preference leads to the question as to why anyone would chose to
purchase the retail version.

The biggest difference between a retail GPS and OEM GPS product
is how warranties are handled. Most retail products come with very
well defined terms for service and support in case the product has
any problems. OEM GPS products on the other hand will generally
have shorter warranties and limited support. The reason is that the
OEM product is supposed to be sold as part of a package via a
retailer. Therefore, all service and support for the component in the
system should be handled by the retailer if sold in a complete
system.

As a user who is trying to put together a GPS system, the retail
version can have significant advantages because it includes
instructions. If you are unfamiliar with what is required to do or how
to install the component, the manufacturer instructions can be very
useful as are any cables that you may not have.

So are OEM GPS products okay? Should you save money on an OEM
product, or should you choose the retail version? Well, the answer is
not simple. Basically there should be no physical difference in a GPS
component if it is sold as OEM or in retail. The difference is the extras
that are provided with the retail version. If you are comfortable with
the terms of the OEM GPS product compared to the retail version,
then it is generally better to buy the OEM product for the reduced
cost. If items such as product warranties bother you, purchase the
retail versions for the peace of mind they provide.

MAny times dealers of OEM GPS products add something of value
before reselling the merchandise. An OEM vendor that does this is
known as a "value added reseller". A VAR might build components,
sub-systems, or systems from quality OEM parts. OEM goods allow
VARs a wide range of creative marketing choices, which permits
smaller dealers to be competitive in the marketplace.



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