The Risk With Buying Milwaukee Tools & Accessories On Amazon
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Milwaukee is one of the giants of the hardware industry, offering all kinds of power tools and construction implements, plus the battery systems to power them all, like the M18 line. You can find these tools fairly easily at most major hardware chains like Home Depot or Ace Hardware, as well as on online stores like Acme Tools. However, as with just about anything else money can buy, you may prefer to do your Milwaukee tool shopping on Amazon, where you may be able to get free or discounted shipping or better pricing.
The important thing to recognize about buying certain things on Amazon, though, is that you're not actually buying from certain brands directly through the Amazon storefront. With Milwaukee tools in particular, this presents a couple of genuine concerns that may either diminish the usefulness of any tools you purchase, or remove your ability to seek assistance from Milwaukee in the event of hardware failure. Shopping on Amazon is convenient, there's no doubt about that, but certain conveniences can come with unpleasant strings attached.
Milwaukee tools sold on Amazon may be secretly refurbished, or even counterfeit
Milwaukee doesn't sell its tools on its own website, nor does it have its own chain of storefronts. Instead, it distributes its tools to be sold by authorized resellers, large chains like Home Depot and Ace that have received Milwaukee's official seal of approval. Anyone selling Milwaukee tools outside of these authorized resellers has not received Milwaukee's official go-ahead — this means that those selling Milwaukee tools on Amazon merely purchased the tools from another retailer themselves and are likely flipping them without Milwaukee's consent.
While there is a brand page for Milwaukee on Amazon, every product is sold by an independent individual or company, the name of which you can confirm under the "Buy Now" button on a product page. Milwaukee has no official say in these sales, which brings with it a couple of particular risks to buyers.
Since these tools are being sold without Milwaukee's consent, they could be secretly refurbished. As with its new tools, Milwaukee only permits the sales of reconditioned tools through its partners. If it's not an official job, it may not be up to Milwaukee's code. All of this is assuming that the listed tools are even actual Milwaukee products, rather than red-painted counterfeits from some no-name knockoff brand. Many have reported that certain Milwaukee products purchased on Amazon aren't the real deal, so exercise some caution when browsing Amazon.
Even genuine Milwaukee tools may not be under warranty
For the sake of argument, let's assume for a moment that a Milwaukee tool you find on Amazon is a genuine Milwaukee product, still fresh in the box. As long as it's the real deal and hasn't been opened or tampered with, shouldn't that still be fine? Even if it's not from a Milwaukee-authorized reseller? In broad terms, maybe, but even purchasing genuine Milwaukee tools from an unauthorized reseller presents one very distinctive risk for buyers: the lack of a warranty.
All Milwaukee products automatically come with the brand's warranty, which can last from one to five years, depending on the particular tool. As long as a product is in warranty, Milwaukee will help you out if it breaks, even if you didn't buy it from an authorized reseller. The big caveat with that is Milwaukee's warranty starts from the moment a tool is purchased from an authorized reseller.
It's not when you purchased it, it's when the reseller purchased it. Milwaukee's warranty is tied directly to the product's stamped date code, which goes into effect as soon as anyone purchases it. If a reseller bought a Milwaukee tool to resell it, it could have been sitting in a warehouse for several years, the warranty ticking away all the while. When it finally makes its way to your hands, the tool could have already lost a big chunk of its warranty period, which means a smaller safety net for you in the event of hardware failure.