Are you somewhat oblivious of what hoverboards really are? That sounds more like an impossible tense. But it is not tiring to always repeat why hoverboards are a fascinating, smashing piece of technology.
The rise in the popularity of the device as an alternative means of transport has also given it a wider popular interest beyond the remote view of it as a fun toy.
They are skateboard lookalikes, only that they are like an improved technology of skateboards.
Hoverboards are called electric self-balancing scooters. They are electrical devices because they run on batteries. They are designed to move when you step on the them, tilting them towards the direction you want them to go.
Over the years, there have been several reports of hoverboards going up in flames because of electrical issues. The spate of such accidents in the early years of its production, owing largely to cheap knockoffs that entered the market, sparked legitimate concerns about what kind of hoverboards are the safest for use and where to buy them. We are going to examine the options you can consider.
How To Find The Right Place to Buy Your Next Hoverboard
When considering where to buy your hoverboards, especially when your priority is on quality experience, you need to put some important things into consideration:
i. Return & Cancellation Policies:
Generally, consumers who buy products, especially online, are keen on knowing the return and cancellation policies that retail or online market outlets provide to ease decision making on product purchases.
Now, hoverboards, like other electrical items, are subject to failures that can impact user experience.
More so, because of the inconsistency the safety of some hoverboards had suffered through the years, you need that flexibility from potential merchants and that means there are clearly stated procedures or rules that allow you to cancel orders or ask for refund for orders you don’t get to enjoy.
Any sales merchant who does not offer these policies can’t be your best bet. Most of the identified places in this article where you can buy your hoverboards offer a 30-day return, and, on some occasions, cancellation policy.
ii. Hoverboard Cost
There is a more extensive explanation later in this piece on why cheap hoverboards aren’t always the best bet for you. Cheap hoverboards are most likely produced or manufactured from inferior design materials that put users in harm’s length as potential injury or accident victims.
However, the argument here is, that a hoverboard is cheap doesn’t always mean it is bad as much as that it is expensive doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to find the right place in view of your budget and work with what works for you.
Finding the right place also means finding the right cost that suits you. Hoverboard’s prices have been revised over the years once it became clear that the market demand is available only that people go for knockoffs because they are cheap alternatives.
There are also some online retailers that match hoverboard items with specific pricing which can help inform your decision on where to buy your hoverboard.
iii. Customer Reviews
The safest place to buy your hoverboard is the place where sellers engage customers and welcome feedback and reviews. Having access to and reading reviews can help you make the right decision about the hoverboard you wish to buy.
It can also be your clearest proof that your potential seller has built a market reputation that can inspire confidence and assurance on getting the right quality of your preferred hoverboard.
Customer reviews also tell what retail services offer the right customer services in comparison with others.
The right customer service is the soul of sales business. You don’t want to buy a hoverboard on which casual or real complaints take months before you get responses.
There are indications that come to you as quickly as possible when you read some of the reviews; in fact, you can tell a service provider’s customer relations from how they respond to reviews and customer complaints online. The best customer services often have a 24 hours response window. That can be your beset.
iv. Ease Of Use
When people talk about ease of use, they are most likely considering the best available platform for their online purchases. That must be your consideration, too, when looking for the right place to buy your hoverboard.
Whatever platform you are buying from must be easy to navigate and efficient with providing you varied payment methods. You must be able to easily filter through your search for the hoverboard type or brand you are looking for, what color, what inch-wheel type and the user level choices.
Online shopping is not meant to be arduous and a good platform ensures your experience isn’t. Make sure you have wide hoverboard selection options that help you expand your decision metrics.
The available payment methods must also be efficient providing you with alternatives, such as your regular debit or credit card, PayPal, amongst other payment options.
For direct local stores and many other online platforms, payment on delivery is also a convenient payment option that could inform your choice of the right platform.
In addition, the delivery type is essential. You are considering retailers who offer the best service on cost, speed, and in-store pick-up option plans. Some hoverboard retail sellers offer this.
Shipping cost is also an important consideration. You need to know whether there is a clear indication of this or if it is free. Naturally, many online businesses offer free or very subsidized shipping as an attraction for business. Especially for hoverboard’s expensive cost, you would love to avoid more cash through availability of free shipping. That is a massive factor in picking or finding the right shop for your hoverboard purchase.
Besides these four major factors, it is important that the store you intend to buy from has a good fire safety rating. This begins with having ample knowledge about the hoverboards that have been certified safe for use by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
At a time when hoverboards were going up in flames and fires like midnight fireworks at New Year’s Eve, the commission recalled so many products for safety reasons and began issuing the UL 2272 certificate to boost customer’s confidence in the safety of safe hoverboards. You don’t want to miss stores who don’t take that seriously by stocking only the safe ones.
Where To Buy Hoverboards
The easiest pointer would be to check the local mall, which is not invalid. There are ample local shop options and access hoverboard purchases, which also allow you to have a real-time assessment of the hoverboard you are buying.
That said, buying hoverboards will be discussed here from the possible online shopping options available to you, and that can start as being as easy as clicking directly on the website of the hoverboard brand you want to buy.
For example, SWAGTRON hoverboard products can be purchased directly from the company, with full lists of cost prices that all come with free shipping, a 30-day return policy, and guaranteed refund of money for any complaint within that 30-day window.
Aside direct purchases from brands, you can also buy your hoverboards from the following major retailers:
1. Amazon
Based on user reviews, Amazon.com remains one of the top sites to buy your hoverboard. The customer service is topnotch and the prices range from low costs to high ones based on your option and interest, either for plain-looking, toy-like hoverboards to the actual ones.
There are also editorial reviews on the site with recommendations on the various options you can get, with quality choices that allow you avoid knockoffs with cheaply built designs and brands.
You get popular brands like Swagtron, Hoverheart, MegaWheels and many more on it. Also, you can check customer reviews of product from third-party retail links which might scale down concerns that that always portend, and they have a return policy of a 30-day window. There are prime free shipping for some items for 2 days. It is an easy site to navigate.
2. eBay
eBay has that “celebrity status” of Amazon in the sense of its popularity and mainstream acceptance. Hoverboard’s prices on eBay come with shipping costs except for some that are free, especially for international shipping.
There are hoverboard products here from China, Spain, United Kingdom, Armenia, and many places around the world.
Beyond brand choice, you can search for your hoverboard on eBay based on preferred color, cost, and condition of purchase.
3. Best Buy
From price options of real self-balancing electric scooters to safety helmets, amongst other toy-like products, Best Buy offers varied hoverboard options from different hoverboard brands.
Best Buy offers in-store pick up options and equally has a free 2-day shipping on lots of their products including some selected hoverboards. That might include your preferred purchase.
You can easily sort your choice here by type, the weight limit, brand category, color, deals, price range, amongst other factors.
4. Target
Target is also a retail store that offers online and in-store pickups for electronic items like the hoverboard.
It is a Shop All site for any of such needs with continued targeted offers that make sales a big attraction for all sorts of customers. In fact, there is what is called the Target RedCard which offers discount saves of about 5% for everyday purchases made on the platform.
5. Jet.com
Although with limited and very pricey stock, Jet.com offers purchase options with free shipping and a good return policy. Most orders are sorted under 8 hours.
There is an elitist air around Jet.com that suggests that hoverboards sold are mostly for pro-users and that also impacts of the cost of each one.
While there are feedback mechanics for customer reviews, you might not find much information on that to inform you decision making.
6. Walmart
Walmart is also an example of a perfect store to get your hoverboard with free delivery and pickup for some of your purchased gadgets.
Walmart generally offers free shipping for orders made on the site above $35. You can sort your purchases easily based on brand choice, color, price range, hoverboard’s weight capacity, and even the age of potential user.
Walmart has one of the most responsive customer services and that could be a big motivation if interested in customer safety.
7. Razor.com
Razor.com typically deals with selling electric transport devices of various shades and types; scooters, hoverboards, ride-ons, etc.
Finding your hoverboard choice here might not be as easy to navigate as other options because several products are hosted on the site, not just hoverboards, and they are not easily separated into categories as they are all lumped as eclectic products.
The attraction is that you get to see your cost price, make color selections, and see customer review stars for your products as quickly as possible.