Tuesday, May 6, 2008

How to Buy Flash Drives That Won't Fail!

What you should do when you find flash drives on the Internet for next to nothing!

Flash Drives can be confusing! I have over 7400 to choose from on my website. 1 GB at $5 a similar item at $9.50….what’s the deal?

At the heart of the problem there is a lot of misinformation about flash drive prices and the cost of memory.


Many customers believe they can buy flash drives at below or at unusually low prices. These prices are generally found online and are often quoted direct from the Chinese manufacturer or through their North American or European agent.

The reality is quality memory costs are the same for every manufacturer as demand for flash chips far outstrips the supply. Kennedy Advertising pays the same for 1000 1 GB pieces of memory as we do for 10,000!

So how do you work your way through this? Please read below as there are some important things you should know.

USB Flash Chips are divided up into 4 different classes/standards.

Grades A, B & C. And the sneaky, Grade D

Grade A:
Tier 1- These are bona fide premium chips with the flash chip manufacturers name & serial number imprinted on the chip itself. These chips are produced by manufacturers such as Samsung and Hynix. They are the most expensive, but also the most reliable offering a lifetime warranty. These are the chips Kennedy Advertising uses.

Grade B:
Tier 1 OEM flash chips. These are made by the same legitimate chip manufacturers in Grade A but are without the manufacturer's brand name imprinted on them. These chips are as reliable but may not be of the same standards that the manufacturer would consider putting their name on it. Kennedy Advertising also sells Grade B. A and B are both fine to use.
Below is where the quality issues & problems begin. These will be some of the least expensive flash drives but also have a very high failure rate.

Grade C:
These are called recycled or reclaimed flash chips (not to be confused with the recycled plastic housings) . These chips are considered waste from the "wafer" that the original manufacturer does not want and considers to be garbage. These have a 30% - 40% failure rate. They are sold by the pound. Literally!!!

Grade D: (The Sneaky Grade)
A Sneaky flash drive supplier will actually imprint an original manufacturer's name on a Grade C chip. It may say Samsung or Hynix, etc. but its most definitely junk/knock-off flash drive. Until The Sneaky Grade Flash Drive land’s at your customer’s door you will not know that they don't work very well.

Payment: People don't always think about this.....All off-shore purchases are pre-paid to a Chinese bank before shipment. What is your recourse if the product fails? A reputable agency such as Kennedy Advertising gives you protection under US commerce laws and the insurance provided by Visa or MasterCard. Plus, we don’t deal with suppliers that sell us anything less than Grade A or B Quaility.

Conclusion: You may find flash drives cheaper than at Kennedy Advertising , but they won’t be better….or even the same! As the old saying goes………The taste of a bargain is easily replaced by the bitterness of being fooled.

If we can be of any help...please do not hesitate to give us a call at 888-725-4487 or in the Las Vegas Valley at 702-324-1334 or you can send an e-mail to john@kennedyadv.com

If you would like, feel free to pass this along to people you know that buy Imprinted Promotional Flash Drives. You may help them save a lot of money.