Small but powerful Android set-top boxes have revolutionized the way we watch TV and movies. IPTV is replacing the traditional cable subscription, giving users the content they want and on-demand. An ever-increasing number of households now stream their media over the Internet. Considering the popularity of Kodi or Android boxes, it is surprising to see physical retail stores not filling their shelves with these set-top boxes. In this article, we’ll look at the best places to buy a Kodi box.
So your co-worker keeps talking about this magical new device he recently bought that lets him stream virtually any movie and TV channel? Most likely he didn’t get it at Wallmart. Kodi streaming boxes are pretty tough to find in physical stores. Even more so when they are pre-loaded with all the popular add-ons.
If you are looking to buy your first streaming device or upgrade your current multimedia set-up, continue reading to find out where to buy cheap, reliable and high-quality Kodi Android boxes.
Retail Stores vs Online Shopping
There isn’t a definite answer to whether shopping for products in physical stores or online is more convenient. Everyone has their own preference. However, the selection and availability of products are much higher when browsing online shops. Without a doubt, this is true when it comes to set-top boxes. You’d be lucky to find one or two devices at your local electronics store. And more often than not, these devices will not be the best fit for your needs.
Why Purchase Online?
These are just some of the advantages of purchasing an Android box online:
- It is more convenient: You can order any time of the day and get the product shipped to your doorstep.
- Prices are considerably lower: Online stores are much cheaper to run and operate a lot more efficiently. This translates into cheaper prices.
- Availability: Products are displayed virtually. Therefore, an online shop can sell an infinite number of products.
- Options: It is much easier to shop around for the best price online. You can have multiple websites open and compare devices and prices.
However, there are also some downsides:
- Product interaction: Customers are not able to touch the product, or open the box to see what’s inside. You have to rely on product descriptions and independent reviews.
- Customer advice: Online shops do not provide sales personnel to advise customers. But then again, many physical retail stores aren’t exactly known for their staff’s expertise either.
- Shipping takes time: When shopping at a physical store, you are able to walk out with the product and use it right away. Buying online requires the product to be delivered to you.
Regardless of these advantages and disadvantages, because the availability of streaming boxes in retail stores is so limited, your best option is to buy your Kodi streaming box online. But, there are thousands, if not millions, of stores on the Internet. How do you know what the best place to buy a set-top box is? Below, we’ve summarized the most popular and trustworthy shops that offer Android boxes at very low prices.
Best Online Stores to Buy Kodi Android Boxes
Below are your best options to buy your new Android box online. We chose them for their reliability, customer feedback, fair pricing and selection of products.
Keep in mind that every customer has their own preferences when it comes to their ideal online store. Some value fast shipping higher than the overall price of the product. Others want to have the lowest price possible. Even if that means having to wait 3 weeks for the delivery of the product. Yet others may already be Amazon Prime customers and would, therefore, be better off to first look at available Android boxes on that platform.
Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer, offering hundreds of millions of products at the lowest prices possible. They operate on razor thin margins, relying on huge sales numbers to make a profit. Many of the products sold on Amazon aren’t actually sold by the company itself. Due to its multi-level e-commerce strategy, anyone is able to offer products on the platform.
Thanks to the platform’s popularity and the sheer number of users, almost any product has buyer reviews that allow you to assess the product’s quality before you make a purchase.
Amazon has a flawless reputation. Their website is easy to use and transparent when it comes to product prices and shipping arrangements. Without a doubt, this e-commerce platform is the world’s most trusted online retailer and the best place to buy your Kodi or Android set-top box.
Because third-party merchants can offer products on the platform, almost any Android Box on the market is available. Also, because of this increased competition amongst merchants, the prices are incredibly low.
Amazon is our go-to online store when we are buying an Android box. With fast shipping and the perks of Amazon Prime, it is difficult to look past this shop.
Android TV Box Bestsellers
Below are just some of the current Bestsellers for Android boxes.
Gearbest is essentially a Chinese e-commerce platform, operating out of Shenzhen, China. However, it is serving customers globally, having a strong presence throughout the world with several warehouses. This enables them to ship their products to western countries within a reasonable time.
The product presentation is great, with plenty of information and customer reviews to back the claims. It seems they have taken much of their website design straight from Amazon. So, anyone familiar with Amazon’s shopping platform will feel right at home.
Because Gearbest sits right where all the electronics factories are based, they are able to offer a wide range of products at very low prices. You will also find no-name and more exotic boxes here.
Also, the product filtering is second to none, allowing you to search for products based on specific features and specs. We find it a lot easier to narrow down Android boxes meeting our needs on this site than, for example, on Amazon.
What we really like about Gearbest is their warranty and returns policy. If you are not happy with the product, you can return it within 45 days for a refund!
Banggood is a bit of a rising star in the e-commerce scene. Similar to Gearbest, Banggood is based out of China with warehouses in the US and Europe. This guarantees fast shipping, often free worldwide. Also, you are able to track all orders, giving you a good idea when your package will arrive.
However, if a product is not available from their UK or US warehouse, expect to wait up to 25 days for your new Android box to arrive.
At the time of this writing, Banggood had well over 100 Android boxes available for purchase, all very competitively priced.
Slow Streams or Buffering?
Are your streams loading too slow? Getting constant buffering? Not able to stream at full resolution? Check out these tips to improve your streaming experience:
- Use a modern Router that has advanced features like QoS to prioritize video content. Check out our recommended Routers for Streaming.
- If you are using a Wifi connection, be sure to check out our 9 easy steps to improve your Wifi for Streaming.
- Some Internet Service Providers throttle video streaming traffic without telling their customers. A VPN encrypts all your traffic and circumvents throttling, blocking and geographical restrictions.
Banggood gives its customers a 3-day, no questions asked, refund guarantee. While significantly shorter than some of its competitors, it does allow you to test the product and return in case of any defects.
What really sets Banggood apart from the other online retailers is product pricing. You will find it hard to buy the same product cheaper from another shop. And if you do, Banggood will try to match the price! This makes Banggood the cheapest place to buy an Android TV box online.
Aliexpress is your gateway to the Chinese electronics factories. You won’t find a better platform to buy straight from the source than Aliexpress. This consumer e-commerce platform is the sister site of Alibaba, a platform where Chinese manufacturers sell their products in bulk to wholesale customers worldwide.
Aliexpress features many of the same products from Alibaba. However, here you are able to buy single items. Aliexpress is arguably one of the cheapest platforms to buy Android boxes. But, this comes at a price. Shipping can take long to western countries. Also, because items are listed by local Chinese merchants, item descriptions and pictures are not the same quality as found on other online stores.
Because virtually anyone can sell through AliExpress, buyers need to carefully examine the offers and vendors. There is an escrow service in place to ensure that all products reach you as ordered. Still, use your common sense when examining the offers and look out for merchants that sell a lot of different products and are slow to respond, or don’t respond at all, to pre-sale questions.
Still, everyone loves a good deal, and you will find one here. There are well over 10 000 set-top boxes available. Without a doubt, Aliexpress is the cheapest online store with the widest selection of devices to order an Android box.
Ebay doesn’t need much of an introduction. It is the world’s largest auction house, connecting buyers and sellers across the globe. As such, there are hundreds of streaming media players available on the platform at any given moment.
Because the platform is open to any merchants, the devices available for sale are very diverse. You also tend to find many pre-configured Kodi Android boxes with all the latest streaming add-ons. While also available on other platforms, Ebay seems to feature these fully loaded Kodi boxes more than any other platform.
Because of the nature of this e-commerce platform, every merchant defines their own return policy. This makes it a bigger hassle than other online shops. Nevertheless, shopping on Ebay is considered safe and sometimes yields incredible deals not found on other stores.
Last update on 2024-11-23 at 16:02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.